Sarah Seligman isn’t afraid of going against the grain. The Virginia native had always loved baking and experimenting in the kitchen, from the time she was 10-years-old. And she’d even entertained the idea of going to culinary school to become a pastry chef. But actually owning a business had never been a goal of hers, and when her parents insisted she get a “real” degree, she ended up majoring in Intelligence Analysis and Criminology at George Mason University.
The FBI actually hired Sarah 2 years before graduation, but her clearance was denied. Seeking a temporary job, she began working retail at a butcher shop (clearly, Sarah has a strong stomach!), which proved another curve on her meandering road towards becoming a paleo pioneer. The owners allowed her to learn and work all aspects of the business, and Sarah realized she loved the hustle and drive.
Her decision to adopt a paleo diet—after which she discovered a surprising lack of tasty and allergy-free sweets at grocery stores and coffee shops in the D.C area—started Sarah’s wheels spinning. Buoyed by help and advice from her employers (not to mention plenty of trial-and-error when it came to fiddling with gluten and grain-free recipes), Sarah launched Bakefully Yours in 2012.
Marketing herself as making “sweets for everyone,” Sarah’s mission is as simple as her ingredients—to craft 100% gluten-free, vegan, and grain-free treats that are every bit as delicious as they are wholesome. And for someone who’d never imagined herself as a business owner, she’s been incredibly successful at navigating it all by herself. Essentially running a one-woman show, Sarah’s become accustomed to wearing multiple hats; from accounting to website building to pitching herself to potential retailers (which she’s also accomplished admirably, at 100 wholesale partners and counting).
The FBI’s loss has clearly been the allergy-free dessert-loving world’s gain!