10/20/2026
Thee Reflections👩🏻🍳🧁👑
Find a comfy seat, a cup of coffee, tea, or bevie of choice.
It’s a close to my heart share, an a big one.
A bit of honesty.
Over the last 4 months I’ve not felt strong with my social media presence, my menu build, my “get out there and build it” attitude, but I’m working on it.💝
How we got here… it’s muddled but stay with me.
While setting up an earlier post, I saw that Kellie Mulherin Diggin All Dawgs has changed the business name to
The Diggin’ Life Co., LLC.
💖🙌🙌Congratulations!!🎉✨✨✨
That leads me to…
I’ve seen other companies change their name as well, Melissa Bedient with
The Boujee Cupcake, whom btw is an amazing homestead baker in Tamworth, NH. I follow Boujee and consider Melissa a friend in the industry. 💛
Kellie and Melissa did an extraordinary job with their rebrands! 🙌🙌🔥🔥🔥✨✨✨
Now stay with me…
Here’s what spirals my thoughts. Each time I see a name change/rebrand there’s a bit of curiosity that spins up in my thoughts. Did they change for growth, did they change out of necessity, did they change for a new direction? Why did they change?!
Regardless of the reason…
we follow, we like, we comment, we look for their posts.
Life goes on.
Through it all we hopefully don’t lose track of who they are- because of the rebrand.
Rebranding is a business move , not a change of personal identity/individuality.
Identity isn’t in the business name,
the Follows👀, or Likes👍
Rebranding is a business aspect.
Identity is the Person putting in their time.
-and sometimes it’s more than we should give, but it’s ours. Trust me when I say, ”we put our time in as small business owners”
💝🙏I hear the “ya we do”
I see you.💝
Identity is the human being.
The hello, the smile, the posts that we come to know through time, and sometimes even form close friendships with the person at the center of it all.
Perhaps we appreciate them for their
work ethic and dedication, or their creativity, or their amazing ability to make us feel seen and welcomed, when we aren’t even sure we welcome ourself that day.
In my reflecting of the recent rebrands of fellow small business owners, I will say
I appreciate the simplicity in stating a new name, the direction, a goal, the mission, and then the reassurance of
“same ownership, same dependable care, same personal touch.
Just a new name, a fresh look, and lots of exciting things ahead”. - K. M.
Congratulations again! 🙌🙌🔥🔥
I also find myself giving credit-
for inspiring me.🙏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨✨
Reflecting on the above, allow me to implement some of their inspiration.
*Then we will get into the “muck an yuck”
Hello again! 👋🥰✨
👩🏻🍳I am Thee Baker and Owner of
🧁👑Thee Cupcake Queen™️
🛍️ Home of Thee Pink Bag
🍰 Sunset View Bakery LLC.
📍Canaan, NH
🤳(603) 523-4434
🛒 Canaan Farmers & Artisans Market
🗓️May - October 4
🛒❄️ CF&A Winter Market
🗓️October 25 - April 11
🧁Elegant, Handcrafted Cupcakes
🧁🚫🌾Gluten Free Friendly bakes
🧁🌱Vegan bakes
🎂Custom Cakes by reservation
🍰Mini Cakes
Coming to the Menu
🍪Cookies * drop and cut decorated
🥧Pies
🥮Classic Bundt Cakes
🍫🍓🍒Dipped Fruit
👩🏻🍳🧁🎂 Classes 🍰🍪🥮🥧🍫🍓🍒
* Options coming soon.
And STT, holding that for now. 😉
… Can’t give it all away🙌🙌
🔎So where have I been re:social media and emotionally?
Flip the coin: and where are we going?🧭
ℹ️ Yummy Cupcakes was rebranded out of necessity.
There it is. Yes, this is where I learned the difference between Business and Identity.
Business is cold and Identity is where the heart resides.
In an earlier FB Live, I had said I would come back and share my Re-Brand story in another Live update.
🙏😔I apologize that I am unable to do that at this time, it’s still a bit emotional for me.
Like I said, I learned the difference between business and identity.
I am the baker that greets everyone with a hello and sometimes even a hug if needed,
yes- even on my heaviest days.
I focus on the positive side and will typically try to find the positive even in a negative situation. What good can come from it -what can bring growth or at least not repeat the ugly.
Sometimes the negative comes in one huge wave that crashes down on us, and we feel like we can’t catch our breath.
Sometimes it’s little waves that just keep knocking us down and rattling our confidence.
I had been working through the little waves that were trying to knock me down, and I was doing okay. Not great, but okay. 
Having to question intentions of people in my business life and personal life - trying to maintain connections that were one way, and my energies were tapped, exhausted.
I wanted the text, the phone call, the invitation, the car in the driveway to be reciprocal. It was not.
Then…
Outside comments from two individuals I respect, led me to ultimately trust my gut. 
Things in my world changed.
I was adjusting to the distance of connections that had ended and my heart still hurt a bit from that loss, when the big wave hit me. Knocked me down hard. 
