Meet Erika Helwig of E. Louise and Boss Evolution

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Helwig.  

Hi Erika, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m naturally an introvert. I used to get horrible social anxiety. I would like nothing more than to be left alone with my books, hike all the woods, & create endless baking recipes. 

That was me in a nutshell. What changed? What got me out of my shell? Opening a business. 

I never took the same path in life as anyone else I knew. I always felt outside the box looking in; sometimes, it was straight up pouring on me while everyone else was dry and comfortable inside that box. 

While my peers in high school were playing sports, taking the SATS, applying to colleges, and planning their futures, I was just…floating about. All I knew is that I wanted out, I wanted freedom from the small township I grew up in, & I wanted to travel. 

At 18, just 4 days after my birthday, I peaced out. I left Michigan and moved to San Diego, CA. I didn’t go there for college. I just went, moving around every 3-6 months for 8 years. 

I had so many different apartments in different parts of that vast county. I had a small group of friends who were a mishmash of oddballs (like me) from around the world: Russia, Columbia, El Salvador, Mexico, Boston.  I had a steady office job that paid decent, but it was pretty stagnant. 

I decided to go to community college a year after moving there. Teaching and owning a business were always my personal career battle. But when I needed to make the choice, teaching won simply because of my lack of confidence, my shyness, and just not having a clue. 

After spending my early 20s working full-time and going to college part-time, I decided that my time in California was over. I was just done one day. Time to move on. 

I didn’t know where I wanted to go next. I made the decision to move to Massachusetts, to a small little town called Hull, southeast of Boston. I had a friend there, and she was up for having a roommate. 

My move date was set. I gave my apartment complex and my work my notice. In two months’ time, I would be road-tripping it across the country (for the 4th time) to a new adventure. Then BAM…I fell in love. 

I still left. We spent as much time as possible together my last 2 months in California. 

We did long distance for 6 months. Bryan visited me in Massachusetts, I went back to Cali for visits. After an amazing few months, I decided it was time to leave the condo overlooking the Atlantic Ocean outside of Boston. I had no job prospects, the teaching program in Mass was arduous, and I was running out of money. At 26, it was time to get it together. 

I moved again. I went back to where I started…Michigan. I moved back in with my parents, got a part-time job nannying for my aunt, and Bryan followed me to Michigan. I visited a Macomb Community College counselor to see where I was at in the Michigan teaching program.  I will never forget this meeting. When I left Cali for Massachusetts at 26, I had nearly 7 years of schooling (part-time) under my belt. 

The counselor looked through all my Cali college transcripts and informed me that only 2 of my credits transferred over. TWO. Cali’s teaching program was significantly different from Michigan’s. My 7 years of hard work meant squat. 

Coming back to Michigan, I had my sights set on Oakland University. The teaching program was amazing. It was also a 5-year program vs. the typical 4-year. 

After crying until I couldn’t anymore in my car in the parking lot, I went through all the paperwork, all the classes I had to take and began to start at square one. 

This is when I set the goal for myself to graduate by 30. I was so determined to get my degree. I picked myself up, told myself to get with it and move forward. 

I did OU’s 5-year degree program in 3.5 years. I took 5 classes a semester sometimes, I took classes all through the summer, I took online classes, I worked my butt off. And I got mostly A’s. Goals are a powerful thing. 

I applied for the overseas student teaching program, got in, and off I went. My last 6 weeks of student teaching were spent in New Zealand. 

New Zealand could be a whole other story, but I’ll say this…I fell in love with that country. The people, the culture, the sites, the way they teach. It is a magnificent place, and I hope to make it there again. 

I graduated from Oakland University 3 months before turning 30. Goal reached. 

I was so pumped to start teaching, but the universe had other plans for me. At the time, the teaching field was flooded. Unless you knew someone that could connect you to get an interview, it was very difficult to find a job. I took subbing jobs all over the place until I landed long-term sub jobs in a school I liked. I hoped something would open there for me but again, the universe… 

In 2013 I was 8 months pregnant with my first kiddo and teaching Kindergarten. With two weeks left of my teaching assignment, my son decided to come a month early. 

