Bakers are notoriously early risers, waking up well before dawn to create their wares for the day. It’s a process that has been repeated for decades. At Minnetonka’s own Nothing Bundt Cakes shop, owner Kim Cassens also reports working long days. Though not solely in charge of baking, she’s deeply involved in the day-to-day of the business. “Marketing, advertising, paying bills, product inventory, baking, doing dishes, frosting cakes—I do whatever needs to be done,” she says. That might sound like a hefty list to some, but for Cassens, work doesn’t stop just at the bakery.
“I was officially inducted to the Park Nicollet Foundation Board of Directors in spring of 2018,” she explains over the light murmur of the bakery in the background. Before joining the board, Cassens worked with the Park Nicollet Foundation closely during the 2017 Jane Brattain Breast Center Be Pink Fundraising Breakfast, when she had donated a portion of the store’s sales to the cause. She also had an impactful personal experience with Park Nicollet after her husband was diagnosed and treated for cancer there. He is now six years in remission, and Cassens felt it was important to give back to the organization.
Though she was strongly drawn to this work by her personal connections, she also wanted to focus on fund development to help the community at large. In addition to Park Nicollet, Cassens serves on committees at the Wayzata Chamber and the YMCA. “I guess the part I love the most is just being able to give back and do things for other people that they may not be able to do for themselves,” she says, acknowledging that giving back has long been an important value in her life. “I grew up in a town with my entire family around me, and we always participated in events that served the community. It’s part of my background.”
The idea of owning a business had also always been in the back of Cassens’ mind. When she found the Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise, it gave her the framework and support she was looking for. She opened the Minnetonka location in summer of 2015. Now, with almost four years on the books, Cassens hopes to continue running the thriving store while balancing it with her work in the community. “It’s important to keep striving toward that, making people happy and bringing joy,” she says.
When Cassens isn’t at the bakery or serving on the Park Nicollet Foundation Board, she enjoys spending time with her husband, sons and granddaughter. She also likes to golf. So how does she create work-volunteer-life balance? Cassens says good time management is key. “I try to make sure I’m taking the time to do things that mean a lot to me. Spending time with my family and being out in the community,” she explains.
If you’re planning on stopping in to Nothing Bundt Cakes, Cassens says the best-seller is chocolate chocolate chip cake, though her favorite is red velvet. That is, when she has time to eat it.
