It was a typical day in spring lockdown – going on a daily walk and then trying out a banana bread recipe – that would soon change Cohort 26 alumna Chyanne Nader’s year. An environmental engineer by day and bakeshop entrepreneur by night, Chyanne mastered the art of turning a quarantine hobby into a real business. I was fortunate enough to talk to Chyanne about Sweet Like Chy’s origins, her engineering studies, and how QUEST impacted where she is today.

Chyanne explained that her first shot at baking was around a year ago today, during the beginning of Spring 2020 quarantine. She tried her hand at the infamous quarantine banana bread and spent the next two weeks trying to concoct the perfect recipe. From there, she never stopped baking. Her first real project was creating a “number cake” for her boyfriend’s birthday, which led to her first real order from a family friend asking to replicate the cake for her 17-year-old daughter.

Sweet Like Chy’s first official order

Though her first cakes were made out of the box, Chyanne soon took the time to experiment with lots of different “from-scratch” recipes. This past fall, she invested in a stand mixer and now has her own signature homemade buttercream frosting! Chyanne explained to me that one of the most challenging aspects of running her business is finding the balance between doing what you love and still making a profit. In Sweet Like Chy’s first months of operations, Chyanne noticed that she was losing a lot of money, which prompted her to take her first accounting class. To save money, she’d peruse grocery stores and take note of how much various products cost at each store. Then, she’d create a master Excel sheet with cost estimates per cake based on proportions of ingredients used in each recipe. Once she solidified her pricing model, Chyanne worked to build her clientele. She first posted a weekly baking update on her personal Facebook page to garner attention from friends, and then later created her own Sweet Like Chy Instagram and Facebook page. This was yet another learning curve, as she had to learn how to use lighting and backdrops to create the most aesthetically pleasing images.

What’s most impressive about Chyanne’s booming bakery is that she still manages to be a full-time Environmental Engineer at the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, where she is participating in a 2-year rotational program. She credits a lot of her professional success to her time in the QUEST program. Not only did she learn the ins and outs of the product cycle, but she also learned a lot of soft skills such as effective communication and teamwork that aid her to this day. Chyanne also mentioned how much she gained from QUEST’s Scoping Experiential Learning Projects class: “I had to make my own scope from scratch for my new Project Manager position here for the Navy. If I hadn’t had any previous scoping experience, I wouldn’t even know where to begin!” 

When asked about how she balances her career with her side business, Chyanne cited the importance of organization and pre-planning. She makes sure she collects orders 2 weeks in advance and then plans out baking slots in her free time – including during her lunch break, evenings, and weekends. She recounted how Valentine’s Day was one of the most hectic times in her life, where she was baking every free minute she had! Even so, Chyanne loves what she does and loves being her own boss. “I get better at baking with every order I fulfill. I’m passionate about my craft and have a blast along the way!”  

When asked about advice she’d give QUEST students, Chyanne said “Just do it! If I can bake, anyone can do anything.” She also said it’s okay if your passion project doesn’t blow up at first. “Take your small wins as they come. Even if it’s just one order of 12 cupcakes, my customers get so happy and I can tell I really made a difference. Everyone has so much potential to make others happy!” Chyanne truly embodies all the virtues of a QUEST student, even past graduation. If you’d like to learn more about Sweet Like Chy, you can visit its Facebook and Instagram pages at @sweetlikechy. We wish you the best Chyanne!