By Dylan Reubenking
dylan@yelmonline.com
Yelm’s newest business is owned and operated by a junior at Yelm High School.
Kailey Slevin recently launched Slevin Sweets, a culmination of her longtime passion for baking and her desire to earn a business administration degree in college. She offers different kinds of bread and pastries, such as bread loaves, beignets and cinnamon rolls, as well as desserts including cake, cupcakes, muffins, brownies, cookies and fudge.
In her first four days of operation, she received 13 orders. Slevin already has a busy schedule, with a full slate of advanced placement classes and one to two hours of cross country practice every day, but she’s learned to balance a heavy workload.
“I already have been baking for many years, and I thought that I could use that to start a business now because it also looks really good for college applications, and I can share my baking with the community,” Slevin said.
When she gets home from school and practice, she packs herself for the next day, studies for at least an hour, and then starts prepping orders. Slevin was fully prepared for the expenses necessary to purchase ingredients and deliver products to customers; she set aside money she collected from doing chores around the house or mowing people’s lawns.
“It’s definitely a chunk of money because of inflation. Ingredients are very expensive right now,” she said. “But I’ve had money that I’ve set aside in a savings account that I’ve been able to use, so as orders are coming in, I’m able to cover my costs.”
Slevin was just 4 years old when she learned how to bake with her mother. As a child, she enjoyed exploring different recipes of cookies with her siblings. Relatives on her mother’s side of the family used to own a bakery, so she inherited the baker genes and is carrying on her family’s talent in the kitchen.
Her mother, who was also a business owner as a high schooler, encouraged Slevin to expand her passion into business and helped her through the essentials for launching and maintaining a successful business.
“I’ve always loved baking with my mom and being in the kitchen to learn because it’s kind of like an experiment to learn about how all the chemicals work together to make a baked good,” she said.
Before she ventured into the business world, Slevin looked for any excuse to whip up baked goods, including providing sweets for her cross country teammates or for her friends on their birthdays.
Although baking is one of her first loves, Slevin envisions running the business until she reaches college, where she will study in hopes of opening another business in an entirely different industry.
“I want to own a doggy day care,” she said. “I’m really passionate about dogs and everything about them, like how they think and the psychology behind it. I want to do a degree in business administration, mostly entrepreneurship and marketing, and then a minor in animal behavior. Most colleges have dog psychology classes. I want to dabble in those to learn what dogs are thinking and how you can train them so that when I am able to open my business, I’m able to understand them and I can actively help people with their dogs’ needs so they are comfortable with their stay.”
Because education is of utmost importance, Slevin understands she may have to shut down Slevin Sweets if it prevents her from completing her coursework. But she is confident that she can manage the business and deliver sweets to a supportive community.
“It definitely shows how much community support we have around here and how people are willing to support small businesses,” Slevin said. “It definitely shows that people care and they’re willing to spend money. Most of the time, they have to come and pick it up. It’s really nice knowing that we have a community that’s willing to do that.”
For more information, or to order from Slevin Sweets, email kaileyslevin.business@gmail.com.
