Pivoting in Business: Tim Hayes’s Journey to Layered Bakeshop

Written & Photographed by Bailey Hughes

"I went to school to be a trauma surgeon. I guess I always knew I'd be cutting into something, I just didn't know it was going to be cake!"

Tim Hayes, a Humboldt native and owner of Layered Bakeshop, said it with a grin. In 2014, as he was finishing college and felt God had given him a sign, he redirected his path entirely. After working in a bakery in Humboldt for some time, he decided to start a bakery out of his house, not knowing a thing about running a real business yet. He named it “How Sweet It Is by Tim.” 

The name was inspired by the Marvin Gaye classic, and because of the way Southerners throw around the phrase as if it were punctuation.

"We live in the south, and people around here are always saying, 'Oh, how sweet!' My hope was that my bakery would come to mind when they said it." 

And it worked. 

For over a decade, Tim built the bakery’s brand into something concrete. In 2021, he opened his first brick-and-mortar location, gained many loyal customers, and became known by a name everyone in Jackson knew. But that name, as it turned out, would eventually become the very thing he had to let go of.

The first storefront on Federal Drive in Jackson was everything a new business owner hopes for. Customers came. Money was good. The neon pink, blue, and white branding was loud and fun. 

Then came the relocation to Vann Drive. Bigger space, bigger rent, bigger staff, and what Tim remembers it by, even bigger pressure. What looked like growth from the outside felt like suffocation on the inside.

"With more money comes more responsibility. And with more responsibility, you need more help," he said. 

There were days he would go into the office and just lie on the floor, taking everything in him not to quit. 

"I would just be like–I don't want this."

But then, Tim felt called to sell. Several serious buyers came to the table, but every single conversation eventually hit the same wall.

"They all said the same thing: it's your name. The 'How Sweet It Is' part is fine–it's the 'by Tim' part. They were also afraid that without my name on it, people weren't going to support it." 

Tim had built the brand so thoroughly around himself that the business couldn't easily exist without him. For a buyer, that's a liability. For Tim, it was a wake-up call. He didn't make the call quickly. He prayed, he battled against the idea, and fought with it for months. And eventually, the answer became clear.

"I said, 'God, you gave me this business. What do you want me to do?' He told me to close it. And without another thought,  I just said, ‘Okay.’"

The bakery closed shortly after his decision at the end of July 2025. Tim gave himself a month to figure things out–still filling orders, but creating space to think about what he wanted next. He knew two things: the name had to change, and whatever came next couldn't be built around him the same way.

The search for a new name was harder than he expected. He sat with it. He talked it through with his wife. He threw ideas out day after day, week after week. Flour. Cakes. All the expected associations. Nothing landed.

Then one day, it came on its own.

“Layered.”

 "We have layers. Layered cakes, layered flavors." He told his wife. She didn't blink. 

“That's the one.”

The rebrand went all the way down to the bones. The neon palette of pinks and blues was wiped with something quieter: craft, white, and black. Wood tones. Kraft paper bags with black stamp printing. A touch of green from plants.

"I didn't want to be a Pepto-Bismol bottle forever," he said, laughing. "I wanted something simple."

So in August 2025, Tim reopened, and Layered Bakeshop was born.

He relocated to North Highland Avenue in midtown–a location Tim describes as feeling like its own little private town. And almost immediately, something shifted.

"When I got here, the business began to grow. And it's still growing."

No pivot happens in a vacuum. Tim is quick to credit the people who showed up at the right moments– many who are connected through theCO's CO.STARTERS program. CO.STARTERS gave him–especially on the financial side–exactly what he needed. Most importantly, the relationships outlasted the curriculum. Lisa Garner, CEO of theCO, was someone Tim connected with early on. 

Ben Harris, Capital Coordinator at theCO, brought something even more personal to the table. Tim had worked under Ben years earlier, spending seven years at Dumplin's of Jackson– eventually becoming general manager and pastry chef. When he opened his own doors, he went straight back.

"I was like, 'What do I need to do? How should I structure this the right way?' And what he told me was really good information."

That kind of relationship is something Tim thinks about often. "We need more OGs helping younger people going into business. That's what it's all about."

And then there's Trunetta Atwater, Soul Collective Program Director, the lasting connection Tim points to most.

"We don't talk every day, but when we connect, it's like a whole moment. We just bounce off each other. Her wisdom is just amazing. She's been that ear and voice of mentorship I needed."

Tim’s rebrand wasn't just a name change. It forced him to look honestly at how he had been operating and what he needed to do differently.

The biggest lesson: it was never supposed to be all on him.

"Every responsibility isn't mine to carry alone. That's why you have a team, and that's why you have God. Most of the load is really His,” Tim said. “He just wants you to steward it right."

He's also more protective now of his time and his standards. Every hire goes through what he calls his "non-time-wasting questions." His favorite: “How can I trust you with my reputation and my brand?” If someone can't answer it, the interview is over.

And he's learned to say no–to orders that aren't worth it, to stress he doesn't have to carry, to the idea that bigger always means better.

"Bigger buildings, bigger locations–that does not always mean bigger revenue. Stay small. Make your million there. Get everything you need in that small arena, and then grow."

Tim said that nearly 80% of his clientele now comes from Nashville. Tim doesn't say it to boast–he says it to make a point he believes completely: if the quality is there, people will find you.

If you're in a season of change in your own business and sitting with a decision you're not ready to make, Tim's advice is simple.

"Pray. Write it down. Find out how you're going to execute. And just be confident in your own thing." He paused. "If you need to pivot, do it. If you need to downsize, do it. Because either that, or you're going to lose your mind."

Tim believes small businesses offer something chain stores simply can't replicate.

"I truly think small businesses are a luxury," he said. "Even if you don't buy anything and you just came in to look around — that means something. That moment matters."

There are still a ton of people out there who do not know about Layered, but Tim is working hard to change that. 

“Most people who come in here for the first time all say the same thing: they will be addicted.” 

Layered Bakeshop is located at 1417 N Highland Ave. in Jackson, TN. Follow them on social media and stop in.