November 2, 2022
ASHWAUBENON – What started out as a friendship between two Northeast Wisconsin transplants who met through their husbands who worked together, has since transitioned into a partnership in a joint business venture.
Marisa George and Jill McGrath are one of the newest entrepreneurs setting up shop in Ashwaubenon – the soon-to-be-open Nothing Bundt Cakes.
“We were talking about things we could do,” Marisa said. “We decided we wanted to be involved in the community since neither one of us are from here and wanted to give back. I’m from Texas, so Nothing Bundt Cakes is big in Texas, and I was like hey, ‘what about it?’ So, we looked into it and here we are. I wanted to bring a piece of home here to the Green Bay area.”
Having been active in their communities before arriving in Green Bay about two years ago, Marisa and Jill said they wanted to find that same connection here.
“I want to be as integrated here as (I was) back there,” Jill said. “And I thought, one of the best ways to do that would be as a business owner. We can meet people, give back to the community and become involved.”
Though neither have specific business ownership/management experience – Jill a former engineer and Marisa a stay-at-home mom – the baking duo said they are confident they have what it takes to be successful.
“I have a long career as an engineer, and I’ve managed people,” Jill said. “I’ve worked on engineering projects from start to finish, so I know how to schedule time. There’s a lot of applicable skill sets that will easily convey over to running a business, and I’m looking forward to applying those skills differently.”
Marisa said she has gotten her feet wet a bit in the realm of small business.
“I was more of a stay-at-home mom for the last 20 years, but I do have some small business experience,” she said. “We have some rental homes. So, my husband and I have an LLC. So, I ran the rental business for the last 20 years that I’ve been home.”
Jill said she’s looking forward to having a little fun.
“Engineering is pretty serious, and I want to be in an environment – I mean cake is happy,” she said. “People come in to buy a cake because they’re doing something, or they’re celebrating and being happy, and I want to be a part of that.”
Centrally located
Marisa said since the name and product is new to the Northeast Wisconsin area, finding a location in Ashwaubenon – nestled between HuHot and Panera at – 2621 S. Oneida St., Suite. 102 – was made intentionally.
“Nobody has heard of Nothing Bundt Cakes,” she said. “We don’t have the brand recognition like other parts of the country do. So we needed a centrally located location, and we felt Ashwaubenon was it.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes will be located at 621 S. Oneida St., Suite. 102 in Ashwaubenon. A soft opening is planned for Dec. 3. Chris Rugowski Photo
Marisa said finalizing the lease on the store’s location wasn’t at all smooth sailing.
“It took months and months and months to execute the lease,” she said. “That was because of the building itself. At the time it was under a change of ownership.”
Jill said they originally planned to open over the summer.
“We were supposed to open in July, then it was October and now here we are (opening in) December,” she said.
Jill said much thanks go out to the Village of Ashwaubenon for its ease.?
“A shout out to Ashwaubenon on its permitting process – it has been super efficient,” she said. “We found them to be friendly and efficient. So, kudos to them.”
The budding entrepreneurs said they believe Nothing Bundt Cakes is a good fit for Northeast Wisconsin.
“It complements the offerings that are already here, and (while at the same time) offering something a little more specialized, interesting and different as well,” Jill said.
Getting things off the ground
Marisa and Jill said when they first started, “we had a lot to learn.”
“It’s everything involved in starting a small business,” Jill said. “We needed to learn all about the normal steps of starting a business – permitting, finding real estate, learning how to negotiate a lease, creating an operational agreement between the two of us, working with local state government licensing, as well as then getting into the construction, and retailers and everything we need to order.”
Jill said the No. 1 hurdle they have run into is supply chain shortages.
“(There is) a long lead time on getting equipment – the oven for example and the refrigeration unit,” she said.
Another, Jill said, is the hiring process.
“It is harder to hire right now,” she said.
Marisa said they plan to start out hiring between 18-20 people for the bakery.
“As far as management, Jill and I are going to be running the daily operations of the store,” she said.
The offerings
As the name suggests, the bakery franchise – which was started in 1997 by two Las Vegas Women – specializes in bundt cakes.
“We offer 10 different flavors – that’s nine always flavors and one rotating flavor,” Marisa said.
She said bundts are available in a variety of sizes, including eight-inch, 10-inch, tiered, personal-sized bundtlets and mini bundt cakes – called bundtinis – that are sold by the dozen.
Nothing Bundt Cakes offer 10 different flavors in a variety of sizes, including eight-inch, 10-inch, tiered, personal-sized bundtlets and mini bundt cakes – called bundtinis. Submitted Photo
Marisa said the store will also carry small retail items – including small gift items, candles and balloons.
Jill said one of the things that makes Nothing Bundt Cakes unique is “it’s run like a mom-and-pop.”
“It’s owned by local people who want to be integrated into the community,” she said. “And we’re offering a product that is well received when people try it.”
Both owners said they are excited to see the reaction the community has when Nothing Bundt Cakes opens its doors.
“We hope the community loves it the way we do,” Marissa said. “I hope it gets us involved to where we’re a household name.”
“And they think of us when we need something special for a special occasion,” Jill said finishing her partner’s sentence.
Marisa said a soft opening is set for Dec. 3.
“We’ll do our grand opening sometime after the new year,” she said. “We will be coordinating with the chamber to do a ribbon cutting, but we don’t have the exact date on that yet.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes will be open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.