Addison LaBonte is the founder of Sweet Addison's, a gluten-free bakery in Dallas. Desiree Rios for BI

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Addison LaBonte, the 32-year-old founder of Sweet Addison's, a gluten-free bakery in Dallas. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Before launching Sweet Addison's in January 2024, I worked in finance and didn't love my job. I had an online audience of roughly 150,000 people who followed me for my recommendations on gluten-free desserts. As a content creator in the healthy baking niche, I thought there was a big gap in the market for a clean-ingredient, indulgent-tasting dessert.

I've been gluten-free for 10 years now, so I wanted to create a product that would meet the needs of the gluten-free community.…