Amidst the chaos of classes, extracurriculars and college applications, many students can’t find the time to pursue their own interests. However, seniors Autumn Bilberry and Marley Harrison have managed to turn their baking hobbies into businesses, balancing school with their part-time jobs.
“I stay up pretty late whenever I’m baking,” Bilberry said. “Sometimes it’ll be over two nights, but I’ll usually stay up until one or two in the morning.”
Though her baking business is relatively new, starting September of 2025, Bilberry’s passion for baking developed when she was younger, encouraging her to gain baking experience before starting her own business.
“I’ve just been baking since I was little, and I worked at a bakery,” Bilberry said. “I interned there over the summer, so I really learned how to get good at it.”
Apart from baking for profits, Bilberry sometimes bakes for fun, sharing her creations with others for free.
“I make hundreds of cupcakes every once in a while for free for everybody,” Bilberry said. “I’ll make like 300 or 400 and then my boyfriend and I hand them out for free.”
Harrison started her own business two months ago, but has been baking since elementary school, competing in multiple baking competitions.
“My favorite thing to bake is probably either pumpkin bread or cupcakes,” Harrison said. “My most successful pastry would be a strawberry cookie. I sell a strawberry shortcake cookie, and that one always sells out.”
Harrison takes her business through Square, a website for operating sales. She operates and markets her business on Instagram, sometimes taking orders through her DMs. Afterwards, she individually hand delivers her baked goods to customers.
“I’ll deliver up to 10 miles, just so I’m not spending too much money on gas,” Harrison said. “But if it’s a pickup order, I’ll make a meet up area.”
Although there are challenges that come with opening one’s own business, especially with other responsibilities, Harrison and Marley managed to persevere and grow their passions into profiting startups.
“Getting it rolling was something that was pretty slow and kind of discouraging, but I just never give up, which helps me through it,” Harrison said. “Now it’s [going] a lot better because I have a lot more orders from people I don’t know.”