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Detroit mom’s recipe for success helps others

She turned her passion for baking into an award-winning business

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and moms today are not only making a difference at home, they are also doing it on the job.

One Detroit “mompreneur” turned her love for baking into an award-winning business. Now, she helps others who want to chase their dreams.

Jennifer Lyles, creator of Lush Yummies Pie Company, joinedLive In The D” co-host Jason Carr to share more about her entrepreneurial journey.

Jennifer is a wife, a mother of three boys, an entrepreneur, a public speaker, and a teacher, and one of the hardest parts of her job is maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She said her secret is keeping a good schedule, to-do-list, and planner, to make sure she reaches her goals for the day.

Even Oprah has taken notice of the Lush Yummies Pie Company. Jennifer says that their specialty is lemon butter pies and that they are the home of the “Lemon Butta Pie,” which is a combination of cheesecake and lemon meringue pie. She added that they are fourth generation pies. Different toppings made from locally sourced ingredients may be found on pies including the Peach Butta Cobbler, the Apple Butta, and the Salted Caramel Walnut. Every Saturday, the pies are available in the Eastern Market.

Jennifer won 18 grant competitions that secured the money needed to grow her business. She said that, initially, she was turned down for a traditional bank loan, but she did not want that to stop her. So, she started to research alternative funding. She found four new pitch competitions and lost all of them. However, she did not give up. She said she started studying how to perfect her pitches and presentations and then won 18 in a row.

Now, Jennifer wants to help others do the same because she got money and media attention for “Oprah’s Favorite Things” without having a publicist. One piece of advice she gave was to lead with your story and be consistent when you’re giving your pitch to investors, grocery stores, or other people who want to hear it. She said that on her website, she has a five-hour intensive course to help other entrepreneurs.

Watch the video above for the full interview.


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