Five Thumbs Up Desserts finds a home in Green Bay, offering a variety of bakery treats | Utilized resources from UW-Green Bay’s SBDC | Green Bay Press-Gazette

Jill Schultz of Green Bay has worked in insurance, at her children’s school, as an at-home mom, and as a pastor’s wife. But one thing she had never anticipated doing started with a birthday party.

She explained, “We were living in Iowa and I made a cheesecake for a birthday party for one of our kids. People fell in love with it and started complimenting it. Soon, I was asked to make it for a variety of functions.”

At the time, her husband, Aaron, had accepted a transfer from pastoring a church in Texas to Iowa. It was 2008, and as they became part of the community, word spread about the cheesecake. Church members and friends started asking if they could buy one.

“That was the start,” Schultz said. “People said it was the best cheesecake they had ever tried. That led me to start a Facebook page, and sales took off. I was making a lot of cheesecakes.”

She began to hold cheesecake-tasting events for friends with the invitation for them to “bring the wine and I’ll provide the cheesecake.”

At each event, four or five flavors were offered and guests provided feedback. That resulted in rave reviews, and the tasters spread the word and recommended it to others. The demand grew. Additional testing was done by a group that would offer the most critical reviews — her family.

As the five family members (mom and dad and three children) gathered for tasting, they were asked to give it a thumbs up or down. Consistently, it was five thumbs up. Those thumbs became the name for her business, Five Thumbs Up Desserts.

In 2015, Schultz’s husband was offered a transfer to a church in Green Bay. (Her family is from the area.) Her dreams for the business moved with them. She continued to develop a business model and sell cheesecakes. Additional social media pages were added to highlight the wide variety of flavors and Facebook followers grew.

But even as interest expanded, Schultz was hindered from further growth by the lack of a commercial kitchen. When the Greater Green Bay Chamber suggested she be part of a newly developed test kitchen located in The Cannery in the Broadway district, she was interested.

She said, “In 2023, I got an email from the chamber asking if I wanted to be part of it. There were six tenants selling a variety of foods. It didn’t work out as planned and most of the businesses closed leaving my business as one of the few remaining. I looked upon that as bittersweet. It didn’t end the way I hoped, but it didn’t end my business.”

Once again, Schultz searched for a commercial kitchen and permanent home. She checked with restaurants and churches. Eventually, she landed on a possibility. The former Bangkok Garden, just down the street from The Cannery, had been completely remodeled and converted to other uses. One of those tenants was The Irish Temper.

There was space there that could be converted into a bakery.

“It was a jump for us; especially with a lack of funding. The Cannery had depleted our savings and taking this next step was scary,” Schultz said.

But she was encouraged by the help received. There were great resources like Brian Johnson of On Broadway, Dave Stauffacher of the Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (a partner of SCORE), and the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC).

WWBIC worked with her on funding and she was able to get a Kiva loan.

She said, “WWBIC played a crucial role in this journey. As a Kiva partner, they guided me through the loan application process, helped me connect with potential lenders, and provided valuable mentorship along the way. In addition to Kiva, WWBIC offers training, financial resources, and coaching to small business owners, particularly those from underserved communities. Their partnership with SCORE and the Small Business Administration means they provide an even broader network of education and support, which has been incredibly helpful as I continue to grow my business.”

With that financial boost, her dream became a reality. The loan helped with expenses like equipment, ingredients, and startup costs. Irish Temper, which holds the lease to the space, subleased to Five Thumbs Up Desserts and helped with an extensive remodel. The two businesses have a shared kitchen with the bakery using it earlier in the day.

As everything came together, there was also a need for a business plan. Stauffacher helped Schultz’s husband develop the plan and has also been a mentor. Finally, the business opened in December.

“It was an absolutely amazing feeling after everything I had been through – it took nine months to put everything together after getting pushed back again and again. I was able to take orders and bake earlier, but opening to the public was pretty cool,” Schultz said.

She describes it as a cozy spot with some favorite photographs on the wall. She starts baking early each day and her staff includes herself, her husband and children, and two part-time helpers. In any given week, Schultz is a baker, clerk, employer, worker, and cheer coach for her daughter.

And, even as busy as that schedule is, it is constantly getting busier as she adds to the menu. In addition to cheesecake, she is making cinnamon rolls, chocolate eclairs, puff pastries, bagels, cake pops, cookies, and kringle. One of the most popular items has been cheesecake tacos.

Hours vary and are listed on the website, fivethumbsup.com. As much as Schultz is trying to keep payroll down as the business gets established, she also looks ahead to being able hire more help. There are goals she’d like to reach.

Those include the purchase of a sign for the exterior of the building to make it easier for customers to find her (she is in the process of securing additional funding to make that happen), the expansion of tasting events held in conjunction with other businesses, and more wholesaling and catering. As the business expands, Schultz would also like to have the resources to hire another baker so she will have more flexibility in scheduling.

As she quotes her favorite Bible verse, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” she has faith that Five Thumbs Up Desserts will continue to grow.

She said, “I have learned to be patient, meet the right people who can help, and never give up. Once I have my mind set on something, I want to succeed and won’t stop until I do. I have a lot of confidence in myself to produce a quality product that people will love.”

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

GRB: Five Thumbs Up Desserts finds a home in Green Bay, offering a variety of bakery treats