Natalie Jensen.

• Author: Kennedy, Linda T.
• Position: SUCCESS STORIES - Company overview

Natalie Jensen, founder and owner of Holladay-based So Cupcake, has a simple recipe for entrepreneurs: have passion, mix up what you do and remember that it won't be easy, but it can be worth it.

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"The biggest thing you have to have is a lot of passion and belief in whatever it is you are doing because that's what drives you to get up every morning and keeps things going when it starts getting harder," says Jensen. "There's so much to figure out and keep going that you have to love it."

But for Natalie and her husband, Kevin Jensen, what started as a hobby to support their daughter Celine's passion for cooking, has turned into a lucrative full-time profession. In just over a year since opening the bakery, So Cupcake has earned quadruple the revenues beyond the business' initial profit projections.

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THE KEY INGREDIENTS

Jensen says you can have a fantastic product but if you can't keep the business end going, it won't succeed. "When you start a business, you talk about finances, taxes and employees, there's so much you don't know. We had to get things set in the right way," she says, adding that tapping on the collective business experience and expertise within their circle of friends and family was crucial to accomplishing their vision.

Also, So Cupcake's creative branding with the simple word "so" was pivotal to establishing Jensen product and giving the business a niche identity.

"We took a lot of time to come up with a great name--a name that people will remember," she says. "You don't think about how often we use the word 'so' That's so great, so exciting. It's been fun to incorporate that into our business more and more."

MIX THINGS UP

"Life always changes," says Jensen. "Trends...