It’s been said that you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
In Marcus Leslie’s case, it turns out you can’t build a successful business without breaking an oven.
In 2019, while baking 100 cakes for a friend’s birthday — and breaking the family oven in the process — Leslie decided it was time to whisk up an independent entrepreneurial endeavor of his own.
After launching his initiative at the Allen Neighborhood Center, Leslie won a $2,000 grant in 2020 from the Lansing Economic Area Partnership’s pitch competition and started his business journey.
In addition to the storefront location at 1615 E. Kalamazoo St. in Lansing, today Mr. Leslie’s Cheesecakes are available in four Meijer small-format stores from Grand Rapids to southeast Michigan, six Meijer supercenters in the Lansing area, and several other small restaurants and shops in mid-Michigan.
That fast-paced success is why Mr. Leslie’s Cheesecakes won the Passion to Prosperity Award in the 2023 Greater Lansing Entrepreneurial Awards.
“When you think about food … it’s a common language we all have,” Leslie told 517 Magazine in 2022. “If there’s a disagreement you may be having, you can say, ‘Let’s eat and talk about it.’ I love that a bite of my cheesecake will shake a memory you have 10, 15 years from now.”
New to the awards ceremony this year, the Passion to Prosperity Award is given to an entrepreneur who has taken something they are truly passionate about and turned their passion into prosperity. According to the award description: “For entrepreneurs who wholeheartedly invest their passion and dedication into their work, prosperity naturally follows. They could have started small in their own garage, with an Etsy shop or by selling their product at their neighborhood farmers market — then the bigger picture becomes clear, expansion follows and their unwavering commitment paves the way for success.”
That definition fits Leslie to a T — or, perhaps more appropriately, to a teaspoon.
Leslie began baking cheesecakes more than 20 years ago after attending a dinner party where the host served the dessert. Leslie began experimenting with different flavors and fineries, and his creative confections quicky became requested items from family and friends for parties and gatherings.
Not long after beginning his retail operation, a chance meeting in 2020 with the operators of the newly opened Meijer Capital City Market in downtown Lansing brought Mr. Leslie’s Cheesecakes into the wholesale realm.
The high popularity of the item led to a quick ascent for the business’s bottom line; however, despite its continued growth, Leslie has been able to maintain a closeness to the roots of where his journey began. Even with the rapid expansion across the state of Mr. Leslie’s Cheesecakes, Leslie’s marketing approach also remains community focused as the brand continues to participate in local farmers markets and regional events.
