zxà {tÑÑç Lisa Herman, CPS ’09
REGIS ALUMNA LISA HERMAN AND HER BUSINESS PARTNERS, SARA BENCOMO AND LAURA REYNOLDS, ARE DISHING UP HAPPINESS JUST BLOCKS FROM THE REGIS UNIVERSITY CAMPUS.
Climbing the corporate ladder, she had no intention of actually opening a bakery, but serendipity intervened.
Cakes turned up in the producer’s research for Cupcake Week and requested the team send tasting samples. For good measure, they tossed in a few Mutt Cakes (cupcakes for dogs) for Martha’s famous pets. A few weeks passed and they finally received another call from the producer. Stewart had selected their Cosmo cupcake as one of five of “Martha’s Favorites,” thus making Happy Cakes one of the bakeshops featured on the show, on her Web site and in the cupcake cookbook she authored. That 15 seconds of fame thrust the businesswomen into the national spotlight and marketplace.
Bencomo and Reynolds, on the other hand, were running partners who did aspire to open a cupcake bakery. “Kismet,” as related on the company’s Web site, “brought Lisa and Sara together through their hairstylist.” And that was the beginning of what has become a highly successful enterprise, topped off with a name coined by Bencomo’s then two-year old son who favored the celebratory phrase “Happy Cakes” over “Happy Birthday.”
Herman cites managing growth as the most challenging aspect of owning a business, especially considering the quick pace at which Happy Cakes has risen to prominence. To put volume into perspective, Happy Cakes does an average of five weddings a weekend, once doing eight in one day. And that’s just weddings! Their menu, which has expanded to include other sweets, also is popular for baby showers, bridal showers, birthdays and graduations.
Just months after opening, they received a call from a producer from Martha Stewart’s television show. Happy
The Happy Cakes team starts at 4 a.m., baking fresh from scratch every day. Afternoons are spent preparing
Herman, who pursued her MBA while working as a senior executive at a Denver Metro Area credit union, was first introduced to the business of cupcakes through a class assignment requiring students to develop a business plan. “I had read about a successful cupcake bakeshop on the East Coast in a business magazine,” says Herman. “There was nothing like it in Denver, so I thought a bakery would be a fun project for the class.”
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Fall 2011
www.happycakesdenver.com 3434 West 32nd Avenue Denver, Colorado
batter, frosting and dough for the next day. Their growing staff organizes orders for pick up that day, prepares for walk-in purchases, decorates custom orders, manages the inventory and vendors, keeps the books, writes the ads, schedules events and maintains equipment. It’s an “all hands on deck” operation and the three owners participate in all of the tasks, from baking to cleaning. “When I started the project, I never knew it would be what it is today!” says Herman. She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to start slow, do the prep work, seek out the kinks and make sure a market exists for their product or service. “It’s also important to enjoy what you do, partner with people you respect, keep communication open, accept constructive criticism, and have fun,” she adds. The idea that began as a class project and early morning exercise conversation is now a well-known local haunt tucked in the middle of the historic Highlands neighborhood, proudly serving cupcake connoisseurs and novices daily.
by Marycate Lumpp