Jessi Walter, Founder and CEO Cupcake Kids

Jessi Walter
Founder and CEO Cupcake Kids

Jessi grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and says “I’m a country girl.” “I’ve been an athlete all my life. I like and thrive on competition. I was a swimmer from the age of 6 to 22”.

Jessi has a BA in Economics from Harvard. She wanted to swim and train before her first year of college. To earn money for school, she started a swim camp for kids and in the evenings she coached a local swim team for kids 4-18. She also started a technique camp to teach kids how to swim and teach proficient swimmers how to swim more efficiently and faster.

After college she got a job at Bear Stearns that brought her to New York City. She worked in Debt Capital Markets and Credit Strategy during her 5 years there. In her spare time, as a creative outlet, she loved baking with her nieces and had a birthday party for one of them where the kids baked cupcakes and decorated aprons. She was asked to do several more birthday parties and hold baking classes for friends. Jessi says “I always liked creative things I like baking and doing crafts. I was baking cookies with my neices one Saturday and I had the idea I could do this. This could be a business. I love food; I love kids I; love business; and I like creative high energy environments.”

In the meantime Bear Stearns was purchased by JP Morgan and Jessi started thinking about pursing Cupcake Kids* as a full-time business. “Could I do this as a job? Would I like it? Could I make enough money? Could this be a business?”  She decided to go for it in 2008.
Jessi says she expanded the idea to cooking since it was going to be a full time business.  She started out doing birthday parties then single classes, holiday/seasonal classes and now Cupcake Kids does weekly classes for 2-4 year olds with their mothers or caregivers and 5–14 year olds after school and on the weekend. “We have now expanded into corporate events like Take Your Child to Work and field trips for schools.”

Jessi’s goal is to make the cooking classes for kids and events exciting and engaging as well as educational, fun and nutritious for the kids. A lot of planning goes into the classes (finding recipes that you can do in 1 hour), shopping for ingredients and equipment, plus preparing new programs, classes and offerings.

The biggest challenges are “Finding a balance and not setting my expectations too high or becoming overwhelmed with the many functions I have to do.”

The most rewarding aspect is “I like being involved in so many activities. I enjoy the work, ranging from the very tedious to the very creative, the food, the business and the financial aspects. I love interacting with the kids at the events and seeing them enjoying themselves.”

Jessi says the keys to success in starting a business are “…don’t be afraid of risk. Make a calculated decision and move forward. Be excited about what you are doing. Having a support system is also very important and helpful.”

In her spare time Jessi likes hanging out with family and friends, going to the gym and enjoying restaurants with friends.

* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Cupcake Kids! Cooks Up Name Change To Taste Buds