Nine years ago, Jessica Taige experimented with a peanut butter cup recipe that changed her dreams of Broadway into dreams of entrepreneurship and spreading joy with her delicious Nutty Cups. In Jessica’s Her Story, discover the importance of finding a community to help you on your entrepreneurial journey, how business tools can be key to managing your business and the importance of paying yourself.
Suddenly, my Broadway dreams were filled with chocolate and peanut butter instead.
Why did you start your business? What motivated or inspired you?
It all started back in 2014, rather serendipitously, really. I came across a recipe for peanut butter cups while looking for a dessert for a friend's farewell gathering, decided to make them and thought I could make them better. That is when the experimentation began. When I thought I had perfected the recipe, and was ready to move on with my life, all my taste testers told me, “No! You can't stop! You should sell these!” And I thought, why not? Maybe this could supplement my income to support my acting career. And so Jessie's Nutty Cups was born.
It didn't take long before I realized I was getting a similar sense of fulfillment from watching people enjoy these delicious, nutty treats as I was from performing. Suddenly, my Broadway dreams were filled with chocolate and peanut butter instead.
What is something you know now that you wish you knew when you started your business?
Be sure to make paying yourself part of your equation from day one. Of course other people had told me this already. I just thought, well once I start making an actual profit, then I'll start paying myself from that! The thing is, you will always find other places for that money to go... I definitely learned that the hard way.
What has been the most challenging thing about getting your business up and running?
Getting out of my own way and finding a community of other food entrepreneurs. Starting your own business can be very lonely. You wear all the hats and everything falls to you. On top of that, when starting a food business, specifically, there are so many licenses and certifications needed and there wasn't a place where everything was clearly explained. I was close to giving up, but luckily found a class run by an incubator kitchen specifically for food entrepreneurs. And that's when everything turned around. I was suddenly surrounded by like-minded people who were going through the same things I was. Feeling like I had a place to go when I had questions, meeting people I could bounce ideas off of, it made all the difference.
Knowing that I am able to make a bit of a difference in so many people's days through Nutty Cups makes it all worth it. Hearing from people about how receiving some Nutty Cups turned a not so great day into a better one, knowing we were able to add some smiles into the world... It makes my heart smile.
What has been the most exciting or rewarding part of owning your own business?
Knowing that I am able to make a bit of a difference in so many people's days through Nutty Cups makes it all worth it. Hearing from people about how receiving some Nutty Cups turned a not so great day into a better one, knowing we were able to add some smiles into the world... It makes my heart smile.
Are there any apps or business services that you just can’t live without that you would like to give a shout-out to?
Quickbooks (or any other online accounting system)... I like to think I'm an organized person, but if it weren’t for QuickBooks, my accounting would be a total mess. Also Square Payroll. Payroll can be quite expensive, especially when you only have 1 or 2 employees. Square Payroll is easy to use, user friendly and the most wallet friendly payroll provider I was able to find.
Thank you, Jessie, for story - and for making our world a little sweeter!
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Launched in 2020, TheWMarketplace is a nationwide e-commerce marketplace for women-owned businesses to sell their products and professional and personal services. Offering favorable terms to its sellers, it also is a supportive community of women entrepreneurs that have access to learning opportunities through the trademarked HER-Commerce™ programs. With over 500 women-owned businesses selling 4000+ products and services ranging from home goods to coaching, in over 35 states, TheWMarketplace empowers shoppers with a new way to find the communities they want to support, including Black-woman owned, Latina-owned, AAPI-owned, Veteran woman-owned, and more. The Her Story Q&A is one benefit TheWMarketplace provides to sellers.
