Inc.

Melissa Ben-Ishay

The co-founder and chief product officer of Baked by Melissa built a mini empire based on what she loved—once she overcame her imposter syndrome
TASTEMAKER “I can go into any bakery and order one of everything and be like, ‘It’s for work. I just need to try everything,’” says Melissa Ben-Ishay, whose New York City company was founded in 2009. It now has 14 area stores and a national e-commerce operation.

What was the most difficult part of starting the company?

Just having the confidence. After I was fired from my advertising job, I worked out of my apartment for seven months, by myself. I’d cold-call catering companies

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