Emotionally I was devastated. Intellectually my mind was racing to fix things. Socially, I was trying to figure a way out.
ALL while maintaining the happy baker face. Truth, I was glad to see everybody on Sunday at markets- because they (You), lifted my spirits and kept me going.
Thank you even if you didn’t know!
So what happened?…
On Monday June 22, I received a FB message.
The individual wrote
“good morning – we just came across your business. The name Yummy Cupcakes is a legally registered name and your use puts you in violation. You’re a small business and we don’t want to do anything punitive. We are simply asking that you stop using our name by August 1, 2026.…”, the individual finishes the message with a thank you and the request to respond with proof, to an included email.
I did not receive a legal cease and desist
Nothing on legal letterhead from an attorney or legal department.
Just a cold demand against something I grew with my family, friends, and some amazing customers. 
The business I built, the name I researched- It was available in early 2004 when family and friends suggested I go for it!
Right there was my mistake, not registering and trademarking it when I should have.
Business lesson learned.
I immediately called my attorney and was informed that the USPTO trademark did pre-date my business registry.
I was advised I could ask if they would be “open to conversation regarding resolution”.
I could ask about “coexisting” because they are located on the West Coast and I am on the East Coast.
Didn’t matter.
The response I received was this:
“ Thank you for your response. It’s my belief that the only way to resolve this is for you to stop using the name.”
The individual went on again about not trying to be punitive, stating that they had worked hard for over 20 years and the name was a registered mark.
Apparently, they had forgotten what it was like to be a new business, struggling to set roots.
Coexisting was not an option in their beliefs.
This is where business and identity had to become two separate entities in my world.
I continued vending at markets and creating custom orders. I shared very little and tried to present that everything was good.
That’s Business.
Inside my emotions, I was sad thinking that I had lost my identity, that everyone knew me as “Yummy Cupcakes”.
I was frustrated that someone from the other side of the country felt they couldn’t coexist with a small New Hampshire Homestead Baker.
Ironically I was sympathetic to the cold demand,
my dream existed in my notebooks for 30 years, and I looked forward to the day I could bring it to fruition- hoping no one would “take it” and step on my toes.
It lived as a silent prayer on hope.
Devastating as the demand was, I felt sympathetic for stepping on their toes, I even apologized-
… it felt like it fell on deaf ears. 
Response:
“ It’s my belief that the only way to resolve this is for you to stop using the name…”
Back to the attorney I went.
Yes, I embarrassed myself and broke down with them. Awkward but real moments.
What did I need to do, what would be my game plan, my next necessary steps?
The plan was… choose a new name.
Simple. Just do it they said.
But
At the time it felt like I was being asked to give up who I was, and the business I had grown… my identity.
This is where my family, friends, and some amazing dedicated customers taught me my identity isn’t in the business name, it is who I am and what I do.
My identity is my smile, my hello, my cupcakes, cakes, and what I create.
Thank you for teaching me the intrinsic value in that. 💝💖💝
Am I recovering… I think so, slowly.
My heart is still healing, probably why I haven’t purchased banners, labels, merch, or much of anything for the business rebrand.
I am grateful for everyone that has encouraged me and stayed by my side through this difficult time, whether you knew what was going on or not.
To the Canaan Farmers & Artisans Market Board and our Vendors, Thank You!
Your support is appreciated more than I can say.
To my husband, son, family, and close friends- Thank you!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️
You’ve had my back! I’m sorry you’ve seen the ugly cries, you’ve witnessed and supported me through the frustration and the breakdowns. Thank you. 🙏
You’ve been my life preserver when I felt like I was drowning.
Looking forward to the upside again!
Celebrating the wins.
To the customers that show up each week, place custom orders, follow, like, and comment on my posts…
You are the How and Why of my business success. 🙌🙌💖⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank You!!♥️
However much life this little business has or how many years are ahead- I know this, I’ve got my circle and know who I am as a small business owner.
Thank you!♥️
👩🏻🍳🧁👑✨✨✨
So… Sum it up.
Follow the people that inspire you.
Let them know when they’ve inspired you because you might be the life preserver they need.
Pivot as needed or when required.😉
Understand that business is cold, and identity is what you bring to it.
Trust your gut, hold your friends and family close.
Change is hard, but staying put is even harder.
It’s okay to mourn loss, visit those thoughts occasionally to remind yourself of where you came from, but don’t live there, that’s an address with too many i’s 😉🙌🙌
This is much more than I realized it would be, but am grateful that my heart is lighter.
Ya… I definitely would not have been able to get through this in a FB Live. The number of times I had to put this down to go clear my head… whew
Wow!!🤩 You’re still here!
Thank you!!!
I see a future and have a map to the road ahead.
I hope to travel it with some good company- there is much to accomplish and amazing things to come.
I still have questions but will navigate this new direction with hope.
Each time someone brings wisdom, I hope there will be positive energy and growth to accompany it.
See you along the way. 👩🏻🍳💖✨
✨✨✨Linda💕
