Life & Work with Taylor Rysdon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Rysdon.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
Growing up, I always adored baking—not only was it fun, but it was therapeutic. During the most stressful seasons of my life, I found myself turning to baking to balance my emotions. 

In November 2019, after experiencing my first pregnancy and the birth of my sweet baby, Grant, I found myself home during maternity leave, busy with a newborn and often watching baking shows on Netflix. During this time, I’d fold laundry and become the ultimate baker in my head, which re-ignited my desire to bake. I began baking for my six-year old’s teachers and baking for our little family – nearly each day. 

By January 2020, I had joined several local mom groups where I’d see women asking for cakes, cupcakes, and a variety of other desserts to celebrate their little ones. Gone were the days of moms everywhere simply going to Walmart to snag a quick cake for their littles; they wanted custom, thematic designs and from OTHER LOCAL WOMEN! I immediately fell in love with this concept. 

I was nervous, but I decided to reach out to a few of them and show them some of my early designs. When I say these cakes were practically given away to these women, they were dirt cheap, and I’d offer free delivery (by my sweet hubby). Eventually, we had some deep marital discussions about me charging what the cakes were worth (at a minimum, for the ingredients). I found myself charging a little bit more while increasing my skills. 

In March 2020, the entire world shut down. As we all know, COVID-19 occurred and led to many families celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and other special milestones from home – but they definitely still needed treats. This need to celebrate at home birthed more elaborate parties, meaning a need for bigger and better treats (insert my talent here). I found myself taking on more orders, but it was also time to return back to my corporate job. 

The next three years, I’d find myself scaling down on accepting custom orders. I’d make the occasional cake here and there for friends and, of course, for my husband and kids, but I really had no desire to bake for people outside our family unit. I just didn’t have the time. Even though I wasn’t baking as frequently, during this time, we also came up with the name “Blended Bakes” to represent our family dynamic. As a Blended family “in more ways than one,” we knew it would be important to merge our family story into the family-focused business. 

In between taking a break from Blended Bakes, we adopted a Vegan lifestyle. I began growing my Instagram presence as a Vegan novice, sharing my journey of creating Vegan recipes, almost as good as the “real thing.” That was, until getting pregnant for the second time. In 2022, I became pregnant with our youngest son and craved meat, something fierce. Eventually, we discovered I was nutrient deficient, and we caved and began to consume meat and dairy once again. After giving birth, I craved baking for others and decided to really pursue the business again. I began purchasing the necessary tools to up my game, watched more YouTube videos and baking shows than anyone could imagine, and by March 2, 2023, became an official “LLC.”. During the summer of 2023, we received our credentials as a Licensed Home Bakery by the State of Ohio and have had the opportunity to create beautiful and tasty treats for our neighbors in Anderson. 

October of 2023 was a period of transition. After six years of working in corporate communications, I’d lost my corporate role as a Communications Manager. Though I was no longer excited about the work I was responsible for, or the organization as a whole, I never expected I would be replaceable. But I was. I was so grateful to God that I had Blended Bakes as my part-time gig. Since then, it’s become my full-time hustle and passion for serving others and supporting our family. I truly believe we are on to something great, and I love all the relationships we’ve built along the way. There are so many full-circle moments. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I shared much of this in the last question – but honestly, the biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome in our business is balancing it all. As a small business, I have a lot of to-dos and timing-related deliverables. 

Leaving the corporate world to work this business full-time comes with a need to be disciplined, self-aware, and organized. Thankfully, I learned much of this in corporate, but it’s hard to mentally “turn off” my brain at the end of a long day. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So, I’m a corporate robot turned entrepreneur. 😀 

I am the owner and operator of Blended Bakes LLC, a Licensed and Insured Home Bakery in Anderson, Ohio that specializes in creating custom desserts to fit the needs of families in my community. We focus heavily on delivering top-notch customer experiences that make people feel truly valued, while also removing much of the stress associated with planning the desserts for large and important events. 

I’m really proud that our designs are often referred to as “creative and unique.” I love that we’ve established a brand people know and enjoy.

What are your plans for the future?
Honestly, I’ve always been a planner. I’m really focused right now on basking in our success and networking with the amazing entrepreneurs in our community. With such a supportive husband, friends, and family, I’m really excited about our journey in the next two years. Of course, being a home bakery, we are always considering the potential of growing the business outside of these beautiful residential walls, but it will need to be in alignment with God’s timing, not our own. 

I’m just really grateful to meet such beautiful people. 

Pricing:

• Custom cakes start at $100+
• Custom cookies start at $50+/dozen
• French macarons start at $8.50/box of 3 minis

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/blendedbakes
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blendedbakesfamily/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blendedbakes/