In this episode, we talk with Mignon Francois, founder of The Cupcake Collection, a nationally ranked cupcake and cake bakery located in Nashville, TN, and New Orleans, LA. Mignon originally moved to Nashville from New Orleans to foster a better life for her family. However, her plans fell through, and the move costed her family to struggle with debt, credit, and money issues. Mignon bought a dilapidated house because it was what she could afford at the time and lived in it with her husband and six children.
Mignon was living day-by-day, with only dollars to spend on food and bills. When she was poised with a choice to either spend the $5 she currently had in her pocket to make a large order of cupcakes or feed her family that night: she chose to create her legacy. Using the $5, Mignon bought ingredients and began to bake. This order of 600 cupcakes was a pivotal moment for Mignon and was what made her continue to pursue her newfound dream of founding a cupcake company.
Mignon walks us through several processes that lead to her success:
- Learning how to bake and perfect her homemade recipes
- Building a thriving company from her living room
- Continuing to take small steps and aim for steady growth
Despite owning a multimillion-dollar cupcake shop, Mignon didn’t know how to bake when she was younger. She learned that it was all about balancing ingredients and broke her homemade recipes down to a science, calling herself “a scientist, not a baker.” Also, Mignon speaks on how she created a successful cupcake business by starting with one Kitchen Aid mixer and one dorm-sized refrigerator. The mantra she worked and lived by was “speak what you seek until you see what you say.”
To this day, The Cupcake Collection has sold over 5 million cupcakes and continues to thrive. Mignon’s family helps her in the business, and she passes down her self-taught business lessons to her children and grandchildren. You can order cupcakes or read more about her and the creation of The Cupcake Collection through her website, https://www.thecupcakecollection.com. Also, check out her Instagram or Facebook (@thecupcakecollection) to learn more.