Natalia's Sweets

“In 2022, my mom and step-dad invested into a custom built lemonade stand for me they found on FB marketplace. The lemonade stand was an eye catcher and would attract a lot of attention, and it helped increase my sales.

That year, my parents introduced me to an event for young entrepreneurs called the KIDSposium, put on by a non-profit called Kids Rule Now Inc., run by Rhonda Alexia Webb. I got to meet and learn from a 15-year-old CEO of her own six-figure company called “Gabby Bows”.

Seeing her, all the other young entrepreneurs, and hearing from other successful business owners was inspiring, and that’s when I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, too.

So I took two 4-week baking classes this summer with my mentor Cierra Crudup, owner of Delicious Sweets Bakeshop in Saginaw and learned everything from classic cookie recipes, to how to bake a cake from scratch, make frosting, and how to work with fondant. With the skills that I learned and confidence that I gained, I launched my business on July 29th of 2023 at the Youth Entrepreneurship Expo in Bay City, another “Kids Rule NOW!” event.

Since the initial launch of my business, it has really taken off. Being a vendor at several different events over the summer helped me gain better communication skills and experience serving customers.

Then I participated in a business pitch competition called Dare to Dream with seven other finalists. I was nervous for that and practiced my pitch all the time. I went to the competition, did my pitch, and was selected as the winner by a panel of six judges and awarded a check for $1,000 by Duperon Education.

Recently I competed in the Greatest Baker competition for a chance to win $10,000, be on the cover of Baked from Scratch magazine, and meet Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss himself! I made it to the semi-finals and got 4th place. That wasn’t high enough to make it into the finals, but I was thankful to have the community vote for me and help me get as far as I did.

Then, in January, I joined the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce as their youngest member.

This is all a dream come true within the first 6th months of my business!

Natalia’s Sweets D’light specializes in serving an array of delectable fresh baked goods and customized sweet treats made to order for any of your special events. I put my all into my baking so that my customers can experience the taste of ‘love in each bite’ every single time they enjoy one or many of Natalia’s Sweets D’light products.”

—Natalia Luke, Natalia's Sweets D'light