We could learn a lot from a cupcake.
Last week, I wrote a post about the point of all teaching – to help others rise. That statement can be taken literally and figuratively, as I recently found out through a cupcake baking class at Butter Lane Bakery. Joe, our teacher and cupcake baker (and frosting!) extraordinaire, helped me recognize a very important business principle that we should learn from: we all have something to teach and should make it a part of our business model. (Yes, thoughts that profound can be found in the depths of a cupcake.)
Joe counseled us on the proper techniques to cream butter and sugar, why we need to add in the dry ingredients with a minimal amount of mixing, and the short window in which we have to add the dairy. With our fluffy cakes baked, he taught us the “pat down” frosting technique which produces a cute little wisp worthy of a Real Simple Magazine cover. (Okay, mine weren’t that good but they were damn close!)
The result: little pillows of sugar-sweet happiness, and more importantly, confidence in the kitchen. I can whip up a delicious dinner in not time; my baking skills are less-than-adequate, but this class helped me understand baking on a more intellectual level. The nerd in me needed that boost of knowledge, and I got it thanks to Joe.
Butter Lane Bakery could just keep churning out these sinfully sweet little indulgences and keeping its customers in the dark on how the magic happens. Instead, they invite people into the bakery for a small class fee, and share everything they know about their specialty. And it’s working – their class schedule is sold out months in advance. Follow their lead.
Get creative with your business model – there are more revenue streams in there than you think there are.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
All that wisdom from a cupcake eh? Love it
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I know! And all this time we just thought it was sugary goodness 🙂
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