#127: Secrets to Turning Your Passion into Profit with Sprinkles Cupcakes Co-Founder, Candace Nelson

Candace Nelson is a serial entrepreneur and a New York Times bestselling author.

Candace is well-known for co-founding Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world’s first cupcake bakery and ATM, and most recently, Pizzana, a fast-growing chain of award-winning pizzerias. She is also an expert in turning one’s passion into a profitable business and has a book launching on November 8th called Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn Your Passion into Profit.

Today’s conversation is jampacked with actionable advice from Candace, including tips on how to mobilize yourself when you are feeling stuck, questions to ask yourself when you’re looking to find your purpose, and more. Listening in, you will hear the ups and downs of her incredible story of starting Sprinkles and why she describes the process as ‘launching nimbly’.

We also touch on how to combat imposter syndrome, the power of building your personal brand, how to approach competition in your space, the importance of building a network & community while building your empire, and so much more.

In this episode, we’ll talk to Candace about:

* Candace’s relationship with rebellion growing up and how that translates to her work today. [02:21]

* How moving around a lot as a child taught her independence and confidence in new environments. [03:35]

* The story of how Candace overcame one of the lowest moments of her life. [04:42]

* Questions to ask yourself when you are looking to transition to a different career. [07:15]

* Why Candace decided to test the waters before diving into a career in pastry. [08:37]

* What she wanted to perfect before she took her product to launch. [09:51]

* Her husband’s role as co-founder. [10:37]

* What ‘launching nimbly’ looked like for Candace in the early days of Sprinkles. [13:52]

* The benefits of testing the waters with a single product to find your target market. [17:57]

* How she navigated the chapter of her life where every moment was dedicated to Sprinkles. [22:21]

* Bringing a startup mentality to a bakery and finding like-minded people. [23:33]

* Why it’s not constructive to get too focused on your competition. [25:40]

* The role of Candace’s father-in-law in mapping out the business plan. [27:25]

* Why mentorship is important and how Candace includes it in her life. [30:04]

* What she would have done differently to keep her finger in the world of startups. [34:05]

* The problem of lack of confidence and imposter syndrome across industries. [35:10]

* Why Candace is committed to never resting on her laurels. [37:53]

* Why it is important to be aware of your skills and hire for your weaknesses. [39:54]

* How the experience of starting Pizzana has differed from starting Sprinkles. [40:20]

* Why building your personal brand can be a competitive advantage. [42:18]

* Candace reminds listeners that they have exactly what it takes to build their own empire. [44:38]

Follow Candace:

* Candace Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candacenelson/

* Sprinkles cupcakes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sprinklescupcakes/

* Website: https://sprinkles.com/

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* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/

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