I’ve never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I’m not knocking it, it’s hard as hell. It’s just not for me. I get bored easily (hence all the moving), I need constant challenges and projects, and goals. No moss will ever have a chance to grow on me. And I love working. 

I decided to start my own business. It was always in the back of my mind, something I had wanted to do. The idea of abandoning teaching hurt my heart tremendously. I had gotten accepted into grad school, but I couldn’t see teaching working out for me at that time. I had to walk away from it. 

After mourning over my career “fail” for a hot second, I did some much-needed brainstorming. I thought about what else I was passionate about and what else I was GOOD at. I’m a busybody. An office job is not for me. I like to be active, moving a lot all day. 

I eventually landed on baking. I’ve always loved baking, and I’m good at it. I have a bit of an obsessive personality, so when I discover something that interests me, I go all in. I fall down that rabbit hole and research the crap out of it. I spent most of my time taking classes online, researching the science of baking, and experimenting. 

When my son was 5 months old, I told those close to me that I was starting my own business. Many of the reactions I received were like getting a little pat on the head, aw aren’t you cute. But, for the next 5 years, I sold custom cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, pies, you name it, out of my house while raising 2 small kids. 

I was outgrowing my home kitchen. I decided it was time to start taking steps to get my business out of my house. I knew I couldn’t do this alone. I didn’t have a lot of friends or a network of other business owners. Working from home with 2 kids under 5 is lonely. I decided I needed to bust out of my shell and start meeting some people! 

Where does one even start making business friends & connections as a grownup when working from home? 

I started looking online for some support groups. I had visited a couple networking groups in the area, but it wasn’t for me. It felt cold. I wanted comradery, and mainly I wanted other females to connect with. I found a group online that had just formed and was excited to attend the first meeting. 2 weeks before the event, it got cancelled and the group disappeared. It was done before it even got going. 

Disappointed, I said screw it and decided I would create my own group. In September of 2016, Girlboss: Women Entrepreneurs was born. I had no clue what I was doing. I was in utter shock that I even did this because I was shy and got social anxiety. 

My first meeting had 25 women attend. All I had planned for the meeting was to pass around my cookies, say a spiel about how women need each other to thrive, and let everyone else introduce themselves and their businesses. After my quick speech, the room erupted in hoots and applause. I realized I wasn’t the only one seeking support and a tribe. I was pumped and inspired. I decided that our meetings needed to have different topics every month that we could discuss roundtable style. 

While women were excited about the group, they were also moms, wives, and business owners. This means they are busy. My second meeting was a quarter the size of my first one. The excitement was still there, but I was a little disheartened by attendance. My third meeting had 3 people. It was dwindling fast. 

Before the night of my fourth meeting, I was considering giving up and closing the group. Why put the effort in if no one shows up? It’s not in my nature to quit, so I told myself I would give it one more try. I didn’t have a big turnout, but I did have a new member come. She was friendly and easy to talk to and so very enthusiastic. She and I became quick friends. I left that meeting thinking maybe I should keep it going…you never know who you’re going to meet. 

A few meetings after that, something big happened. Word spread about my group in the community and the local networking chambers. My small little group, that I almost quit on, had 20 new members descend upon us all in the same night. I thought it was a fluke like the first meeting. It wasn’t. Most of those women are still members today. 

In 2021, our 5-year anniversary, I rebranded the group, and it became Boss Evolution. Over the last 6 years, this group has had a lot of changes, a lot of ups, and some downs. I stay consistent with what the group stands for, its values, and its mission. Women have joined, women have left, I even had a few be nasty, bully me, and try to take over. No matter the very small bumps we’ve had over the years, I’ve stood strong, believing that this group does so much good for so many women that I will fight for it every time. The positive far overshadows the negative. 

It took me a few years to stand back and look at what I’ve created.  Entrepreneurs struggle with observing the actual moment…we’re constantly on to the next thing or just DOING IT. What I have created is a family. These women are each other’s ride or die. They are brilliant and supportive, and we’re each other’s biggest fans. 

I started making moves to open a brick-and-mortar bakery in 2017. My first step was, of course, a business plan. This can be a bit overwhelming. But something came across my path and kicked me into high gear. 

