Becky Brown, owner of Cakes Reanimated

Becky Brown developed a taste for cake decorating when she was only 16 and working at Dairy Queen.

"My boss taught me a few things and directed me toward the Wilton cake decorating books, and I started teaching myself," she says.

She decorated her first wedding cake at age 19 or 20, and after getting compliments on her work, she began considering cakes as a career path. She'd always enjoyed baking, and she was studying art and painting at Southeast Missouri State University.

"I didn't want to be an art teacher, but I wanted to combine the art form with a craft that would be profitable and hold water," she says.

So she studied up and perfected her skills in baking and decorating, and two and a half years ago, she became the licensed owner of her own business, Cakes Reanimated. She made a website and business cards, and thanks to social media and word of mouth, she says her business has nearly quadrupled since she started.

In addition to working two restaurant jobs and painting as a hobby, Brown is continually booked for birthday and wedding cakes. She's even working on a food truck to take to farmers markets and tailgating events.

"My planner is like my bible," she says. "I color coordinate all my jobs and hobbies and set alarms on my phone."

Though her schedule can be hectic, she says she enjoys the creative process of taking a customer's request and color scheme and transforming it into a delicious work of art.

"I like the creative freedom that I get with customers," she says. "I like being able to put my painting abilities into my cakes and just getting crazy with it."

Brown says she finds inspiration from the friends who encourage her, her grandmother who taught her about cake decorating and other crafts, and her father who said she could be anything she wanted.

"My dad always told me, 'Becky, you can do anything. There's a million things you can do, and you'd be so special at it.' Definitely my parents were very supportive," she says.

Her best advice for other women pursuing a creative dream is to take it one bite at a time.

"Pace yourself and be smart about it," she says. "Don't run before you walk."