Gen Zer Quits Law for Cheesecakes—Now She's Predicted to Make $1 Million

Emily Tout, a 25-year-old woman from the United Kingdom who quit her career as a lawyer to pursue her passion, has become a successful entrepreneur and is predicted to turn over $1 million in profits this year. Throughout her youth, Tout always dreamed of becoming a space lawyer and studied incredibly hard to make it happen. After graduating college, she went on to start her legal training, telling Newsweek that the career "really aligned" with what she thought her dreams were. "I knuckled down and spent hours in the library because I was going to be a lawyer. I pigeonholed myself into this very specific area of space law, and I was determined to make it happen," Tout said. But there was another passion that she'd long held, and that was baking. The Gen Zer often baked high protein cheesecakes for friends and family while at college. She always loved creating recipes and it helped her switch off from the intense demands of her studies. But after starting her legal training at 21, work started to consume every moment, and she hardly had any time to enjoy baking. "When I started my training, I was doing these insane 12-hour days and working super hard. I just didn't have the time, and it got to the point where I needed to decide which path to take," she said. Along with her boyfriend Jamie, Tout attended a wellness event called Balance Festival, with the plan of selling her protein cheesecakes. The idea was that, if they were a hit and there was clamor for the product, she would quit her law training for a year and see how things turned out. She never could have predicted where she'd be now. "There was something in me that loved the creativity of running my own business and it was so different from what I was doing as a space lawyer. I got to pursue things like problem-solving, chatting to people, and selling. I quickly realized that's what I loved," Tout said. From that moment, Mighty Slice was officially born.

Making It a Family Business

Of course, when she told people she was quitting her job as a lawyer to become a baker, they were horrified. It wasn't an easy decision, but she knew it was what she wanted to do. Tout donned her apron and started making several cheesecakes a day which she distributed to cafes around London. But she couldn't do it alone, so she brought in reinforcements from her younger brother, Henry, and her boyfriend's younger brother, Steven. "I think my parents were horrified at the time. They're incredibly supportive now, and they only wanted what's best for me, but it's very risky to quit your job and not have any idea what's going to happen," Tout told Newsweek. She added: "There was a lot of apprehension and people said I'd never expressed any interest in baking, or that it's not my passion. But my passion was always running my own business and having that entrepreneurial spirit. I could see the vision." The company was founded by Tout and Jamie, and her brother had a good business mind to help make some of the bigger decisions. It's often said that you should never work with family, but Tout has loved every moment of building a business with her brother. She's also incredibly pleased that she could offer him "this brilliant career opportunity" (especially as he dropped out of college when the company grew).

While both in their 20s, the siblings have been on a remarkable journey to grow the company, and it's certainly paid off. When Tout looks back, she's thankful that they took the risk at such a young age. They might have been naïve, but they had the determination to be successful. "I was about 21 or 22 when we started, and Henry was 20, so we had no idea what we were doing, but we had a lot of grit. We had no experience building a business before, and our aim was just to service some cafes and see how big we could grow," she said. "I think the love and passion that you have with family really enabled us to go the extra mile. We would not be where we are today if I didn't have Henry and Steven helping me."

Breaking A Million

Since 2022, Tout has gone from making a few cheesecakes in her kitchen, to selling Mighty Slice in grocery stores across the country. When she started out, she had no idea what a goldmine high protein desserts could be, but the company is projected to break £1 million ($1.29 million) in sales this year. When she reflects on selling 12 cheesecakes a week to local cafes, being a million-pound company "seemed like a lifetime away." Tout couldn't be prouder that she trusted her instincts and followed her passion. She undoubtedly faces constant questions about her age and ability, but she loved proving people wrong. "I have always felt as though we're working overtime to catch up on the people with decades of experience," Tout said. "There have been lots of times when we've ended up doing things differently to other companies because we didn't really know what we were doing. But I'm so proud that we're able to stick to our guns and we're now reaping the rewards." An important aspect of Mighty Slice was giving people a peak inside the kitchen. The company loves showing the reality of running a business by sharing authentic content on social media (@mightyslice_ on TikTok and @mightyslice on Instagram). Many of their posts have gone viral, leaving social media users amazed at what Tout has achieved as a young businesswoman. But she's not done yet, and her advice for any other young entrepreneurs is to follow their heart. Take the risk and be ambitious, even if it means going against the grain. "If you've got an idea, commit to it and don't listen to what everyone else is saying. If you want to do something differently, pursue that because it might end up being right for you," Tout said. Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.