A bagel business built on prayer

By Bella Agnello

MiaRose Hess is an entrepreneur at heart. At her core, she is a prayer warrior. A freshman Management major at Cedarville University, she tangibly sees the power of prayer as God directs her through her journey as a local business owner.

In early September, Hess was scrolling on her phone when the idea hit her to start a business. She first thought about selling muffins. However, after talking with Dr. Kary Oberbrunner, the assistant professor of entrepreneurship, she realized that the business would not be as successful as she hoped.

A few days later, Hess again found herself scrolling on her phone when she kept coming across recipes for bagels. After prayerfully considering it, she presented the idea of a bagel business to her fellow officers in CUE, Cedarville University’s Entrepreneurship organization. After her friends’ approval and encouragement, she immediately began dreaming for her business.

The problem was, she never made a bagel before.

Hess began experimenting with various bagel recipes until she nailed her recipes down to three types of bagels: chocolate chip, everything and plain.

In September 2024, The Bagel Girl became official. Business was slow at first, but over the course of a few months, it eventually picked up through word of mouth.

“I have really good friends who promoted [the business] when it was coming out,” Hess said. “And the school’s small enough that people know people.”

Hess received a few orders before running into an issue that halted production: though her dorm, Willetts, has a kitchen, operating a business from it could create a liability for the school. So, she began once again to pray. She called 17 different places, including churches, in Beavercreek, Springfield, Xenia and Cedarville to ask if they would let her use their kitchen. Yet, each phone call ended with a “no.” She kept praying, and was surprised to get a phone call from a woman in Cedarville who originally turned her down.

“I really like what you’re doing,” the woman told Hess. “We can work something out.”

“ I was thinking, ‘Who in the heck would let a college freshman into their house to bake bagels?’” Hess said. “She did. And the Lord provided.”

Now, business is beginning to boom as word about her business spreads beyond campus. The Xenia Gazette recently wrote an article on The Bagel Girl, which Cedarville featured in the “Daily Buzz,” the campus’s newsletter.

“The Lord was so, so good and he opened a bunch of doors,” Hess said. “Stuff kept happening that wasn’t on my accord.”

Oberbrunner celebrates with Hess over her recognition and rising success.

“MiaRose is one of the most action-oriented students I’ve ever met,” Oberbrunner said. “She’s ready, fire, aim and yet that’s why she’s successful.”

As a freshman reaping the joys of a new and rising business, Hess is learning more than she thought possible in her first year of college. The most important lesson she is learning is to never forget to thank God for his direction and blessings.

Hess built her bagel business on prayer, and it continues to be the hallmark of her business. She prays as she rolls the dough. She prays as she waits for the bagels to finish baking. And she prays as she delivers her products to her customers. Throughout the entire baking process, she prayerfully gives everything back to God, the one who surprised her and provided for her every step of the way.

To place an order, or to watch for updates about Hess’s next baking day, stay tuned for her advertisements on Cedarville’s classifieds page and her posts on Instagram.

Bella Agnello is a junior Broadcasting, Digital Media and Journalism major with a concentration in Journalism. She enjoys thrifting, listening to records and reading classic Russian literature in her spare time.

Photos by Libby Greenbaum