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Cooking up a successful business during the pandemic

A UT Tyler student put his free time to use by launching a confections business based on macarons.

TYLER, Texas — While lots of East Texas businesses have closed because of the pandemic, there are some new ones that are starting to heat up, including one that had not been meant to exist.

Sean Ganados fills his family home with noise as he works in the kitchen. It is something his parents and siblings are used to. He says he began baking when he was eight years old. “As I was growing up, it just became a hobby for me and I would bake occasionally,” he said. “But, after the pandemic, it gave me a lot of time to actually bake and be more creative.”

Ganados says neither of his parents baked, so he drew inspiration from watching cooking shows, and slowly began building his skills. But the challenge of a Swiss macaron turned him from amateur to professional.

“Found a recipe online and I was like, ‘okay, I’m gonna try it,’ and it worked out,” he said. “And I decided to sell it.”

He launched Sean’s Macarons in May and started advertising through Facebook in June. He quickly built a following for his macarons, scones, and cookies, and now sells about a dozen orders a week. He says the pandemic did not scare him from trying to create a business.

“Just the products that people want, that’s one of the most challenging things,” he said. “If you’re selling something that everyone sells already, then no one’s gonna really want it. But if you’re selling something that no one’s really tried before—like macarons—I think you’ll have a lot of interest.

“Hopefully in the near future, it can grow and improve. And I know it’s small right now, but I really want to expand it and see where it goes.”

Ganados does not know how long his company will last, but not because of its finances. He is a biology major at UT Tyler with plans to become a doctor, so he recognizes that medical school might force him out of the kitchen.

RELATED: UT Tyler prepares to welcome students back to campus for fall semester

“I’ll try and see,” he said. “But if it gets too overwhelming, I think I’m going to have to prioritize med school. But, I mean, if baking, this became a bigger thing, of course, I’m going to prioritize this.”

No matter what happens to his business, he wants other dreamers to know that there is no reason to pass up what seems like a sweet opportunity.

“If you’re afraid to try something new,” he said. “Then of course it’s not going to succeed. But as long as you have the confidence, then yeah, it might end up working in the end.”

Ganados delivers his sweets to customers’ homes a couple times a week. He says taking some of his classes online this fall should give him more time to devote to his baking.

RELATED: BACK TO BUSINESS: Changes in East Texas amid COVID-19

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