The Pancake Princess Talks Building Authenticity Online feat. Erika Kwee ’16

Owl Have You Know

Rice Business is known for producing top industry leaders and 2016 full-time MBA graduate, Erika Kwee is no exception. Erika Kwee is the creator, photographer and writer behind The Pancake Princess, where her colorful, mouthwatering “bake-off” blog compares popular baking recipes side-by-side to help readers and aspiring bakers find recipes that are just right for their tastes and skill levels.

Erika spent years building her blog at night while working a tech job by day. As a self-taught baker, Erika has staged under Michelin Pastry Chef of the Year winner, Kelly Nam, at the Michelin-starred Joomak Banjum. In 2019, the blog won Reader's Choice for Best Baking and Sweets from Saveur Magazine and in 2021, Erika was selected as one of Southern Living's Cooks of the Year.

She sits down with host Maya Pomroy ’22, and shares her journey from English major to baker, her favorite bakes, and how Rice Business was a key ingredient for her career in entrepreneurship.

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Episode Guide:

00:19 The Birth of The Pancake Princess

01:28 Erica's Early Interest in Baking

02:52 The Evolution of The Pancake Princess Blog

07:18 Erica's Journey to Houston & Rice

09:58 The Impact of her MBA on Erica's Career

12:01 Transition to New York

12:13 Erica's Experience with Michelin Pastry Chef

15:53 The Art of Baking and Blogging

24:42 Erica's Future Goals and Aspirations

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

In an era where everyone shares content, how can you make yours stand out?

15:42: So if somebody's thinking about starting a blog, how do you start? And how do you generate that buzz and that following and that energy, and how would you start doing that?

15:57: I think starting a blog today would sound very intimidating to me because the environment just seems so saturated. People are starting blogs, Instagram accounts, and TikTok accounts every day, and lots of people are having great success. So I think it's really about thinking about what you're super passionate about, like what is going to keep driving you to, like, do it consistently, really light that fire, because it's easy to write a few posts and then fall off because, like, maybe you're not that excited about the topic. But then, thinking about the unique value or point of view that you're bringing to the table, what sets you apart? Why would someone want to follow you versus any of the other millions of bloggers out there?

An advice on branding

19:43: Branding is thinking about what you stand for, what you're interested in, and what you hope that people will take away from it, and just letting that kind of shine through in everything that you do.

How did Erika's MBA experience influence her approach to blogging?

10:25: MBA programs is all about networking, and so that has carried over into the food blogging space as well, because New York is a hub for tons of food bloggers, restaurant bloggers, content creators, and people in all types of food. I think that being able to build a network here has helped for my own mental health as well as building these connections for this very diverse career that I now have of all these different income streams that are coming in. And everyone is always giving me, like, new ideas on what to try. So that's one of the marketing courses that I took in the MBA also helped. When I think about how I'm trying to deliver value to my blog readers and the people who are consuming my content, I'm thinking about how to target, like who am I trying to serve, what their needs are, and how I can best serve them. So a lot of that, the marketing frameworks that I learned in the MBA have helped.

Show Links:

• Transcript
• Food Blogger Pro
• @joannebchang • Instagram photos and videos
• Smitten Kitchen
• https://cravecupcakes.com/
• Recipe for Success Foundation
  
  

Guest Profile:

• Erika Kwee LinkedIn
• Erika | NYC content creator (@thepancakeprincess) • Instagram photos and videos
• About - The Pancake Princess

Listen to OWL entrepreneurs Hassan Panahi, Taylor Ann Adams, and Delaney Berman in this episode titled "Giving Entrepreneurs the Tools to Change the World" here: https://business.rice.edu/owlhaveyouknow-season-3-episode-19