Laila Nieves shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Laila, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am most proud of building a relationship with God. My part time job aside from my business doesn’t allow me the time to go to church anymore. So, it was really up to me to find quiet moments throughout my day to spend intentional time with Him. Spending time studying my bible, worshiping, or just sitting in silence. Everyday isn’t perfect and I find myself constantly fighting with those responsibilities, but the most important thing is that I’m trying. My relationship with the Lord is never going to be perfect, but I will always strive for it to be better. No one knows or sees this because it is just me and the Lord, and that’s how it should be, but I decided to share this because for the past couple months it has been weighing on me to find some way to incorporate the lord into my business. He is the one that gave me the talent and set this dream in my heart, so to him be the glory for everything that comes out of that. As Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father”. There is always a fear that people will shy away from my business because I am a Christian and for what I believe in, but that’s okay. My purpose as a Christian is to share the gospel so that’s what I’m going to do.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
That being said, hi! My name is Laila Nieves and I’m the creator and founder of BOOM Yummy Bakery! This is my home-based cottage bakery where I sell custom cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. I started my business when I was just 14 years old with a dream of one day owning my own brick-and-mortar bakery and coffee shop. Now at 18, that dream feels closer with every order I take. I just graduated high school this past May and with the extra time on my hands, I’ve really been able to lean into my business. Creating the framework behind the scenes like finalizing menus and logos and saving up for the needed equipment. It hasn’t been easy, juggling work, my business and now college, but I know it will all be worth it. I dream of the day where I can stand back and say, “I did it”.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
When I was younger, I was always the shy quiet kid hiding behind my mother’s leg. Despite this, I was able to make friends, go places, have fun, and be myself. Even so, when covid hit, those small quirky parts of me became all of me. As I started looking for jobs, my timidness showed. The shaky voice, the fidgeting, and shortness of breath usually made them go with another candidate. How can they have someone like me as the face of their store? Thankfully, I was able to find the kind souls who would hire me despite these flaws, however, why do I have to think of them as flaws to begin with? The world told me I needed to be confident, bubbly, always having a smile on my face. If I don’t, I have to fake it till I make it. But if I’m not going into a screening to be the next movie star, why do I have to act at all? I am kind, I am polite, I will do my best to make someone else’s experience better, and yet, all of that gets overshadowed by my anxiety. That said, I want to be better. I don’t want fear to have a hold on me for the rest of my life like it does now. Being shy and quiet is who I am, and the world shouldn’t make me feel bad about that. I want to find that little girl who was able to be herself regardless of those traits and ask her for some tips.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I almost gave up on cookie decorating when I first started. It was maybe my second or third cookie order and I was still figuring everything out, which led to me learning a very important lesson that day: you can’t use oil-based food coloring in royal icing. I had just gotten a new pack of oil-based food colors and was excited to try them out. So, I added it to the icing and started frosting the cookies. After about ten minutes of letting the icing dry, the top should have formed some sort of crust, but that wasn’t happening. They weren’t drying at all. It took me making two more batches of icing and one batch spilling all over the counter to realize that the oil-based food color was the problem. After that order I told my mom I didn’t want to offer sugar cookies anymore. I found no enjoyment in it. However, I sat on it for a while and decided I was going to continue to make cookies. I realized if I stopped making them, I would be giving up, and I didn’t want to fall into that trap. Thankfully I learned from my mistakes and continued to decorate cookies. As my skill for making them grew, so did my enjoyment.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is definitely not the real version of me. Like I said earlier, I can be very shy and quiet. After meeting me for the first time, most people probably walk away thinking, “She’s kinda awkward,” and honestly, they’re not wrong. It takes a lot of interactions for me to feel completely comfortable with someone, and if even one new person gets added to the group, I go back to square one. At the same time, I wish people would stick around long enough to be able to see the real me; lowkey, I think I’m pretty cool. I can be loud when I’m excited and random when someone says something that reminds me of a SpongeBob quote. My laugh is 100% genuine but 0% ear-friendly. Only a select few know this side of me, but I think that’s what makes it so special.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace right after dropping off an order. Most people might not realize how much goes into making custom desserts. The planning and preparation days before even stepping into the kitchen, the sleepless nights trying to make everything perfect, and the mountain of dishes waiting in the sink. Lastly, and worst of all, comes the gut-wrenching delivery, growing more tense with every bump and turn. Loads of stress and anticipation pile up, but once the order is dropped off, it all fades away. I know the customer is happy with what they ordered and that it arrived safely at its destination. All that’s left to do is repeat the cycle.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Boomyummy_bakery
- Facebook: Boomyummy_bakery
- Other: TikTok: Boom_yummy
Image Credits
@Mackenzieashleyphotography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
