Relocating one’s family from upstate New York is the perfect time to start a new career, a new profession, and a whole new experience. That’s exactly what Jodi Hague did when she and her husband moved to Yulee when his job was transferred to Jacksonville.
Jodi spent the majority of her career in healthcare and she was ready for a big change – one that would allow her to immerse herself in bringing joy and celebration to others. She had experience in cake baking and decorating so she set out to find an opportunity that coincided with baking, and she found Bliss Cakery in Yulee for sale! She knew it was a good fit, so she got to work creating a plan and finding out what was necessary for funding the acquisition.
Getting the funding was “a nightmare” as several lenders only wanted to work on multi-million dollar loans. Jodi came to the Florida SBDC at UNF for assistance with finding a lender and writing a business plan. There she met another Jodi (Henson) of the Nassau County office. The Jodi team rolled up their sleeves and got to work! The Hagues completed the acquisition of the bakery in February this year and have been baking up lots of new goodies ever since.
Part of the fun of acquiring an existing business is looking at the assets, the customer base, and the market opportunities and then deciding what to add, change, or discontinue. Jodi had lots of great ideas and she is already implementing many of her plans. She plans on adding cold treats for the long hot summer days (that will continue into the fall) as well as items for everyone’s fur babies and four-legged friends! And she also plans on adding Keto-friendly sweets to the menu so everyone can enjoy a treat.
Bliss Cakery is open weekdays and on Saturday until 5:00 pm. The bakery is located in Yulee at the northeast corner of A1A and Blackrock Road.
