Netflix ‘Is it Cake’ contestant Justin Ellen makes 6-figures in business

When Justin Ellen obtained a “random” direct message on Instagram asking if he want to be a part of a Netflix present referred to as “Is It Cake?” — he thought it was “very sketchy.”

It was solely once they stated there was an interview that he realized, “OK, it is legit,” stated the youngest contestant of the favored baking present.

After a Zoom interview and a month of ready, Ellen — who was 18 at the moment — was picked to take part.

It was very overwhelming, he admitted.

“As a result of I used to be tremendous younger … and I noticed I needed to fly and keep in a resort on my own. Filming was a complete month. I’ve by no means been away from my household for that lengthy,” he advised CNBC Make It.

Ellen even needed to skip his highschool commencement for the present’s recording.

“Is It Cake?” is a baking contest, the place cake artists create edible replicas of on a regular basis objects — equivalent to sneakers and purses.

At first look, the 19-year-old didn’t appear to have as a lot expertise as the opposite contestants. The younger baker solely began creating hyper-realistic truffles two years in the past. One in all his opponents began baking even earlier than Ellen was born.

But, earlier than showing on Netflix, he was already working his personal profitable cake enterprise, The whole lot Simply Baked.

“Final 12 months, we grossed $100,000 in gross sales,” stated Ellen, who’s from New Jersey.

“With [the] Netflix [show] popping out, I have been getting like much more inquiries … my calendar is flooded. I am tremendous grateful for it.”

Ellen realized how one can bake from his mom and grandmother when he was simply 7 years outdated. They used to bake collectively throughout holidays like Thanksgiving.

From breads, to pies and cookies, they baked every part — however surprisingly, “by no means truffles.”

However he shortly outgrew being an assistant and when he was 14, went down the rabbit gap of cake tutorial movies on YouTube and acquired impressed to begin his personal creations.

“I simply watched movies of different folks doing it, YouTube’s a fantastic factor. You simply acquired to actually apply and take the time to be taught,” he advised CNBC Make It.

“I’ve failed a number of instances … I will assume it is such a simple cake after which every part’s going flawed.”

But, Ellen was undeterred. He was in highschool when he started immersing himself into baking — which was “positively exhausting” as a result of he didn’t have a number of free time on his fingers. He remembers collaborating in a baking competitors and getting to high school at 5 a.m. to apply.

“I used to be tremendous busy. [But] for those who’re actually decided, you will discover the time,” stated Ellen.

The largest problem Ellen confronted as a younger entrepreneur was figuring out his value — he was pricing his truffles like he was procuring along with his personal pockets.

“Again then, I did not notice how helpful my artwork is. I requested my mother and my mother’s identical to me, she’s low-cost. Like, ‘I am not going to get a $100 cake.’ However as we speak, persons are simply paying that.”

When he first began, he was promoting a six-inch cake for $60, however now it is “simply $150 for a similar dimension.”  

From January this 12 months, he began incomes as much as $12,000 a month after working his enterprise full-time.

“I noticed persons are shopping for designer purses for 1000’s of {dollars}. You’ve got to make your prospects perceive the value in your model and what you are offering them as a result of the cake tastes nice and [I] use high-quality substances.”

Though the costs of his truffles have greater than doubled in value through the years, that has not stopped him from constructing a “very worthwhile enterprise.”

“Artwork is tremendous helpful and other people pays for it. Truthfully, my value barely goes up each day … relying on my temper,” he stated.

And if a buyer asks why his truffles prices this a lot? “I will simply be sincere and say, each day I progress in my talent, so the value has to go up. You are paying for somebody’s experience … it took me 5 years to learn to try this.”

Dreaming huge has actually paid off for Ellen. What he envisioned for himself got here true — he now sells cake mixes and baking instruments on-line. Often, he holds courses for aspiring bakers too.

Ellen added that he accepts round 6 orders every week and they’re “larger orders now.” On a typical day, he could be up at 8am, engaged on his orders in his house kitchen single-handedly.

“Truthfully, most of my shoppers do not select hyper-realistic truffles, they’re extra like marriage ceremony truffles.”

His mother and father are actually “positively satisfied” that he has made the best resolution to pursue baking as a profession — the truth is, Ellen, who began as an assistant within the kitchen, is now the boss.

“My mum works for me now,” he stated gleefully. “She helps me loads with the backend stuff … like deliveries.”

At the same time as he marvels at what he has been in a position to accomplish at simply 19 years outdated, the younger entrepreneur will not be carried out dreaming.

“Continuous, I am excited about my enterprise and new methods to raise it. I wish to have an appointment-based studio … however my closing objective is to be like Wilton, the cake adorning firm.”

Headquartered in Illinois, Wilton produces a variety of bakeware, decorations, baking instruments and substances which might be in style amongst bakers.

“My objective is to be identical to that … [Everything Just Baked] is minority-owned, black-owned and I feel we want illustration as a result of there’s like no main minority manufacturers within the baking group.”