BELLEVUE, WA - It was a cupcake shop in New York City that sparked the idea. “My life flashed before my eyes. I realized that I’d been complaining that I didn’t know what my passion was, yet I baked all the time,” said Jennifer Shea, Founder of Trophy Cupcakes. “I didn’t know that I could turn my hobby into a career.”
That idea started to turn into reality as she researched candy shops and patisseries around the country. “I took mental notes about architecture, design and perfect little details I saw,” said Shea. The road to owning her own shop finally became a reality when Trophy Cupcakes began with a storefront in 2007.
As an entrepreneur and small-business owner, Shea knew she had many challenges ahead. She said, “When you’re a small business, you have to do it all yourself.“ Most importantly one of the biggest challenges for her was how she would be able to build the perfect cupcake shop without breaking the bank. That’s when she turned to BizX.
“For a small business to have that ability to have that extra cash flow through trade is incredible,“ said Shea. With BizX, she was able to hire contractors for general construction work including painting the walls and refinishing concrete floors. “That’s the biggest thing that it helps with is really being able to do my build-out the way I want to and using great vendors. “ She was able to pick higher-end finishes to design the shop the way she had envisioned.
Shea is now the proud owner of five shops located within the Seattle/Bellevue area. “For us to be able to do that in cash would have been almost impossible or we would have more loans than we already do,” she laughs.
Since then, Shea has used BizX for company parties and manager gifts to her employees. Her advice to small business owners is this: Get connected with BizX, “If you’re starting your business out, all of sudden you’re in front of all of these businesses. Basically it’s like being welcomed into a big community of businesses. It’s B2B and it’s really strong right from the beginning.”
For more information: Trophy Cupcakes, info@trophycupcakes.com
