Radford Alumni, Jazelle Guerrero, was inspired to start her baking business, BakedbyJazelle, after years of baking as a child. What began as a simple box of dipped strawberries for Valentine’s Day has evolved into a variety of desserts being sold across Oahu.
“I’m happy that I’m making other people happy when they get my desserts,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero bakes and sells a variety of desserts all over Oahu. Her cheesecakes, custom cakes, cake cups, and dipped strawberries all come in varieties of flavors, with her most popular being her strawberry cheesecake and her favorable customized cakes. She started off her business by selling to the students at Radford High School. She was able to expand her range of customers by using social media platforms. Guerrero has been able to sell to people all over Oahu and even to people visiting the island. She has made desserts for parties, staff at Radford, and recently, the Homecoming game.
“I started baking when I was 5,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero was born and raised on Oahu, surrounded by inspiration, love, and support from her family. “My dad has an art business and I would help out, so I kinda grew up with a business mindset,” Guerrero said.
From a young age, Guerrero would experiment with cooking and baking at home, starting with an ‘easy bake oven’ toy she had gotten for Christmas. She favored baking rather than cooking, and over time it became more than just a hobby, it turned into a passion. She enjoyed decorating cakes and making desserts for family members or friends for their birthdays. On February 14, 2023 (Valentine’s day), Guerrero decided to take her passion on to another level. “I saw an opportunity, it was Valentine’s Day, and chocolate-covered strawberries were popular at the time, so that’s what I first started off with,” Guerrero said.
At the time, she was also a cashier but felt it was unfulfilling to her. “When I was a cashier, it was like ‘beep!’ have a nice day, but now people can actually have a nice day!” Guerrero said. Now, she finds fulfillment in being part of her customers’ happiness.
“Balancing my baking business and school at the same time was something I had to work on,” Guerrero said.
At the time Guerrero started her business, she was still in the middle of her senior year. Guerrero had to balance 2 AP classes, school events, and on top of that her new starting business. “I was trying to figure out what would be good for my schedule and how much I should make during a week,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero now attends the University of Hawaii at Manoa and is currently majoring in nursing. Even now, being in college and having more orders to take care of, she still faces the obstacles of balancing and managing the time in her schedule. Guerrero manages her time by creating a routine and making sure her customers order in a week’s advance. Customers do this by contacting her through Instagram.
“I hope to inspire other young entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and take risks,” Guerrero said.
In the future, Guerrero hopes to continue making desserts, while also influencing others to do what they love. Follow Guerrero on Instagram @BakedbyJazelle for any updates on her business, or for any details on how to order.