I was sitting at a tall table at Foxtail Coffee in Ada Village having tea with a young woman who could have been any recent college graduate. The guy sitting next to us couldn’t help but overhear our conversation, and he felt comfortable interjecting to ask questions a number of times.
Truth told, I was thrilled that he was so interested, and it reinforced what a unique exchange we were having.
The person I was interviewing was Olivia Gargett, owner of OG’s Bakery. At just 22 years old, she’s running her own cake pop and custom cookie business—and she’s killing it. If you made it to the Christkindl Markt this past season, you would have seen her there (and hopefully stopped by to pick up some sweets) and she’s also expanding her orders to a major coffee shop chain, in addition to her regular orders for weddings, baby and bridal showers, graduations, birthdays, family parties, and more.
Did I mention that she’s 22?! Her age is a key identity of the OG brand, and being seen as an inspiration for other young entrepreneurs—especially women—is part of the big picture that she aims to achieve.
Olivia’s story starts at age 13, when she was inspired by the show “Cake Boss.” She had passion and natural talent, but, as it turned out, it wasn’t cakes that ended up making her a boss. They were too time-consuming to make the work profitable, so she shifted to grab-and-go treats, which are more convenient for consumers and cost effective for her. It’s just one of the many lessons she learned along the way.
While attending MSU to study business and entrepreneurship, Olivia gained a mentor who encouraged her to enter a pitch competition with a $15,000 award. She participated thinking she’d get experience pitching and networking, but she ended up winning. “I was the youngest student who pitched, and I went in just wanting to learn,” Olivia says. “When I won, I realized these judges—these successful people—saw something in me, and I needed to see that through and discover what that was.”
Coming out on top not only validated her business idea, it also helped fund it. Olivia credits her parents’ support, too, as well as the Forest Hills/Ada community, for helping her get off the ground.
OG’s Bakery products have become so sought after that she’s needed to bring in help. Hiring a part-time employee, and finding the right person who could be flexible with changing obligations, was a challenge in its own. Anyone who’s ever had to manage someone nearly twice their age, or been on the other side, knows there are tricky dynamics in play. And, trusting someone with the products she’s built her reputation on wasn’t easy either. It’s all part of growth, though—for her business and herself.
“It was definitely hard to let go of control to someone to decorate and handle the products that are like my baby,” Olivia says. “But I got very lucky. She’s absolutely amazing, and her being older actually is a blessing, because she has so much wisdom and work ethic from being in so many different job areas.”
So, what’s next? (Because we know this is only the beginning!) On the immediate horizon, Olivia is transitioning from her rented space at the Downtown Market’s Incubator Kitchen to a larger, more accommodating space in Holland. Though she’s still in the exploratory phase right now, she envisions expanding to higher-volume, larger-scale wholesale manufacturing or grocery store retail. And, she’s definitely looking into creating gluten-free options because there’s been such a demand for them.
Olivia is also focusing on the brand side of things. She sees herself being able to be a mentor for others—especially young people—and she gets excited to help when fellow classmates ask her for advice and guidance. Because of that, workshops are a route she’s considering, whether it’s teaching the ins and outs of a baking business or serving as a coach from an entrepreneurial/startup perspective.
The big takeaway that closed our conversation is her eagerness to give back, as well as her gratitude for the community who has been behind her from the beginning. “It’s so precious that everyone wanted to support me and buy my stuff when I was so young,” Olivia says. “There’s something really special about this area and all these startups here that are smaller businesses. Everyone here wants to help each other.”
Want to be part of that energy? Place an order at ogsbakery.com or follow her at instagram.com/ogs_bakery, facebook.com/ogsbakery, and tiktok.com/@ogs_bakery to see where she’ll pop up next!
OTHER ONLINE BAKERIES
Midnite Patisserie
midnitepastry.com
Sunday Bakeday
sundaybakeday.com
The Only Way to Bake
facebook.com/gluten.eggs.butter
