If you think the main motivation for starting D.C.’s Georgetown Cupcake was money, sisters Katherine Berman and Sophie LaMontagne say you’re wrong.
The women opened the doors to their first Georgetown Cupcake location on Valentine’s Day 2008, which happened to be during a financial crisis. This was before their cupcakes, in pink boxes, became recognized worldwide on TLC.
During an appearance on WTOP’s Founding DC podcast, which showcases D.C.-area entrepreneurs, the sisters talked about their early struggles with host Dan Simons.
“Banks weren’t giving loans, we were turned down a lot,” Berman said. “We maxed out all of our personal credit cards and any life savings we had at the time.”
The sisters said starting the bakery was about quitting their jobs and doing what they love — not the money.
“We thought, if we don’t make a lot of money, who cares? … Paying the rent was the biggest thing for us, and we thought we could just be happy and content just doing that,” said Berman, admitting that in the beginning, the pair didn’t think anyone would show up and thought they would just be a small neighborhood bakery.
But when people began ordering more than a couple of cupcakes — often five and six dozen at a time — the sisters said they were shocked.
“People would often say, what’s going on, you only have two ovens in there? We actually did have two ovens,” laughed Berman, adding that business was so busy that the sisters would come in at 3 a.m. to bake.
The cupcakes would sell so fast, the shop would be forced to close so they could bake more.
“Sometimes having too much business in the beginning can be just as devastating as having no business at all, if you’re not set up for it,” said LaMontagne.
The sisters said that for the first six months, they were never home and slept at the bakery. “It was brutal,” LaMontagne said, adding: “I don’t know how we survived that period.”
Pointing out that most entrepreneurs give up during “the messy middle,” Berman said, “you just have to have the faith that you’re going to get through it and to the other side.”
All these years later, the sisters appear to be having their (cup)cake and eating it too.