Student entrepreneur Kobe Jones turns baking into a business

OH junior Kobe Jones is still struggling to find his path in life, like many students do in their final years of secondary education. But while his sense of direction is hard to hone, his ambition to help others feed themselves and improve his cooking skills is excellent.

Jones is a baking entrepreneur who has made his own small business, labryan treats, by learning to bake by himself and advertising his service on social media.

“Honestly, the way I learned and was inspired was through TikTok and watching videos,” said Jones. 

Others agree that Kobe is not only a great baker, but also a great person.

“Despite only having known him for a year, I would describe him as very funny and creative,” said OH junior Jorydn Houston. 

Everyone learns how to cook or bake differently; some are self-taught with sheer determination, while others take classes or are taught by a parent, or, in rare cases, a professional chef. 

“Any recipes seemed very hard and complex when I was beginning, so I stuck with something simple to test baking. The very first thing I tried was baking cookies, which gave me enough confidence to try other recipes,” said Jones. 

In order to advertise his business, he had to always have a string of new ideas and primarily advertised it on social media.

“I would say [my friend] Kaylee Johnson helped me greatly by advertising on Instagram to show my business,” said Jones. 

Johnson was unavailable for a comment, but Houston shared that she assists Jones with inspiration when needed. 

“When he needed, I helped him get new ideas for baking products,” said Houston. “So far, his new cookies are like Lucky Charms and marshmallows.” 

Like any entrepreneur, Jones faced a lot of challenges in his early days as a businessman.

“At first, they were dry and tough, not soft and moist,” said Jones.

Once he managed to master cookie-making, it became his most popular product.

“He sells out almost every time he has his cookies,” said Houston. “I would definitely recommend.”   

Jones is a great example of initiative to follow if OH students want to turn baking into a business.

“A lot of students support me and cheer me on,” said Jones. “It inspires them to bake themselves.”

Examples like Jones show students that they don’t have to wait to graduate to start a business or gain experience in baking and cooking, especially if they enjoy doing so.   

“If I were to give a piece of advice, to anyone like me, I’d say, ‘Don’t rush into making a business,’” said Jones.