No matter what your passion may be — comedy, cooking, DIY-ing everything you see on Pinterest — there’s probably been a moment or two when you’ve thought about doing it professionally. Could you turn your love of making dolphin bananas (Google it) into a full-time gig? Leave your less-than-thrilling 9-to-5 to start your own business?
Dana Loia didn't stop at dreaming: She quit her day job to start Dana's Bakery, and now spends her time making crazy-delicious macarons in a variety of inventive flavors (think cookie dough and key lime pie) in NYC. Watch the video above — the first in our new success-story series, My NY, which we're doing in partnership with Maybelline. Loia shares how she went from photo editor to macaron maven, overcoming the obstacles of starting a business in the Big Apple and watching her vision come to full fruition. You might even be inspired to take a similar risk.