Melissa Ben-Ishay: Baked by Melissa CEO and Founder

Second Life

Who What Wear

Fashion & Beauty, Careers, Arts, Business, Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2023

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Melissa Ben-Ishay is the founder and CEO of the bite-sized-cupcake empire Baked by Melissa. Since Ben-Ishay and her partners founded the company in 2008, Baked by Melissa has sold over 250 million cupcakes, opened 14 brick-and-mortar stores, and created a thriving e-commerce business. Though Ben-Ishay always loved baking, she actually started her career in advertising, and after being let go from her role as an assistant media buyer, she went to her brother for advice. “Don’t worry. It’s the best thing that ever happened to you. … Go home. Bake your cupcakes. We’ll start a business together,” he told her. From there, Baked by Melissa was born. Tune in to hear how Ben-Ishay continues to evolve her career, including stepping into the role of CEO of the multimillion-dollar company and her most recent pivot to TikTok sensation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone, I'm Hilary Kerr, the co-founder and chief content officer of Who What Wear,
0:11.3	and this is Second Life, a podcast spot-letting women who have truly inspiring careers.
0:19.0	We're talking about their work journeys, what they've learned from the process of setting
0:23.0	aside their doubts or fears, and what happens when they embark on their second life.
0:29.0	Today, I'm joined by the founder and CEO of Baked by Melissa, Melissa Banishai.
0:37.6	Back in 2008, Melissa began selling cupcakes out of her New York City apartment,
0:43.0	hand-delivering them all over town.
0:46.1	Today, she's grown that business into a certified sensation with 14 retail locations in New York,
0:53.0	one in Boston, and a massive econ business shipping treats nationwide for every gifting occasion.
1:02.0	Baked by Melissa is known for bite-sized cupcakes in specialty flavors like Thai Dye and Cookido,
1:09.0	and has sold over 250 million to date.
1:13.3	As of late, Melissa has also become known for another reason when her salad content on TikTok
1:19.5	went completely viral.
1:22.2	Whether she's slinging cupcakes or green goddess salads, Melissa is known to share some seriously tasty treats with the world.
1:30.2	But, back before she was leading a multi-million dollar company, and even before she was baking out of her New York City apartment professionally,
1:39.2	she was actually working in advertising as an assistant media buyer.
1:43.8	When she was unexpectedly fired from that job, she was devastated.
1:47.8	But, it also set her on what one can only describe as quite the fortuitous path.
1:55.2	Now, on Second Life, it's Melissa Banishai.
2:01.4	All right, Melissa, you ready?
2:03.2	I'm ready.
2:04.2	Okay, so on this podcast, we like to start at the beginning.
	...

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