The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 32

The

Next CHAPTER
Women who have followed their dreams in middle age
have often discovered lessons to teach the rest of us.
Here are some of their stories.

Bayla Sussman
PEOPLE IN MIDDLE AGE often have difficulty changing
careers for a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with their
age and the expense of hiring them. But many do and when
they are women, the results can be quite satisfying.
Often, these adventurous souls go out on their own, taking salary cuts, changing lifestyles, doing what their hearts tell
them is right.
"Follow your bliss" is rarely the primary suggestion from professionals, but it helps create some happy workers. The women
profiled herewith did that. And they found what they wanted.

BAYLA Sussman
Baylee's Best

Bayla Sussman's road has been the very definition of long
and winding. She's followed her dream in fields as varied
32 | MARCH/APRIL 2017

STORY AND PHOTOS BY
DAN SMITH

as acting, marketing research, coding, events marketing,
restaurant work, tax preparation, teaching, office management and creating dreamy chocolates.
It is the chocolate phase that has her attention now. She owns
Baylee's Best in Roanoke, crafting chocolate delights to an everincreasing clientele at her shop on Electric Road. She became
a chocolatier because, "I'm not good at retirement" and when
she and her husband moved to Roanoke a few years ago, that
situation was staring at her.
Sussman, who does not want you to know her exact age,
majored in theater at Northwestern University, but for many
of her jobs, she had no training other than her own curiosity. After college, she worked for a marketing research firm
during the day and studied dance, voice and theater at night.
She started an MBA program, but hated it, preferring the
theater. She worked for Actors' Equity and the Illinois State
Lottery as a character and spokeswoman.
Marriage changed everything. "Attempting to be a good
corporate wife, I followed my husband around the country
as he advanced in his career. I continued to perform when
possible. I began to do well in New England: some theater,
some voice work, some film and video."
In Roanoke, her husband lost his job and went into business for himself. She went to H&R Block, and "I ended up,
teaching, preparing returns, managing an office, dealing with
problems-and volunteering to head up the Relay for Life
Team after I had cancer."
The Next Chapter came in March, 2003: "I brought some
truffles to a reception at my friend, Gwenda Kellett's store.
She informed me that I would have to go into business so
she could sell them." In September, "I had the kitchen inspected, got a business license and Baylee's was born. I figured that I wouldn't lose too much money because Christmas
was coming, then I could close it down and they wouldn't
bother me anymore.
"In July of 2008, my inspector told me that the business
was getting too large to stay in the house. I would have to
close it or move it into a store. I figured it might be time to
retire. Husband said: Store."
Her husband became her "business and technical directors" as she entered a new store in early 2009 "and then he
met a younger woman and left me with a lease I could not
break. So, I stumbled on, reading, attending seminars when
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