Melissa Jenkins

Melissa Jenkins is a bakery entrepreneur in Somerset, New Jersey. Melissa had a unique educational path: receiving a computer graphics degree, an African-American studies minor, an MBA in Global Management, and a real estate license. As her career progressed, Melissa knew she wanted to run her own business but continued applying these skills. Her father's commitment to his cab business and her aunt's pride in her candy business significantly influenced her entrepreneurial aspirations. Melissa pursued this with her love for baking and began BAM Desserts in 2016. She strived to make BAM Desserts different from other bakeries. Most people tend to picture bakeries with traditional desserts such as danishes, breads, and standard cakes. However, Melissa shared that at BAM, "We provide something a little bit more." Not only does BAM Desserts offer cupcakes, custom cakes, macaroons, and cake pops, but this extends to a more inclusive menu with eggless, gluten-free, and vegan options in their completely peanut-free facility. Additionally, BAM Desserts sells both store-front and customized desserts for celebrations.

Melissa's parents, daughter, and husband have been her biggest support system throughout her journey. Melissa emphasizes that she would not be where she is today without her parents. They have helped her financially, raised her to see the greater good in others, and have taught her to "treat people the way you want to be treated."

Melissa's greatest joys stem from her strong relationship with her husband and watching her daughter grow over the years. Regardless of the possible strain of owning a business on a family, she says her family members try to help her whenever possible. Whether assisting the company itself or cooking food for her after a long work day, she knows she can always count on them. Her daughter, in particular, has worked shifts at BAM, helping Melissa directly. Seeing her daughter work to achieve the baker's goals was extremely special. Additionally, Melissa says that she doesn't know if her business would be where it is today if her husband didn't support her the way he does constantly. Her husband is incredibly encouraging, kind, and selfless, doing whatever he can to help her and make things easier.

Melissa has faced some twists and unexpected changes regarding BAM throughout her journey. She immediately switched from working with business partners to working alone, and COVID-19 hit. Melissa worked extremely hard to maintain BAM Desserts during and after COVID-19, dealing with the economic and inflation changes. As a business, Melissa decided to adapt to the pandemic by shifting to online orders and offering smaller items according to people's needs. These unexpected turning points were reality checks for Melissa, where they allowed her to realize essential lessons, such as that change isn't always bad and that sometimes one has to adjust to circumstances. She talks about the lessons she has learned, saying, "You have to keep pivoting to move forward because if you're staying in the same place and things are moving around you, you're bound to get crushed."

As a small business owner, Melissa has received her fair share of negative comments, such as people commenting, "I don't think you should have a business." "I don't think you should've started a business, it doesn't make sense." and "I don't know why you started…" At first, it was difficult for her to leave this negative headspace. However, she began using these words as fuel, wanting to prove her critics wrong by working hard. She emphasizes, "There are people that will throw those negative words, phrases, and spew negativity, and it's not because they don't want you to succeed, but they're unhappy with where you are. You can't feed into that. You have to know how to block that out and be focused. Just be very focused, which is hard."

Melissa believes her most significant accomplishment in her career was receiving the Women's Business Certification (WBENC Certification) due to the complex requirements needed to earn this achievement. This certification proves that BAM Desserts wasn't just a one-and-done business; it will continue to thrive. She saw this certification as a "next step" for BAM Desserts and wants to continue taking it further. Though she doesn't know, per se, what exactly she aims to do, she is going to "go for the ride and go from here."

Melissa has also procured other accomplishments: Connecting and establishing a relationship with Comcast and NBC; Making cookies for the 75th anniversary of the show, "Meet the Press"; Connecting with corporate clients; Working with companies: Amazon, Bloomberg, Jack Daniels, Brown-Forman, March of Dimes, Anheuser Busch, and American Express.

To Melissa, owning a woman-owned business meant she could accomplish what she thought would be unachievable in her childhood. However, Melissa says that not taking time off for breaks is the one thing she second-guesses herself on. She believes it is essential to reset to avoid burning yourself out. Whenever her staff members feel stressed about baking, she tells them to walk away instead of rushing to finish the dessert so they can return later to see their work differently. When asked for advice she would give to younger individuals, she emphasizes, "The biggest thing is to make time for yourself and take time off" and to "Continue moving forward in anything you set yourself up to do."

Editing Department: Kelli Chang

International Department: Matthew Telyczka

Graphic Design Department: Aanya Baid & Evija Domanski

Writing Department: Devanshi Voleti

Social Media Department: Safa Asrar

October 7th, 2023