Banana Bread: The Official Food of the Coronavirus
Small businesses are baking us crazy during the pandemic
—By Jessica Norris
People always ask, “What do you do in your free time?” Most of the time, the answers are hanging out with friends, watching movies, playing video games, and exercising. For others, free time necessitates more satiety and they turn to the kitchen in order to cope. And the free time that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a surge in sweet tooths. Now more than ever, baking is one of the most popular past times.
Go Nanas
“[Annie] actually invited me to her house in Birmingham [Michigan] one day and we were messing around in the kitchen. We both had familial ties to banana bread. So we went to [Annie’s] house to bake and we ought to healthify the banana bread that we knew and loved.” By the time they were in the car ride back to school, Annie and Morgan had a business plan.
Morgan Lerner and Annie Slabotsky, two female University of Michigan graduates, observed a need for more healthy and delicious dessert options on campus. The duo saw a gap in the baked goods market and started a business called GoNanas and sold banana bread “that’s good food for your body and soul” which still delivers on taste and indulgence. Flash forward to the present, Morgan and Annie have been featured in Forbes, USA Today, started selling their banana bread mixes at Nordstrom Rack, and are soon to be featured on QVC this spring.
With all of the free time that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, many high school and college students were inspired to start their own small businesses to cope with the lockdown boredom. Though Morgan and Annie began in the pre-covid era, students can draw inspiration from them and how they used the University to their advantage to transform their passions and hobbies into something real. While most students endlessly scrolled through their social media feeds or streaming services, others sought ways to utilize their talents and time more efficiently and make a sweet difference in their communities, just like Morgan and Annie.
Morgan and Annie began their friendship and entrepreneurial journey in Ann Arbor. I sat down with Morgan as she shares her story and offers wisdom to any Wolverine who dreams of bringing their adoration into the world, as well as a sophomore at the University, Amy Ellis, who started her own baking business during quarantine.
“It just so happened to be that banana bread became the official food of the Coronavirus.”
Shortly after coming up with the idea of their business, with fine-tuned recipes, Morgan and Annie started selling their pre-made mini banana bread loaves around the Ann Arbor area. Following graduation and moving to Chicago, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, which changed the whole way they operated their business, as the channel of cafes, coffee shops, and juice bars around Michigan closed. Although devastated, the pair adapted to this time and took their business to the next level by making banana bread mixes that were available to order online, which are more “financially sound” than the perishable mini loaves once sold, and drastically upped their marketing strategies.
“We will always have a soft spot for Michigan and Ann Arbor because that’s where it all began. That’s where we met.”
If you are interested in starting your own business, the University has an abundance of resources students can use that can be foundational to the growth of a small business, from the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic to free legal advice, a grant from optiMize, the Zell Lurie Institute, and the Ross School of Business. You do not have to be in the Ross School of Business to identify yourself as an entrepreneur. Morgan majored in organizational studies and minored in entrepreneurship, while Annie was a minor at Ross. “There’s just that kind of love for Ann Arbor in Michigan,” Morgan exclaims. In previous years, she and Annie even sold their mini loaves at the football stadium. Football and banana bread? Yes please!
“I love being my own boss and the flexibility entrepreneurship allows.”
There is a difference between being an entrepreneur and working in the corporate world. When you are your own boss, Morgan explains, you know your work is a direct result of your passion and hard work rather than being a “cog in the wheel,” and there is a lot more fulfillment you can receive from that.
“I don’t think the best entrepreneurs twiddle their thumbs.”
Morgan (and Annie) never intentionally set out to start their own business, and by following their interests, they were able to discover something and build it from there rather than sitting down and trying to think of an idea. To entrepreneurial students, Morgan says that college is the perfect time when you have “very low risk,” and you still might be “supported potentially.” Morgan advised students to follow their passions and never giving up even if it’s four years down the road and you stick it out, it could turn into something really big.
Morgan and Annie definitely set high stakes for anyone wishing to follow in their sugary footsteps, but starting your own business is by no means a piece of cake. Take it from Amy Ellis, a current undergraduate entrepreneur at the University; it takes hard work, determination, time, and lots of sprinkles.
Baking with Amy
“My mom can’t bake her for her life so when she had a Christmas cookie exchange later that year (2019), she asked me to make carrot cake bites to bring because ‘everyone will bring cookies.’ Carrot cake is one of those things that if someone likes it, they love it.”
Amy Ellis, a sophomore studying Communications and Media at the University of Michigan, was baking all of the time in quarantine. Amy had an idea to sell baked goods as Mother’s Day gifts since shipping from online stores was not reliable at the time; she decided to make an Instagram account, @bakingwithamy, to advertise her products. Following Mother’s Day, orders continued to flow in, so Amy decided to keep baking. With Coronavirus, not many job opportunities were available and companies were not hiring, so Amy turned her baking passion into her own summer job.
“It wouldn’t have started it otherwise.”
If it was not for COVID, Amy would not have found herself at home all summer with nothing to do. Supposing that bakeries would have been open, no one would have turned to a small business to place orders. Just like that, Amy stumbled across the idea to start baking. Similarly, if Morgan had not met Annie at school, she would not have begun baking banana bread either.
“I could tell you the average price I paid for a pack of butter or five pounds of sugar.”
The Ross School of Business is one of the most profound business schools in the world. Since the school is so prestigious, it is rather a challenge to be admitted. Amy is currently in the liberal arts program at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, but plans on applying to the minor at Ross: “I hope Ross will see my interests in business while reading my application. I kept spreadsheets of everything the whole time for my profits, expenses, profit margins for each product, etcetera.”
“If there weren’t too many orders that day, I could get everything done in the morning and have the afternoon to spend boating.”
Amy’s favorite things about her bakery business are hearing the positive feedback from customers and delivering gifts to people who were not expecting anything and seeing their reaction and appreciation. Amy loves being able to work her own hours and create her own schedule. Similar to Morgan, being a business owner allows you to be flexible, as the only person you have to report back to is yourself.
“If you want to start your own business, make sure it’s something that there will be a consistent demand for. Emphasis on ‘consistent.’”
For Amy, she knew that people buy baked goods, eat them, and continue to buy more of them. A sweet tooth never goes out of style! Amy also says that being open to feedback and developing close relationships with customers is important when it comes to entrepreneurship. Amy’s type-A personality and organizational skills always ensured customer satisfaction and communication.
There is no doubt that Ann Arbor has an appetite for all things dessert! The Coronavirus pandemic came with an abundance of time where small business owners and passionate students can take on their entrepreneurial endeavors. The epidemic completely metamorphosed Morgan and Annie’s banana bread business and motivated Amy to share her delectable carrot cake and other treats with the rest of the world. Even when we are apart, we can always count on dessert, whether it be banana bread or carrot cake, to bring us together.
Feature photo: Courtesy of @go_nanas on Instagram; taken by @beccarudmanphotography