Bailey Jordan, ’26, spends late nights in her kitchen baking, decorating and preparing orders for her business, Biscuits and Bites. What keeps her going is knowing that her treats celebrate special moments.  

“It’s really touching when people say, ‘I’ve seen your stuff online or gotten to try it,’” Jordan said. “Knowing that my products do speak for themselves and that the hard work and care I put into it is appreciated by people.” 

What started as a hobby in high school has quickly become a staple for Washington and Lee University students and families looking for treats for celebrations.  

Jordan turned her passion for baking into a custom business in Lexington with the support of the Connolly Entrepreneurship Society. The business, Jordan said, is built on a long-standing passion.

“I’ve baked most of my life,” she said. “When I was younger, I was really a perfectionist, so I liked that I could like follow the exact steps and know what I would get.” 

Jordan started her first baking business in high school during the COVID-19 pandemic. She created Bailey’s Biscuits after making them for Mother’s Day while living at the beach. 

“My family said, ‘These are really good,’” Jordan said. “There weren’t really any restaurants around, so I started making frozen biscuits and selling them to all my neighbors.” 

She said she enjoyed branding her company and learning about how to market her small business. 

“I did really like the experience of creating a brand and having a product people enjoyed,” Jordan said. 

During her junior year at Washington and Lee, Jordan started baking birthday cakes for her friends and saw a gap in the market for custom treats in Lexington.  

“It was really fun to do it here because there weren’t a lot of options in Lexington,” she said. 

Biscuits and Bites officially launched in February 2025 when Jordan pitched her idea to the Connolly Entrepreneurship Society and received $2,000 in funding. She won the university’s entrepreneurship summit a few months later, granting her $2,500 more to grow her business. 

Jayson Margalus, the director of the Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship, said the program was created to help students like Jordan.  

“The most valuable thing we can teach undergrads here right now is how to navigate uncertainty and take risks,” Margalus said. 

With the combined $4,500 from the entrepreneurship society and summit, Jordan purchased kitchen equipment to create professional-level products. She bakes out of her off-campus senior house. 

“The society is a great accelerant,” Margalus said. “Bailey would have been successful without the society. We help students get there faster than it might have taken otherwise.” 

Jordan said the environment at Washington and Lee and in Lexington made starting her business easier. 

“Being in a small town, it’s less intimidating to put yourself out there,” Jordan said. “I think it’s a good way to make an impact and get to be a part of people’s more special moments in town.” 

Her business gained exposure from her Instagram and word of mouth around campus.  

Simmons Lee, ’27, first heard about Biscuits and Bites through Jordan’s campus tabling and Instagram. Lee’s mother placed an order for a birthday celebration after receiving Jordan’s business card.  

“The experience was really easy,” Lee said. “She texted me that she had my order and delivered it to me, which was really cool.” 

Jordan finished her classes in December but stayed in Lexington to run her business before graduation. She said she currently bakes on Tuesdays and Thursdays when she is not doing her virtual internship with a Washington D.C. ad agency or working in the Career and Professional Development office as a career fellow.  

Now, she is able to spend more time marketing Biscuits and Bites by posting on her Instagram account. She gets most of her special edition orders from posting graphics for her “campaigns,” like Easter, on the W&L parent Facebook page. 

One of her biggest challenges initially, she said, was balancing her courseload with her business. As a business administration and politics double major, Jordan scheduled her baking sessions around her classes, working mostly at night and on weekends. Even though she’s no longer taking classes, she said having time for everything is still a challenge.

“The hardest part is honestly the time management,” Jordan said. “A running joke is if I want to make plans with my boyfriend, I have to deliver treats first.” 

A typical week for Jordan includes baking cake layers on one day, decorating on another and delivering them throughout the week. So far this semester, Jordan has received 125 orders, averaging three to five per week. She works around 15 hours weekly.

Jordan offers holiday “special boxes.”  During these holiday specials, she takes up to 25 orders per week, which takes more than 12 hours to complete. For her Easter special, she capped her orders at 50. She worked over 40 hours preparing these boxes. 

While the work can pile up, Jordan said she finds it enjoyable and satisfying.  

“I like baking the layers of the cakes and packaging everything,” she said. “I got stickers this year, and they’re my favorite part.” 

After graduation, Jordan will work a corporate job in marketing, an area she said she loved when she was starting her business. But she said she loves being her own boss.  

“I would love to keep baking on the side,” she said. “My dream is to have a bakery at some point.” 

Jordan’s advice to students interested in starting a business during their time at W&L is to get the ball rolling. 

“You just have to start it,” she said. “You have to put yourself out there. I also think having a personality behind a brand is really important.” 

Jordan emphasized having a personal relationship with customers. She said interacting with customers has become her favorite part of the job.  

“Every parent who buys from me wants to know who I am,” she said. “Not being afraid to attach your name to it and put your face on it can really help grow your brand.” 

For Jordan, every order is a sign of growth in her brand.  

“It’s really satisfying to see something you build,” Jordan said. “I hope to bring the business back and grow it even more in Charlotte.”