By: Rishabh Shah

Chloe. E. Wong is a grade 12 student at St. Augustine CHS. She is also the second-ever edition of “Titan’s Tycoon”! Chloe is part of the Student Administrative Council, the French Club, and the Best Buddies program during school time. She is a former competitive dancer who loves trying new food, completing puzzles, hanging out with friends, and painting. Apart from school, Chloe runs a thriving baking business going by the name of “ChloeeBakes”. 

Chloe is the owner of a home-run baking business that makes custom treats and cakes by order. She started her business in 2020 when one of her former dance teammates’ parents asked her to make cupcakes for a drive-by birthday party. She got the inspiration to start her business because of her upbringing. As she grew up, she would always spend time in the kitchen with her grandparents,who were chefs. She knew she enjoyed baking but learned from the pandemic that it could become a business to share with others.

These are some of her products:

The love and support from her clients and family allowed her to put work and time into this lovely business of hers, allowing it to blossom into the company it is today! Recently, I had the opportunity to catch up with her. I asked her some questions about her experiences in the field of student entrepreneurship: 

1. What was your first sale?

“My first sale came when I was least expecting it. I got a text from my teammate’s mom! At that point, I had just posted a handful of my baking projects from when I was bored at home, so I ran over to my parent’s room sharing “What?! Someone wants to BUY my baking?” They were so excited with me, and we spent the next few minutes figuring out pricing before I gladly replied to her message. This sale was for 18 carrot cake cupcakes, decorated with earth-toned abstract frosting.”

(E Wong, Chloe. Interview)

Wow! What a way to get your business started! The first of many orders!

2. If you have faced adversity, how did you get around it? (Anything like hurtful comments or something that may have discouraged you)

“Although baking is one of my greatest joys, fulfilling such intricate orders can be stressful and demanding at times. Nearly a year ago, I was commissioned to complete an order that seemed rather straightforward. However, I completely underestimated the amount of frosting and time it took, and so with the clock ticking down to pick-up, I started to panic, realizing that I was not going to finish this order in time. The client ended up being extremely patient and understanding, and I worked with them to ensure the order was complete and dropped it off at their event on my own, giving me more time and saving her some.”

(E Wong, Chloe. Interview)

That was dealt with nicely! Customer service is a key part of running a business, without being kind and respectful to the customers, they won’t give you business.

3. What are some lessons you have learned from running your business? What would you do differently if you restarted the business? What would you tell a newly started home-run business owner?

“The example I gave about that order that I almost didn’t get done, but the customer was kind and respectful taught me tons about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. Your customers understand that you are human, and when you do your best to accommodate and serve them, they will most likely want to do what they can to support you as well. Fortunately, I was met with an immense amount of support from family and friends when I opened my business, however, if I were to restart Chloe Bakes, I would have worked towards creating a better brand image & website right when I first opened. This would have helped market to people I did not know personally. Also, I would have invested in better quality equipment right from the start, as that would have saved me so much money from having to repurchase cheaper versions multiple times until I finally bit the bullet and invested in more expensive, but better quality tools. If I were chatting with a newly started home-run business owner, I would tell them to not be afraid to put themselves out there! I would let them know that I know they may feel silly at first or afraid that no one will support them or their business, but that if they’re truly passionate about something, that will shine through, and with time, success will come. One of the biggest parts of being a business owner is finding it in yourself to take risks even if you may fall because the last thing you want to do is regret having not done something simply because you were afraid of what other people might think.”

(E Wong, Chloe. Interview)

4. What is the funniest or strangest order/encounter that has come from running this business?

“The funniest/strangest order that I’ve received as a business owner was for a set of pig cupcakes with 1 single cupcake designed to look like Ed Sheeran. It must have been an inside joke between my client and her friends for her birthday, but when I first got the DM for the order, it is safe to say, I was confused. Nonetheless, it ended up becoming one of my favourite sets of cupcakes I’ve ever made because when I think of them, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to play a part in such special and personal occasions for so many people”

(E Wong, Chloe. Interview)

Imagine that, someone asking for a cupcake with a design of Ed Sheeran on it! Amazing how you can be a part of someone’s fun by doing something so kind!

That does it for the 2nd edition of Titan Times, to see more of Chloe’s magnificent designs, visit her Instagram @Chloeebakes! Stay tuned for more!

Work Cited

E Wong, Chloe. Interview. Conducted by Rishabh Shah. November 16th, 2023