I used to take some fun online classes from a large educational website called Craftsy. It features online courses where you can buy mini-courses, ask questions, and share your projects. I saw that they were offering a Cake Fellowship, created to help newer entrepreneurs. Although I wasn’t super confident in my decorating skills quite yet, I decided to just go for it. Why not? 

The requirements were to send in a few pictures of our work, answer their questionnaire about our business, and send in a business plan. The winner would get $5k, a trip to Denver to hang out with a biggie in the industry, a business mentorship, and be a guest on a podcast. 

Now, I honestly didn’t think that anything would come of this, but I’m a HUGE believer in goals, and this seemed like a perfect excuse to stop stalling on putting my business plan together. The deadline for the contest was 2 weeks away. Every day I hauled my butt to the library, popped in earbuds, and worked for hours straight brainstorming and writing about what I wanted my business to look like. 

I don’t remember how much time passed. I don’t remember even thinking about the fellowship after I completed everything. I was busy with my home business, my women’s group, my kids, my life. I DO remember when I received an email from Craftsy regarding my application and was surprised I had even heard back from them at all. 

I was a top 10 finalist in the nation. There I was, on their website snuggled in with all the pros. They had said that they were impressed with my cake designs but that they were absolutely blown away by my business plan. The judges loved my business idea; they said they didn’t know another business like it. I wasn’t just going to open a bakery, I was planning to have classes, summer camps, and parties as well. I wanted a learning center (and use that teaching degree!). 

I didn’t win the fellowship. The fact that I even placed in it was enough for me, along with the feedback I received from some top players in my industry. I was so proud of myself and ready to take the leap to make it happen. 

My next step was to seek out a business partner. I didn’t think I could do it alone and honestly didn’t want to. I ended up doing some projects and local events with another part-time cake decorator that I met through my kid’s daycare. We worked well together and had a lot of fun, so it was a match that worked. 

After about 6 months of trial projects, planning, contracts, all the partnership details, we were ready. Early 2018 was filled with driving around our area to look at potential locations, all while still fulfilling orders in my partner’s basement kitchen. 

After a couple of months searching for a space, we found one in the downtown area of our little city. It was right in front the municipal grounds and sat on a major road that ran through the area. It was a long, old building, but the inside didn’t require too much work. Behind us was a Sangria tasting lounge. We had found our place. 

Our opening day was insane, to put it lightly. I don’t know what we expected, but we were not prepared for the amount of people that showed up. It was non-stop. We had our husbands and kids helping. We sold out 3 times and had to hit the kitchen to get more product out. I distinctly remember us sitting on the floor in our once-clean kitchen after we closed, after our helpers left, just laughing and crying. The support we received from the community, friends, family was amazing. We were wrought with emotion. We did it. We successfully opened a bakery and learning center. 

2 ½ years after opening our doors, we were exhausted and needed help due to the rate we were growing. We were having to turn down orders. We were just about to hire our first employee and were filled with excitement and anxiety. But as we all know, the world came to a halt in March of 2020. 

Luckily, being in the food industry, we fell under the “essential” category and were able to continue selling as long as we did it pick-up only. This was good news. Once the initial shock wore off weeks later, people were bound and determined to support their local small businesses. Custom cake orders were coming in, and I figured out a way to have virtual classes. We managed to survive. We were able to have the public back in our shop 3 months later. 

A few days before Mother’s Day weekend in 2021, I received a phone call from our property manager. Shelby Township had approached the owner of the property and offered to buy it, and she agreed. We had a big decision to make.…find a new place, build out again, or close our doors. The conclusion we came to was that neither of us were willing to start all over again. On November 30th, 2021, we left our keys and closed the shop. 

The universe has a way of hurting us for the betterment of our future sometimes. My husband said I should take the summer off and relax; work out my next step in the fall. I can’t sit idle. I put all my energy and focus allotted for the bakery into my female entrepreneur community, Boss Evolution. This is my happy place. I’ve had big plans for this business for years but couldn’t devote a lot of time to it. Now I could. 

I did spend a lot of time with my kids over the summer. We had great adventures, and I did force myself to work minimally. 

