By SHEALYN PRATT
Zangi Masumba, a psychology major from Fortworth, Texas, recently brought a sweet new addition to Alva. While living in Texas, she briefly offered beauty services. However, after moving to Alva, she wanted to begin a new adventure.
“I’d make sweet treats for my family and stuff, when we had parties going on, I’d be the one making the sweets,” Masumba said.
Starting a business can be difficult, especially as a full-time student. However, Masumba said her love for baking makes the experience easier.
“With baking, it’s something I genuinely look forward to doing,” Masumba said. “Even when I don’t have orders, I’ll make stuff for my team at work or my friends and stuff because I genuinely enjoy doing it.”
When she is not baking, Masumba works as a student worker for Northwestern’s counseling services. Despite enjoying both jobs, she said baking holds a special place in her life.
“Being creative is something that has brought me fulfillment,” she said. “Even with the few orders that I have gotten so far, people have trusted me to bake exactly what they asked. Baking to people’s preference or to precision has been one of the best things.
Masumba said one of the biggest challenges of starting her business has been gaining recognition. Despite using word-of-mouth and maintaining a social media presence, attracting customers has been difficult.
Regardless, she plans to continue to bake and encourages others to start a small business if it’s something they feel passionate about.
“Don’t get tired of putting yourself out there,” Masumba said.
If your sweet tooth sneaks up on you this holiday season, you can place an order @zangis_sweetest_edition on Instagram.