How I Became The CEO Of My Own Company: Melissa’s Story

Melissa Ben-Ishay founded Baked by Melissa back in 2008. Discover her sweet journey from home baker to mom, author, and CEO of her own company.

I’ve worn pretty much every hat at Baked by Melissa—I’ve fulfilled orders and delivered cupcakes myself via the New York subway. I have been the face (and name!) of the brand. I’ve brainstormed hundreds of combinations with my team to develop new seasonal flavors. And, of course, I’ve baked thousands of cupcakes along the way.

Read Part 1 of the Baked by Melissa Story here!

A lot happened In the 12 years after starting the company with my brother Brian, like learning how to run our business efficiently. I got married and became a mom to two beautiful kids. I even wrote a book! And honestly, that was plenty for me.

But in December 2019, I took on a leadership role that I never thought I’d say “yes” to—interim CEO of Baked by Melissa.

Then the world came to a screeching halt as the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives.

There's No Playbook

I was asked by Inc. Magazine to come onto their podcast What I Know to talk about imposter syndrome and growing into a leadership role, and what I’ve come to realize is this: there’s no playbook to deal with these kinds of situations.

Starting a business, navigating a pandemic, being a leader—no one has this figured out. Like, I didn’t know when I got fired that I’d start a cupcake business the very next day.

Leaders have to empower the best possible people in their roles. It’s up to me to say “I don’t know” and defer to someone who does. It’s up to me to engage with people who have different strengths than I do! That’s the difference between a good team and a great one.

(Not to brag, but our team is pretty damn great.)

Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is the worst because it makes you feel like there is a playbook when there isn’t. And it makes you feel like everyone else already has a copy of the playbook, or they have it memorized, or they have a new edition of the playbook that’s better than yours.

In 2008, I was baking my cupcakes out of my Murray Hill apartment. I’d sit on the foot of my bed and make cold calls to catering companies saying, “Hi, it’s Melissa of Baked by Melissa!” I felt like a complete fraud. But my brother, Brian, encouraged me every day. He didn’t know everything either.

You must take responsibility for the way that you feel. When you feel imposter syndrome creeping up on you, remember—you don’t know what you don’t know. But you can learn!

Confidence is Earned Through Experience

When I walked into the room to announce I was stepping in as interim CEO, I felt confident that I was the best person for the job at that exact moment in time.

I didn’t feel comfortable in my first weeks as a CEO, but I had a skilled, dedicated team that was willing to figure things out with me, and we executed the MOST SUCCESSFUL holiday season and Valentine’s Day in the history of the company!

Even though I was out of my comfort zone at first, our results gave me the confidence to respond and navigate COVID-19 in real-time. As businesses began to shutter all over the country, our team was able to pivot our business into an e-commerce-only business overnight.

We knew closing our 14 retail locations in New York was not only the right thing to do, but the only thing to do. All we could do was trust our intuition and lead by example.

Confidence in your team always attributes to the end result.

Listen to my interview on the What I Know Podcast here.