ith the sweet brand.  Inside Retail: Can you tell us about your career journey? How did you initially get into the retail industry? Bobbie Lloyd:  I fell in love with cooking and baking alongside my grandmother and mother – in fact, many of Magnolia Bakery’s recipes we make today are inspired by family recipes. I took my first official cooking class at age eight and from that point on, I was hooked. I went to Boston’s famed Modern Gourmet Cooking School to cultivate my culinary skills and two years later, opened up my first restaurant and bakery, American Accent. Since then, I worked a number of jobs in the culinary and retail space before joining the Magnolia Bakery executive team in 2006. From being Mr and Mrs Calvin Klein’s private chef and a member of the management team of Union Square Cafe to moving into operations and financial roles with Tribeca Grill and The Beanstalk Restaurant Group and opening up my next restaurant, It’s a Wrap, I’ve had many experiences which have shaped my food retail journey.  IR: What have been some of the different positions you’ve held along the way and how has your previous experience shaped your leadership and management style?  BL: I’ve been fortunate to have incredible mentors over the years to guide me and teach me how to lead a team and grow a business. Running my own restaurants taught me the importance of developing new leaders to be able to scale and grow.  Working for the restaurant group helped shape my skills to work cross-functionally.  As CEO and chief baking officer of Magnolia Bakery, I am leveraging all of these skills daily while continuing to grow and learn as a leader.  IR: What does a typical day look like for you?  BL: I typically start my day early (around 6 or 6:30 am) and, as long as the weather cooperates, I walk to work from the Upper West Side to our office on 54th Street. I’ve always loved walking throughout the city and this hour or so walk gives me a bit of time to myself before jumping into a busy day. While at the office, I work on strategic plans and growth opportunities for the company, continue to build upon our core values training and speaking to all our team members and work alongside my team to get updates on current projects and assess additional opportunities for company growth.  BL: I have a test kitchen in my office and spend time developing new products for our bakeries or for CPG. And in my spare time, I have written a new cookbook. My first book, The Magnolia Bakery Handbook, 150 recipes for the home baker, was published in 2020. My new book is all about icebox desserts and will include 100 recipes with a full chapter of over 15 banana puddings, coming out spring of 2025. IR: My best time-management tip is… BL: It’s no surprise that my days are fairly packed. I usually end the day by checking my schedule for the following day – it helps me get a jump on what’s happening and when so I can hit the ground running when I get to the office.  I also reserve the last hour or two in the office for email follow-up – with many meetings during the day, this reserved time helps me to stay on top of communication from the broader team and external partners.  IR: The items in my toolbox that make me feel prepared are… BL: My calendar, Slack and project management tools (we use Smartsheet). With so many moving pieces across all of the projects we’re working on, having my schedule on hand and easy tools I can tap into at any time to get updates is key to keeping things moving forward.  IR: Outside of work, I’m really passionate about… BL: Living in New York City, I always try and take advantage of the plethora of restaurants, shows and art exhibits we have at our fingertips. During the week, I’ll try and schedule at least a couple of nights out to enjoy what the city has to offer. During the weekend, I’m often at my house upstate entertaining, gardening, cooking or hiking. I love to spend time outdoors so any activity that gets me outside goes to the top of my to-do list.  IR: If I wasn’t operating in this segment of the retail industry, I would like to work in… BL: I have worked in the restaurant hospitality industry my entire life. I chose this life and love it! I have held every position in a restaurant from line cook, pastry chef, front of house manager, to chief operation officer and controller. This is an exciting fast-paced business that fits my personality perfectly. IR: What do you love most about working in the food and beverage industry? BL: The teamwork and camaraderie. The retail space is vast, but there is a wonderful camaraderie built among our internal team and throughout New York City. My work with the NYC Hospitality Alliance has been a wonderful opportunity to meet and engage with other restaurant industry people in support of each other. IR: What is a piece of advice you would give an aspiring entrepreneur trying to enter this industry?  BL: Before jumping in headfirst, be sure to look into different facets of the industry and choose the one that works best for you with regard to passion and skill set. I love to bake and cook, but the majority of my time isn’t spent in the kitchen – there are so many roles within this industry that can leverage your passions while creating opportunities for long-term growth.  IR: And finally, what is your go-to dessert order? BL: I’ll never say “no” to our Key Lime Cheesecake. I will even go so far as to have this for lunch. Further reading: Sprinkles goes global – Asian expansion plan