Story & Lesson Highlights with Ariel Doan of Virginia Beach

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ariel Doan. Check out our conversation below.

Ariel, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
I feel like the energy of a person is so much more important than anything else. I try to surround myself with people who give all positive energy. Energy that just radiates. It’s really so simple, I have been around people with poor energy and it can bring everyone around them down in a matter of seconds.

Obviously people can have their off days. But over all I try to be a positive energy person.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ariel and I own a bakery called Twisted Sisters Cupcakes in Virginia Beach. I have been apart of the bakery world officially since 2011 and it has been a crazy journey.

I am from upstate NY and worked at a local bakery decorating cakes which is where I learned that that was really my passion. Don’t get me wrong I love baking too but the creativeness and happiness that comes from decorating cakes is what keeps me going.

I moved to Virginia Beach in 2014 which is when I started working at Twisted Sisters Cupcakes as their cake decorator and baker. Soon became the manger as well. Until the opportunity in 2022 of me purchasing the bakery came to be. Can I tell you that was an exciting and absolutely stressful time in my life. Even after being the manager and cake decorator for so many years adding on the weight of everything being on your shoulders and trying to do your regular job was a wake up call to how hard it is to run a small business. But I am grateful for everything that has come from me owning a small business. The team I have created, the opportunity to be the boss I feel people deserve, and the community of customers that support me and my business.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I am sure I have felt powerful before this but honestly the journey I have been on for the past two years has made me feel the most powerful.

Year two into me owning the bakery my life crumpled under me. My significant other of 11 years decided to leave and I was left running my small business and trying to figure out what my life looked like. This was the first time I had ever been alone and I didn’t know how to move forward. Trust me I wanted to give up so many times, I was barely functioning and didn’t know how to move forward.

But with the support of my friends, my family and my employees I kept going. I kept pushing through the best I could. Slowly but surely making do, and finding out who I really am. I realized I never really knew myself. I spent so much time taking care of others I never took care of myself.

It took me about two years to see the light on the other side but honestly I am so proud of myself and who I have become. I feel free to express myself, I feel like I finally know who I am and that alone makes me feel powerful.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Honestly right now. Over the past year or so I have realized that so many people suffer in silence and they don’t know that other people are suffering over the same things. And if we just support each other and talk about our pains then we don’t feel so alone.

I was always ashamed of my life falling apart. Not wanting to let people outside of my close circle of friends know cause it was my own problem no one else’s. But crying in silence doesn’t help and if even one other person who is going through hard times feels like they are not alone knowing I am going through it too then I am happy to share it.

Recently I made a social media post about feeling so alone. About how hard it is to run a small business in general but especially right now with how terrible the economy is and how much everyone is suffering. I felt like I was failing my business and failing my customers and employees. And don’t get me wrong that thought is still in the back of my mind sometimes. It is a hard thought to shake when you are struggling to keep things going for a small business. But the support I received from everyone helped push me through and get back on track. To know I am not the only one suffering but we will get through this together as a community really changes my prospective. I started teaching some cupcake decorating classes to try to bring in some more funds. I’m partnering with Live Nation to promote upcoming concerts through cupcakes. I’m working on putting out new products and just keeping extra items stocked. Anything I can do to keep things exciting and to keep pushing on.

I’m not ashamed of my struggles and pain anymore. It’s what makes me a better person, a better boss, a better business owner and pushes me to keep going.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
One of my proudest projects that we do at the bakery is working with the Confetti Foundation and CHKD for children’s birthdays. If there is a child who has to spend their birthday at CHKD our contact at the hospital reaches out to us to see if we are able to supply a birthday cake for them.

I will absolutely always say yes no matter what. I feel like every child deserves to be able to celebrate their birthday. Having to spend your birthday in a hospital is not a fun experience so I want to be able to do this little thing to brighten their day and celebrate them.

Bringing a smile to a kids face when they see their custom cake is my favorite part of my job.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am 100% doing what I was born to do.

I have always loved baking and cooking for as long as I can remember. Along with just the arts in general. I honestly can’t remember a time I didn’t want to grow up and be anything else than something in the kitchen…. okay maybe that’s a slight lie I’m pretty sure I wanted to be a vet or something with animals at one point but I feel like every little girl goes through the animal stage haha

But when I turned 15 I went straight to trying to get a job at a restaurant just to get my foot in the door. Even though I was not old enough to be in the kitchen I knew I wanted to be in the environment and grow into other jobs in that establishment as I got older. From then on I have done nothing but work in a restaurant/baking environment.

I think it’s rare for someone to know exactly what they want to be at a young age and then do it but I also think it’s so awesome to be living my dream.

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