Hi blogging world! Here is my official debut on this platform. My name is Melissa Larson and I am a 19-year-old girl that has lived in Corvallis her whole life. After graduating high school, the next step for me was college. When deciding on where I would attend college, there wasn’t much thought involved; I decided to not even leave town to go to college! I am a sophomore attending Linn-Benton Community College but next fall I will be transferring to Oregon State University.

As children, we all dream of what we will be when we grow up. My two choices were to either be a teacher or be a baker. And now, my dream is slowly coming true. My major is Business Entrepreneurship. In a few years, you can expect to see me running my own bakery! The plan for opening my own bakery was to get a business background rather than a culinary background. I figured it would be more useful. I’m taking this marketing class for a requirement, but also to prepare me for my future. How you market your business can make or break it. This can happen by not reaching the right audience or not reaching an audience at all. A business needs customers to succeed. Some may argue that success is defined by your financial status. I would argue that it is defined by whether you can keep your business afloat. Marketing is interesting; some ideas work for certain companies but for others, it simply does not. What I hope to learn from this course is the best marketing plan for my business and how to apply the material to both professional and personal aspects of my life.

I love baking; I’ve been baking with my mom ever since I was a little girl. In fourth grade, I began baking my own specialty cupcakes. Since then, I’ve been baking for classes, friends and family. On average per term, I can easily bake two hundred cupcakes. I am able to do this because of where I live; in an off-campus house with fifty other girls. It is a community that I love, one that can help people get through college and life itself. This community that I live in is called House of Charis. House of Charis is a home to women of Christ. House of Charis is a part of a bigger Christian community among the Corvallis area, the other houses include: Antioch, Courtyard and Varsity House. When I bake, I bake for my house and one of the other Christian houses. With about fifty residents in each house, I bake about a hundred cupcakes. I either bake for the houses twice a term or I bake for other friends. Recently, my sister-in-law has employed me to bake both cupcakes and cakes for baby showers and birthday parties. Last spring term, I baked approximately four hundred cupcakes in one day for all the Christian co-ops. Not only do I love to give others my baked goods, but I love serving them with treats. I found that it was helpful for students to get through finals before summer vacation. In my free time, you can find me baking, hanging out at House of Charis with friends, crafting, enjoying time with family or at church.

I can’t wait to see what I learn in this class! I love being creative in both my baking and with sign creations. Having a creative thumb brings me joy. I’m excited to pursue my creative aspects and the knowledge I attain from this course. I plan to use these tools together and apply them to my future bakery. I hope everyone has a great week, thanks for getting to know me a little better.