How entrepreneur Jocelyn Delk Adams turned her hobby into a successful business

Jocelyn Delk Adams never intended to be in the public eye until her cakes made her famous. Making cake has always been part of her upbringing; she recalls how she used to help Maggie May, or “Big Mama” as she was affectionately known, whenever her parents would drive the family to visit her grandmother.

While in the kitchen, she would watch how her grandmother engaged in the family’s baking tradition. According to Jocelyn, her grandmother was one of eight children who learned how to cook and bake to feed her siblings.

“She lived in Winona, Mississippi, basically forever, and was one of the younger children of eight siblings. She was one of them who learned to cook and bake to feed her older siblings while they worked on the farm,” Jocelyn said on Today. “She instinctively figured out how — it was a necessity but she loved to do it.”

Following the demise of her grandmother, she decided to keep the family’s baking tradition alive and started Grandbaby Cakes as a way to keep her grandma’s legacy and also become an entrepreneur.

Prior to that, she worked a typical nine-to-five in licensing at Ebony Magazine. In 2015, she published her first cookbook with the name Grandbaby Cakes.

“I never thought it would be my life’s work — I am so grateful I did it for the joy,” Jocelyn noted. “The positive part is when you spin passion into business you’re going to work harder than everyone else. Every day I’m excited to get to work, excited about what I’ve created, community.”

Turning a passion into a nationwide favorite snack has not been easy for Jocelyn. According to the mom and social media star, it was a big shift to turn a hobby into a business with so many expectations to it.

She adds that her work can sometimes feel like a 24/7 job, in addition to parenting and developing recipes. She cites personally responding to Instagram activity, booking spots on TV, and running promotions for products.

So far, Jocelyn says she had all the support and encouragement from family and friends who have described her as an exceptional baker.