Do you have a craving for a cupcake with creamy blue cheese icing and salty buffalo chicken sprinkled on top? Vancouver sure does. Say hello to ManCakes Bakery Café, a cupcake café founded by men, for men.

The Invention of ManCakes

Jeremy Wong, Geoff Hamilton and Tyler Farstad, founders of ManCakes, began their cupcake adventure when they attempted to enjoy some of the many cupcakes for sale in Vancouver. Unimpressed, they had an epiphany: They didn’t want “frilly cupcakes with inches of icing smeared on top.”

Several months, and many tastings later, they created ManCakes Bakery with unique flavours including Bacon Chili Chocolate and Rum and Coke. If you want to try some “manly” cupcakes or super strong coffee (allegedly 200% stronger than regular coffee sold in Vancouver), you will definitely want to visit ManCakes located in Vancouver, BC.

Finding a Mentor in Vancouver with BizConnectBC

Mancakes’ founders tried a few mentors on their journey, but feel that the most successful mentorship relationships they’ve had were with mentors who were easily accessible and compatible with them on a personal level. 

They met their mentor Dean Barbour from BizConnectBC at a networking event and felt a strong connection with the entrepreneur straight away. Like most mentors, Barbour had already been through the trials and errors of running a business and had been a business consultant for 20 years. He also had experience in the food industry making him a perfect fit for the motivated entrepreneurs.

When picking a mentor the ManCakes team strongly recommend to, “Choose a mentor that you get along with on a personal level and that you trust. In order for a mentor to be effective, they need to see the full picture. If you’re not fully comfortable with them, you’ll simply be holding yourself and your company back.”  

How Mentorship Helped ManCakes

ManCakes expanded from an online store into a physical store in the high rent area of Robson Street in Vancouver in mid-2013. The partners believe that mentorship helps to grow their business: “Mentorship is a great way to have an experienced ear to let you bounce your ideas off of. [Mentors] can help affirm your great ideas or let you know of any red flags.”

They also found that mentorship helped them increase their network. Their mentor being well connected and excited to support them, helped them make new and beneficial connections.

Entrepreneurship can be quite an isolating experience if it’s not shared with other people. The founders of ManCakes encourage entrepreneurs to get help, “Successful people surround themselves with greatness. A good coach is an excellent way to get started.”​

So what's next for the successful cupcake company? The partners are looking ahead to add other exciting food items to their menu, expand to other locations and to eventually franchise.