Twitter may now be known a X, but the social media platform was the X that marked the spot for WCCO Radio’s Sheletta Brundidge. Now it’s proving to be X-ceedingly helpful to Tami Cabrera, owner of Muddy Paws Cheesecake.
Sheletta drew parallels with Cabrera in a conversation on Lake Night with Henry Lake, telling him about how an unexpected gift from Lemonis changed her life, and is likely to do the same thing for the Minnesota cheesecake baker.
After 30 years in business, Cabrera suffered several bad luck setbacks and was forced to shutter her St Louis Park cheesecake business. Her many Twin Cities friends and fans took to X with the hashtag #SaveMuddyPaws to ask for donations to fund a financial bridge to help Cabrera stay solvent.
The trending tweets caught the attention of Marcus Lemonis, known as the altruistic capitalist. The successful CNBC star and CEO of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises then personally reached out to Cabrera with an ambitious and aggressive plan to bolster her business and keep her baking her signature cheesecakes.
“The generosity of that man and how he spreads good will is amazing,” enthused Sheletta Brundidge, host of the Sheletta Show. “This man is honestly, seriously on social media trolling stories to see who he can bless.”
Like Cabrera, Sheletta has been the direct recipient of Lemonis’ generosity. In 2020, he was on what was then Twitter, asking for suggestions of a deserving family that could benefit from the donation of an RV. Sheletta did not see his tweet, but many people who know her did and urged him to give her the RV.
Lemonis read their tweets, and their thoughts of how Brundidge, the mother of four children — including three diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder —would benefit from having access to an RV.
That’s when the millionaire entrepreneur picked up the phone and called the Cottage Grove mother.
“I didn’t know who he was,” Brundidge said. “He said, I have a surprise for you.”
Lemonis gave the Brundidges the use of an RV for three years and signed them on as his celebrity endorsers. The deal called for Sheletta to promote RV travel in social media posts and for the family to star in Camping World commercials. The deal allowed the Brundidges to demonstrate the value of RV vacations for other families with children with autism; traveling in an RV allows many children on the spectrum to more easily keep to their routine and avoid the high stress stimulation of airports and hotels.
A month ago, the deal was up but the Brundidge’s now beloved RV didn’t go back to the lot. Instead, because the relationship with Lemonis had been so successful, the Brundidges signed the papers and took full and permanent ownership of the RV.
The Marcus Lemonis/Camping World connection has been very beneficial for Sheletta beyond its ability of the donated RV to take her family on many memorable trips.
Sheletta said that by selecting her, Lemonis elevated her and gave credibility to her small business.
“If he thought enough of this woman to bless her and give her children an RV and allow them to be the celebrity endorsers for his company, then guess what she must be good enough for me,” Sheletta said.
“I had a struggling podcast network but after I met Marcus Lemonis, Target, General Mills, United Health Care, Comcast, Bremer bank, all came on board to partner with me because they saw what was happening.”
Sheletta anticipates that Tami Cabrera and her Muddy Paws Cheesecake brand will experience similar benefits.
“Being a part of his generosity is an opportunity for other people to invest in you,” she said. “He is validation.”
According to a social media post by Cabrera, Lemonis has “…stepped in with advice, a potential Spotify based website and a $40k cheesecake giveaway* order in efforts to help us reopen!” *To enter to win a cheesecake, supporters can go to Twitter (@mpcheesecake): by tagging Muddy Paws Cheesecake, Marcus Lemonis and using the hashtag: #SaveMuddyPaws.
Sheletta is optimistic that Cabrera and Muddy Paws Cheesecake will make the most of the generosity that Lemonis has extended and rise to a new level of success.
“She needed help, she wasn’t ashamed. Now she’s not only going to have her business saved, but look at the millions of dollars in earned media that she’s generated for her business. She is in the local news; her story will go national,” Sheletta predicted. “Who knows where it may lead.”