Creating a Business Around Your Life by Megan Wagstaff From Lady Yum Bakery

Megan Wagstaff is the CEO of Lady Yum, a Washington state-based pastry shop specializing in assorted-flavored macarons. She began her love affair with baking as a child growing up in a remote Alaskan village. After a brief career in investment banking, Megan followed her heart to open her dream bakery shop. Her adoration for baking and champagne inspired her macarons concept. Lady Yum has six locations, including Bellevue Square, Downtown Kirkland, Pioneer Square, the Amazon Seattle Campus, and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Megan Wagstaff shares her career background and the inspiration for starting a pastry shop
Why Megan elected French macarons as her bakery’s specialty product
What is a Kickstarter campaign, and how can you create one to start your business?
How the pandemic impacted Lady Yum’s and Megan’s mental health
Megan explains her creative process for decorating each store
Using innovative marketing strategies to scale your business
Why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions

In this episode…

For years, societal norms have dictated that we go to college after high school, graduate, and acquire a steady job. Though many people choose to skip continuing education, statistics still show higher employment rates and salaries favor college graduates. The issue for many is that high-dollar paychecks don’t necessarily buy happiness.

Business owner Megan Wagstaff followed the traditional career path after graduating college. She earned a hefty paycheck and professes she was good at her job. But daily life at her desk became daunting. After experiencing an epiphany, she risked a steady salary to go into business for herself. But the rewards of entrepreneurship didn’t immediately follow. Instead, Megan earned a different kind of education. She spent countless hours conducting research, gaining new skills, and learning to ask for help – all before drafting a business plan.

In this episode of The Celebrity Gourmet Podcast, Odette D’Aniello interviews Megan Wagstaff, CEO of Lady Yum, to muse on the ebbs and flows of being a business owner. Megan reflects on her decision to quit her job in investment banking to live out her dream, how she raised funds to open her first store, and her decision to use creative marketing to grow her business.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

Today’s episode is brought to you by Celebrity Cake Studio, a family-owned and operated cake boutique.

Celebrity Cake Studio has been baking joy into all of their artistically designed cakes and desserts for 21 years.

They are proud to work with a vibrant team of cake designers and bakers that help you celebrate the sweet moments in your lives.

They have received numerous awards, winning Best of Western Washington for many years in a row and various small business accolades.

To learn more about how you can celebrate yourselves or the ones you love, visit www.celebritycakestudio.com or email them at info@celebritycakestudio.com.