For Kristine de la Cruz all it took was a passion for cooking, some flour, cozy hospitality and a killer business plan to create her successful dessert shop in Los Angeles, Calif. called Crème Caramel L.A.

While it's a challenge starting a business as a young Latina entrepreneur, De la Cruz stuck to what she knows and kept it simple, and most importantly didn't lose sight of why she was starting the business in the first place.

In 2010, De la Cruz started out in the comfort of her own kitchen, making savory desserts and bread puddings, and then expanded her business to local farmers markets. Today, she has her first brick-and-mortar shop, which opened in September, according to LA Weekly.

How did she launch her business? She started small, building her customer base through food festivals, markets and social media outlets. From there she reached out to a wider audience for the desserts that have become the heart of her shop. Along with her partner-boyfriend, Sean Gilleland, the couple took over a former Armenian bakery in the San Fernando Valley and started what she calls, "a mini artisanal urban bodega."

Launching a start-up business is a risk that can be both "exciting and scary," she says. "But this is what we wanted to do and we're putting ourselves out there. You know, we wanted to expand out, and this has been the biggest expenditure to date. We have been investing in it ourselves."

She points out that you have to set realistic goals. "Our first week, we rolled out everything we wanted to do, but naturally we had to adjust. We had grand ideas at the very beginning, but now we're scaling back and introducing them slowly, things like our Spanish tortillas. Other to-go items, like the Ben-Tea boxes, we decided will wait until summertime. It just makes more sense. People know us for our custards and desserts, so that's what is really selling right now. Plus, we know the holiday season is going to make or break us."

Support from local communities played a huge role in helping to launch De la Cruz's business.

"We came up through the farmers markets and a whole bunch of food events like the Taste and Unique L.A., which we were lucky to be a part of. We wanted to be able to showcase other products, too. I always wanted to have this market element within the shop, so yeah, we're carrying some of our favorite vendors. They are just a few relationships that have developed over the years of working in the farmers market circuit.

"I've been curating and hand-selecting favorites, business that are on the cusp, and we wanted to highlight them and give them an opportunity to sell. We're like an incubator for small businesses and startups. It's great to be able to give back in that way."

De la Cruz really had a 52-page business plan that became her bible for starting her dessert shop. For the past 2 ½ years, she has been working off of it, which has helped her keep her eye on the prize.

"I've literally be going back to the plan and saying "Oh, OK, now what's next? It's not like we are reinventing the wheel or anything. I know what my limitations are. I think that's important for a business owner to recognize," she said. "I wanted to highlight people who are amazing in what they do. My team is all very motivated and we've been attracting really good talent. I don't know what I did to deserve such great people."

De la Cruz doesn't sugarcoat her advice for other young entrepreneurs who are thinking about starting a business. "I definitely don't want to convey that it's all been roses. It has been hard-ass work," she admitted. "When people go into business for themselves, especially food-related business, it has to make sense financially. I'm going into the food business because I love the hospitality part -- I really enjoy it.

"I can only say what worked for me, and it may not work for someone else. But one thing I do tell people is that if you're OK with missing out on social functions and working 60 or 80 hours a week and not getting enough sleep for at least a good year or two, then yeah, definitely do it. To be able to meet the goals we needed, that's what we did. I don't know if it's efficient, but that worked for us."

She also adds that it's good to have a wide supportive network that is willing to work for volunteer credit. For the couple's first year of business, their "awesome friends and family" pitched in at farmers markets and events.

De la Cruz's business and marketing background has aided in her success.

"I've definitely been applying the skills I learned in marketing. I know I'm not going to make millions of dollars from this. We are in this simply because we enjoy it. If we can provide a good work environment for our employees, serve great food and provide a nice spot for people to stop by in the community that would be amazing. That's all we want."