In May of 2022, I reopened my home bakery, E. Louise. I have come full circle. I decided to put a lot of my heart and focus into Boss Evolution last fall as well. I have freedom again to focus on what I want. I don’t have store hours that I’m locked into. If one of my kids is sick, I simply go pick them up without having to worry about the shop. 

I also teamed up with Canetha Amour-Porter, founder of Amour Women, and started a podcast. We focus on women empowerment. Doing this project has been amazing, and I couldn’t imagine a better person to do it with. It’s called The Queens of F-ing Everything…check it out. 

My passion has shifted since starting BE; I love creating a support system and community for women in small business. When I had to close the bakery, they were my lifelines. They understood and helped me through. And so, you see when someone slams a door in your face, you can turn around and open a different one. One that’s a little brighter inside. And sometimes you give them the finger through that closed door, and that’s okay too. 

One thing I’ve learned in my decade of being an entrepreneur is that there really is no such thing as failure. There’s just learning opportunities. It’s alright to fall on your face every now and then…just make sure to pick yourself up, refocus, and look forward. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Any journey worth doing and learning from is never smooth. It’s full of bumps and ridiculous potholes. We learn the most from our mistakes and what we might consider failures. Being a woman in business is not only difficult, but it can also be lonely. We too often have the highest expectations of ourselves and will burnout to the point of exhaustion. We’re constantly trying to find a balance, a balance between being a partner and a mother and a friend and an entrepreneur. The truth is, there is no such thing as balance. Some days I might only be able to get in 3 hours of work because my kids have a half day of school. Other days I might need my family to understand that I’m gone in the evening for meetings. 9 to 5 doesn’t exist in our world. We work when we can, sometimes sending emails while our kids are in swim or after they go to bed. But truth be told, most of us wouldn’t have it any other way. Good partners not only understand, they truly support us. Our children see what we’re doing, and they’re proud of us for what we’re building. And we don’t have to do it alone; there are communities, like Boss Evolution and many others, that empower us to keep going. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about E. Louise and Boss Evolution?
E. Louise is my home bakery business. I also do pop-up classes where I teach how to decorate fun-themed cupcakes & cakes. I’m proud to say that all the recipes I use are mine. I specialize in recipe creation & love experimenting with different flavors. I’ve retired from doing all the crazy custom cakes & am planning to get back to teaching more this year.

Boss Evolution is a mastermind, support, & consulting company for women in business. 

Our Mission: To offer entrepreneurial support, sisterhood, & the opportunity for growth. 

We have the continued advantage of learning from one another. We’re all in different stages in our entrepreneurial adventure. BE is focused on building lasting relationships so that business growth comes naturally. We have monthly roundtable-style topic-focused discussions with leaders & other Bosses where we gain support, advice, knowledge, & meaningful connections. 

I’m so proud that BE has been a safe space for women for the last 7 years! 

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
We’re trained from an early age to think that there’s only one job, one career for us for our entire lives. When we’re little grownups ask us what we want to be when we grow up. We write it on chalkboards on our kid’s first day of school. This is Bobby, and he wants to be an astronaut. Yay, Bobby! 

All through high school, we’re told to get good grades, play a ridiculous number of sports, take the ACTS/SATS, apply to a bunch of colleges, visit colleges, decide your career. 

I don’t know about you, but I had no clue what I wanted at 17. It changed all the time. I could barely dress myself in matching clothes, let alone decide my entire life. 

I’m here to tell you that if you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s, whatever age and want to start all over…you can do it. I have reinvented myself many times, following my passions. Some didn’t work out; many have. There’s never a perfect time for anything. There are endless resources out there. Don’t be afraid to just jump in. 

The biggest thing I’ve learned in my decade of being an entrepreneur is that there really is no such thing as failure. There’s just learning opportunities. It’s alright to fall on your face every now and then…just make sure to pick yourself up, refocus, and look forward. 

Contact Info:

• Website: thebossevolution.com and elouisebakes.com OR theelouise.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebossevolution/   https://www.instagram.com/e.louise.bakes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebossevolution    https://www.facebook.com/elouisebakes
• Other: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1964251