Sophia Henry Turns a Family Tradition Into Cake Man’s Bakes

Sophia Henry is the founder and owner of Cake Man’s Bakes, a local bakery in Wilmington that she runs alongside her husband and co-founder, Thomas, known as Cake Man.

Baking started as a family tradition for Henry. Her mom would bake cakes, notably apple jelly cakes, for the family to enjoy on the weekends. Henry and her siblings watched and admired their mom in the kitchen as she cooked and baked, but Henry never imagined that years later it would inspire her own business.

“I didn’t have an idea or an inkling of whether I would ever be a business owner,” she said. “It didn’t come to my mind at all.”

That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, Henry was working in the medical field. As the pandemic brought significant changes to her job, she found herself reconsidering what she wanted to do.

With encouragement from friends and family who already loved her baked goods, Henry decided to give baking a real chance and pursue business ownership.

One of Cake Man’s Bakes’ signature products, Ole’ Skool Buns, is a nod to Henry’s childhood. She made the buns to remind her of the ones she ate in school. Perfecting the recipe took plenty of trial and error.

“I went through a lot of bags of flour before I got it together,” Henry chuckled.

Finding a resource in her own community

As Cake Man’s Bakes started taking shape, Henry quickly realized there was a lot more to running a business than baking.

That is where Cape Fear Community College’s Small Business Center and its director, Jerry Coleman, became an important part of her story.

“Jerry Coleman has been my go-to when I’ve panicked and needed help right away,” she said. “He’s always been there for me.”

One of the biggest moments came when Henry was working toward Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) certification. The application was more than 30 pages, and the process became overwhelming.

“I was in tears one day, trying to get it done,” Henry said.

She called Coleman, who connected her with someone who could walk her through the application over the phone, step by step, until she was able to complete it correctly.

“I just boohooed and cried,” Henry said. “I was so grateful.”

Another important step came when Henry was working to establish a business partnership that required her to have a ServSafe certification. She wanted to take the class in person rather than online, so she reached out to Coleman again.

Within 24 hours, he had found an option for her. The next day, she was in class.

“I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get where I’m at if it were not for people like Jerry,” she said.

Stay focused on your own business

Henry encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to be patient with themselves and their businesses.

“It’s not going to be easy. It’s never going to happen overnight,” she said.

Her biggest piece of advice is to stay focused on your own path.

“Mind your business,” she said, explaining that entrepreneurs need to put their “blinders” on and avoid comparing their progress to someone else’s.

“Don’t look at Sammy or Susan over here, because if you do, you’re going to get distracted. And you’re going to get disappointed because everybody is at a different level.”

A new storefront and new opportunities

This past October, Cake Man’s Bakes reached another milestone when the business opened its new storefront on Dawson Street.

Since then, Henry said customer traffic has been steady. The bakery also has a partnership with Vigilant Hope, which carries Cake Man’s Bakes products in its store. Cake Man’s Bakes also recently partnered with Blendsations Juice and Beverage Bar of Wilmington.

And Henry has more plans for the future. She is currently working toward a partnership with DoorDash and hopes to expand the business eventually.

For all the work that goes into running a bakery, Henry said the most rewarding part of owning Cake Man’s Bakes comes down to her customers.

“Just when I feel like I don’t want to do it anymore, my customers are what keep me going.”

Small Business Center

The Small Business Center at CFCC provides free and confidential counseling to people who are exploring the opportunity to open their own business. We also provide counseling and advice to existing small businesses at their request.

In addition, we offer annually 80+ free seminars on many varied business topics targeted towards potential or existing entrepreneurs.

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