Entrepreneurial teen launches baking business in order to take his family on vacation


Isaiah Tuckett has started a baking empire in Madison, Minnesota.
The 14-year-old launched his cupcake business two years ago in order to fulfill a lifelong dream: to go on a family vacation to Disney World. His parents said they couldn't afford the trip, so Tuckett decided to fund it on his own, selling cupcakes to pay their way.
Just one month after Tuckett started making cupcakes, selling a dozen for $20, the only bakery in Madison closed down, leaving the town devoid of any place to pick up sweet treats. Tuckett started taking orders for everything from birthdays to weddings to reunions, and even made 750 cupcakes one weekend for a prom. He used some of his profits to invest in a KitchenAid mixer, and has even found the time to compete at fairs, winning several ribbons.
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After one year, Tuckett raised enough money to take his mom, dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew to Florida, covering their plane tickets, hotel rooms, and park tickets. "I felt like it should be a family event," he told KARE 11. "I was surprised I did it in a year." Tuckett has set his sights on attending culinary school, and now that his Disney World vacation is in the books, he has a new goal: to earn enough money by the time he's 16 to buy a pickup truck. Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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