Jalen Bailey, an 8-year-old boy from Fresno, California is running his very own home-based bakery called Jalen's Bakery where he sells everything from cookies to bread to pastries. He says his plan is to buy a house for himself and his mom, Sharhonda Mahan.
Bailey and his mom live alone in a small rental house, and he feels that as the little man of the house, he has to step up and provide a better place for them to live.
"I just love to bake"
As a natural entrepreneur and although still very young, he actually got started with baking while in pre-school when he used to helped his mom bake goods to give away to others for Christmas.
Their story, which has gone viral on social media, was recently featured in People magazine, and Baily told them: "I just love to bake. It's fun! I want to buy a house with a pool and a big back yard and a kitchen, so me and my momma can bake and make memories."
How he got started
His mom comments, "I used to bake sweet potato pies to get extra money for the holidays, and he was always in the kitchen, asking if he could help." But she says her son quickly progressed to other ideas. "It got to where he could make his first peanut butter cookies all by himself," she says. "He said, 'Mom, I got this. I don't need any help.'"
Making the first steps
When she realized just how serious he was, she sent him to a business workshop for kid entrepreneurs where he learned everything he needed to know about sales, marketing, and how to reach a target audience. Soon after, he obtain a business license from the city and legally formed his very own company.
Now, Bailey and his mom are taking and delivering orders everyday from local customers, but their goal is to soon be able to ship orders nationally and even internationally.
For more details about Jalen's Bakery, visit www.jalensbakery.com
To make a donation to help him take his bakery to the next level, make an online donation at www.gofundme.com/2hvsjzas
Watch the video below: