002 – Mary Philio (Angie’s Mom!)

Today I’m stoked to introduce you to the inspiration behind my entire entrepreneurial journey (and the source of the majority of my sass, though she may deny it)… my mom!

And today’s her birthday – which was the driving force behind the podcast launch happening now. It’s a celebration of all that she’s taught me, just by sheer persistence and refusal to give up.

Now she’s hitting her stride and has a growing business doing what she loves – baking. We talked about what she’s learned over the last three years as she’s slowly grown her business on the festival circuit. Bonus: people often mistake us for one another… can you tell us apart? Ha!

Can’t-miss moments in this episode:

  • How my mom found her calling in a liquor bottle (and it’s not what you think)
  • The niche-within-a-niche she found that allowed her to focus on flavor vs dabbling in decorations
  • Forget the “taste test,” it’s time for the “face test” – the goofy method my stepdad came up with that had product flying off the shelves
  • The sucky experience that almost convinced mom they’d never make sales (and now it’s one of mom’s biggest sources of revenue)
  • Mom’s creative take on fitting cakes into a beer and bacon festival (now it’s one of her best sellers!)

Take a listen (and try not to gain a few pounds just from imagining those half-pound cookies and ooey-gooey rum cakes.

Mom’s Bio:

After going on a cruise several years ago, we wanted to make sure we bought the rum cakes that were so popular and we kept hearing so much about. We were disappointed that they didn’t live up to the hype.

Being a Pastry Chef, I decided that I could do better and in 2017, I set out to make rum cakes so delicious, people rolled their eyes when they tasted them. I believe I have achieved what I set out to do and now I have fun coming up with new flavors with different liquors.

My husband and I attend fairs/festivals and events as often as we can and quite often sell out, letting us know we have come up with delicious rum and liquor cakes.

Resources and links mentioned:

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