Cake Pop Queen

Morgan Mathney “went public” with Morgan’s Cake Pop Shop from her Lake Cities home the first of February. Her mom, Alicia, describes her seventh-grade, 13-year-old daughter’s business confection as a “bite-size treat that is liked by all age groups. It’s a small portion with all the taste, and it’s fun.”

Morgan, fascinated by cake pops long before she began selling them as a small business owner, puts her description a bit more succinctly when she says, “They are multiple bites of deliciousness.” Just six words capable of preparing your taste buds for a lovely experience.

Morgan always enjoyed baking, but she began looking at it with a changed attitude when she joined the Denton County 4-H in third grade.

“There’s a Denton County Youth Fair and Rodeo every March,” Alicia explained. “Her 4-H membership gave her a path to the competitions at the Fair, and she chose baking with a focus on cake pops. Her finished cake pops didn’t look exactly great, but they tasted delicious.”

Morgan was awarded a blue ribbon for her efforts, along with a dream. She couldn’t let go of the cake pops. She wanted to start a business selling little delicacies.

“Her dad (John) and I had no problem with the business idea,” said Alicia. “We supported her and said we’d help her in certain areas, such as setting up a Facebook business page and a business bank account. At the same time, we wanted most of the responsibilities to be hers.”

Alicia and John have three children: Morgan, Lacy, a 10-year-old fourth grader, and Wyatt, a one-year-old son. John has a government job, while Alicia spearheads two businesses. She’s a highly successful, 20-year Mary Kay beauty consultant while also handling community outreach relations for local Chick-Fil-A in an autonomous role.

“Both John and I want the kids to learn to stand on their own two feet,” Alicia said. “We encourage them to set and to verbalize goals. We also encourage them to break those goals into small pieces. What we’re really doing is allowing them to learn how to make choices within a safe, loved, and supportive environment.”

Morgan began her business due diligence. She figured out pricing, including setting a value on her time and talent. She researched the cost of ingredients and designed a logo for Morgan’s Cake Pop Shop. She settled on a simple yet elegant packaging process and determined her yield was 3 ½ to four dozen pops from one box of cake mix.

She factored a profit into her calculations, which resulted in $300 during her first week of operation. It helped that it was Valentine’s weekend, of course. That $300 and future cake pop profits will allow Morgan to swing a car from her wish list three years later.

“We knew the subject of a car would come up soon. We told her we planned to help with the car,” Alicia said, “but we also said we intended for her to pay half of all expenses.”

Morgan’s parents ask their children (except for Wyatt, who’s not too verbal yet) what they want to do. They also ensure the kids realize they’ll be given the opportunities and resources to do those things.

Morgan watched her mom’s business endeavors, including the bloody knees that happen when there’s a stumble. She’s seen how to get up, dust off, and move forward. Besides, she also knows her parents are watching from the immediate background, ready to jump in and help her if needed.

So far, Morgan remains intrigued by the world of cake pops. No one says she’ll do it for the next month or the next two years. The important thing is for her to continue learning, and she already speaks with the cadence of a small business owner.

“I love doing this,” she commented with confident enthusiasm. “I love how each one looks, their shape, and how they appear so finished after they’re dipped in frosting. The possibilities for them are endless.”

Morgan added a couple of unique steps to her cake pop production. One is that she crumbles the cake and mixes it together with the frosting before forming the balls and dipping them. Yummmm! Can you even imagine the moistness?

To just have one of those “multiple bites of deliciousness” within easy snack reach!