The holidays are coming up, and this means more than just time off from school — it’s also the season for junior Caroline Miller’s best-selling linzer tart cookies to be back in action. With love and talent guiding her, Miller turned her passion for baking into a mission: baking with purpose.
In her freshman year, Miller created her own baking business, Sweet Caroline. Miller’s mother, Andrea, said she and Miller’s father were impressed by Miller’s foundation. “We liked her idea to sell baked goods at a profit [to customers], and use that profit to buy ingredients to fund her donation baking,” said Andrea. “We loved how she was thinking, so we really supported it.”
Miller donates baked goods to nonprofit organizations like Midnight Run, Lifting Up Westchester and local Thanksgiving drives and bake sales.
At age 10, Miller was already confidently baking. Once she launched her business, she discovered that she loved baking for others even more because she gets feedback. “I prefer it if people give me critiques or advice. It’s really helpful because then I can make better versions of what I bake. I also just like surprising people with different treats. I think it’s really nice. They like it, I like it,” she said.
Miller believes that small businesses begin with passion. “If you really want to start a small business about something you love, then go for it,” Miller said. She had a vivid mindset from the start: whether successful or not, she would be doing what she loves. Freshman year, Miller took the Masters course Design Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship, setting the stage for her business idea.
Patience, Miller says, is essential to starting a business. “In the beginning, if things are slow, don’t give up. Keep spreading the word about your business and using connections to your advantage.” Miller speaks from experience. She started by baking for friends and family, then utilized social media to grow her audience.
Miller took a baking course this summer at Campus NYC in Brooklyn which is a five-day pastry program. Each day focused on something new: sugar, chocolate, French pastries, and more. She describes this experience as eye-opening since it was her first time baking in a professional setting with others.
While balancing business and school, Miller also learned the importance of time management, which didn’t come easily at first. “I love baking because it’s relaxing,” she said, “but when I started getting many orders, it became stressful.” Sometimes, she spends up to 14 hours a day baking. Andrea noticed this and helped her find balance in baking on the weekends for Monday deliveries instead of during the school week.
Andrea is incredibly proud of what her daughter has built and what she’s discovered along the way. “It’s the entrepreneurial spirit and planning that impresses me,” she said. But what I love most is the philanthropic element. She wants to provide beautiful baked goods that make people happy during the holidays.”
