One of the things I love most about hosting Building Loved Businesses is how often the best stories don’t start with a business plan.
They start with a person.
A person following curiosity.
A person saying “yes” before everything feels safe.
A person building something meaningful, one imperfect step at a time.
Addie Corby, founder of Little Sweets Cake Design in Milan, Illinois, is a perfect example of that.
Her story is anything but linear — and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful.
A Creative Calling (Before It Was a Business)
Before Little Sweets ever existed, Addie was a high school art teacher.
She didn’t choose art because it was practical. She chose it because it felt right. She loved the classroom, the creativity, the relationships, and especially the students who just needed one encouraging adult in their corner.
For nearly a decade, she poured herself into teaching — art club, field trips, ceramics, and building trust with kids who still stop by her bakery today to order wedding cakes.
But over time, the joy started to erode.
Not because she stopped caring — but because the system made it harder and harder to do the work she loved. Engagement dropped. Cell phones multiplied. Evaluations came from people who didn’t understand her craft.
And at the same time…
Something else was quietly growing.
The Side Hustle That Wouldn’t Stay Small
Addie had always baked. Birthday cakes. Cookies for teachers. Family recipes passed down through generations.
Then she made her daughter’s first birthday cake.
People noticed.
Photos were posted. Friends asked questions. Orders followed. And suddenly, nights and weekends were filled with cake boxes, buttercream, and a growing sense that this thing might be something.
She didn’t start with confidence — she started with curiosity.
The first time she charged $150 for a cake, she thought she’d made it. There was excitement… and guilt… and that familiar whisper of imposter syndrome so many entrepreneurs know well.
But the orders kept coming.
And the joy kept growing.
Jumping Before the Net Appears
Eventually, Addie reached a crossroads many business owners face:
- A stable paycheck and benefits
- Or a growing passion that felt more alive
With a strong support system behind her, she made a bold decision.
In 2019, she resigned from teaching — before COVID, before certainty, before everything was figured out.
Her first “real” bakery space wasn’t glamorous. It was a church basement kitchen.
But it was legitimate. Inspected. Affordable. And most importantly, it gave her room to grow.
As Addie put it: “I like to jump and then build my net on the way down.”
An Unconventional Funding Story (and a Lot of Courage)
Here’s where Addie’s story takes a turn you don’t hear every day.
To fund her move into a permanent bakery space — without taking on debt — Addie became a surrogate.
In the middle of a divorce.
During a global pandemic.
While building a business from the ground up.
She carried twin boys for a family in Chicago and used that income to invest directly into Little Sweets — equipment, space, and stability.
It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t comfortable. But it worked.
And it speaks to something we don’t talk about enough in entrepreneurship:
There is no single “right” way to fund or build a business.
There’s only the way that works for your life.
When Growth Gets Real: Hiring, Letting Go, and Leading
As the business grew, Addie made one of the smartest decisions a founder can make early on:
She hired experience.
Bringing on seasoned decorators allowed her to step out of doing everything herself and into leadership — not by abandoning her craft, but by sharing it.
Instead of clinging to control, she leaned into trust.
Her role shifted toward:
- Organization
- Payroll and ordering
- Customer tastings
- Supporting her team
And maybe most importantly: culture.
Little Sweets isn’t just efficient — it’s fun.
Music, laughter, creativity, and pride in the work fill the space. Addie believes culture isn’t about hiring people who “fit in,” but people who add something meaningful.
Because when people love their work, customers feel it.
Lessons from a Partnership That Didn’t Last
Not every part of the journey was smooth.
Addie also experienced the challenge of a business partnership that lacked alignment — mismatched communication styles, unspoken expectations, and emotional volatility.
The lesson wasn’t that partnerships are bad.
It was that clarity, communication, and shared values matter more than convenience.
Eventually, Addie made the hard call to buy out her partner and move forward solo — a decision that brought peace, focus, and momentum back to the business.
Little Sweets Today (and What’s Next)
Today, Little Sweets Cake Design employs 11 part-time team members, serves weddings, celebrations, workshops, retail pop-ups, and wholesale accounts — and continues to grow through referrals and reputation.
Addie is also thinking ahead:
- Wholesale and retail expansion
- Cake jars (yes, they ship)
- Even a cake jar vending machine
Not because she’s chasing growth for growth’s sake — but because she’s building a business that can evolve with her life.
The Bigger Takeaway
Addie’s story is a reminder that:
- You don’t need a perfect plan to begin
- Support systems matter more than strategies
- Serendipity favors people who pay attention
- And there’s no single path to entrepreneurship
There’s just the courage to keep going.
Little Sweets wasn’t built overnight. It was built through creativity, resilience, community, and a whole lot of heart.
And that’s exactly what it means to build a business worth loving.
If you enjoyed this story, share it with another business owner who might need encouragement today. These are the stories that deserve to be told.