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Meet Jenica Braddock of Dreamy Creations

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenica Braddock.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jenica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The beginnings of my business were realized as far back as high school.  Timing has an interesting way of effecting life’s path. I had a near death car accident when loose lugnuts on my brand-new car caused my tires to fly off on the freeway.  In one moment, I lost an opportunity at the volleyball scholarship I dreamed of and was left in a neck brace with burns across my chest. The accident limited my mobility for several years, which completely changed my trajectory and plans to be a college athlete.

Around the time of the accident, a series of events caused my mother to quit her decade long job working as a book keeper.  After losing the opportunity to follow the dreams I had always imagined, I wasn’t sure what to do with my life. Mom and I decided to focus on the things we loved to fill up our new found free time.  My Mom started creating custom scrapbooks and dream catchers. We didn’t want to lose track of our ability to dream despite the obstacles we faced, so she called the business “Dreamy Creations.” However, I knew we could never make a real living from scrapbooking.

My grandmother was a baker and mom had always enjoyed creating in the kitchen.  She decided to pursue her interest further and began taking baking classes at West Valley Occupational School.  I grew up taking cooking and business classes at my high school which was my next passion. One afternoon, she had a scrapbooking customer over and mom made some baked goods.  She served one of her cupcakes her customer. Dreamy Creations was then born.

Little did we know, we knew nothing about really running a business and it was a struggle. We started renting a kitchen in Canoga Park working after hours and whenever we could. I sold our products at local farmers markets in tents no matter rain or shine. I sold my first wedding cake in my high school history class. Mom did the baking and I tried my best at sales and marketing. 

As our business grew, we decided to take a leap of faith and get our own kitchen in Northridge hidden in a warehouse at a small industrial park. My mother wanted to focus on wholesale, but in the end, we converted the warehouse into a retail shop.

We struggled ALOT. We lost a lot of money and we had a lot of tears. I prayed every night wanting to help my family and asking God to show me the right direction. I was selling everything I owned personally on eBay and Craigslist like basketball hoops, clothes, etc. 

One night I was online and saw an ad for Cupcake Wars. I applied even though I didn’t really know how to make cupcakes from scratch. We made pies, custom cookies, tarts bars and everything but cupcakes. Six months later we got a call from Food Network asking us to be on the show. I still remember my Mom walking in the shop as she got a call from Jeremiah from cupcake wars, She was so excited & so was I.  We couldn’t believe it!

It was the most incredible feeling of accomplishment to make it on the show, but we lost.  The loss was devastating. After all the effort we put forth into the TV show behind the scenes and then failing, we were hurt, bad. We really needed the money to stay up and running because we were completely broke. When the show aired, we were so surprised with the amount of support we received from all over. People drove from Palmdale to come to our hidden shop and we would sell cupcakes out of a little window to a patio. The support and love were over whelming. It gave us hope.

We got another call a year later to come back on and I convinced my mother we could win, that we would win. I promised. We won by the skin of our teeth. It was hard, but worth it.  After doing the show, we transitioned into a cupcake only bakery.

We got another call back to go on the show and we won AGAIN. The 3rd time is the worst because you know what it feels like to lose and you know how great it is to win. No one wants to risk losing again, so it really took some begging for my mom to go on again.  I am glad we took that risk. We won again and invested our prize money into buying a 1987 UPS truck that we converted into a mobile dessert restaurant. We just expanded into our second dessert truck in 2018.

I got to where I am today by taking risks, never giving up, and utilizing what I have. I didn’t have anything as a high school student, no money, no experience, and no education. However, I have a great mother, access to a computer to apply to contests and win money, a competitive spirit and an effortless work ethic.  I have an amazing hard-working team and support system I have met over the years. I focus on what I do have and use that to figure out how to get what I don’t have. 

Has it been a smooth road?
I struggle sometimes working with my mother.  I think working with any family member is difficult, especially if you live together and work together. Moving out helped our relationship a lot. 

Money is always an issue in business.  Better planning and becoming financially educated has been important in helping us expand because we don’t have any investors.

Health has been an issue sometimes, especially because it’s just the two of us. There’s been times one of us is in the hospital and the other must keep the business going worried about the other while still working a 4 am – 12 am shift. 

Personal relationships and finding balance is always hard in business. Finding time for loved ones and still earning a paycheck while working 80 hr weeks.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dreamy Creations story. Tell us more about the business.
Dreamy Creations Specializes in cupcakes. We are a healthy baked goods manufacturer. We make gluten free options, vegan options, regular, and even doggie cupcakes! 

I am so proud to stand behind a product that I would eat myself. I struggled with health issues my whole life, so providing a high quality sweet while still maintaining an amazing flavor is very important to me.

We use unbleached flour in everything we make. All our products are made from scratch with no artificial flavors or dyes. We provide options for everyone from vegan to gluten free, sugar free, and our plain delicious creme brûlée cupcake!

I feel like no one thing sets us apart, but its who we are as a whole. From our high quality, variety of options, mobile trucks, to our ability to ship sweet happiness to your front door!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see everything moving in a mobile direction for shipping and delivery. Everyone is so busy and wants quality quickly and affordably. We are trying to focus on satisfying our customers specific needs as we continue to grow.

Health is a big trend and something I am passionate about. That’s why we really focus on healthier desserts.  We are also working on more all-natural sugar free options that taste great and are great for you.

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