Since 2024, Tamkin Amin Collins has excelled as both the founder and chief executive officer of Cakes Concealed Carry, a California-based company with a mission to empower women through innovative concealed-carry solutions. Partnering directly with a woman-owned manufacturing facility that enables uncompromising quality control standards, her administrative responsibilities encompass designing and developing products tailored for women, overseeing production operations and supply chain management, managing sales velocity analysis and inventory, and spearheading research and development for new products. Ms. Collins also directs marketing strategies and brand positioning, builds relationships with firearms instructors nationwide, coordinates training retreats and instructor certification programs, and manages customer and community engagement.
After acquiring her own concealed carry weapon license in California through rigorous training, background checks, and fingerprinting, Ms. Collins discovered the lack of practical and stylish options for women who wished to carry firearms discreetly. Drawing from her experiences as a survivor of trauma, she was determined to create products that would allow women to maintain their personal style while prioritizing safety. This vision led to the creation of a signature leather handbag designed for quick and discreet firearm access, which quickly resonated with women across the United States and resulted in the development of 16 iterations of her flagship bag in mere months.
Between 2018 and 2024, Ms. Collins served as a space mission program scheduler at Millennium Space Systems Inc., a principal system engineer at KBR Inc., and a senior program manager at Emolbi. From 2013 to 2018, she found success as an analyst at Tecolote Research Inc., focusing on financial modeling and risk assessment for government contracts. Ms. Collins was previously active as a corporate trainer for Smart Circle International, a business manager for Winnol, a project manager for Color Ad, and an account executive for New Horizons Worldwide LLC.
Involved in myriad organizations within her field and areas of interest, Ms. Collins has been featured in prominent publications including Concealed Carry Magazine, USCCA Magazine, Arms Lifestyle Magazine, Wired and Telemundo News, among others. Beyond her primary endeavors, she is the co-founder Project Gunway—the first fashion show dedicated to women’s firearm apparel—which debuted in 2025 with widespread acclaim among celebrities and influencers in the firearms community.
Ms. Collins fondly recalls accruing $1 million in revenue during Cakes Concealed Carry’s first year—a rare accomplishment for a new business that underscored both market demand and the company’s impact on women’s safety nationwide. Another defining moment in her career came when an instructor shared that after discovering her products, her female students began carrying firearms daily rather than abandoning the practice post-training. Ms. Collins attributes her success to a rebellious spirit instilled by her immigrant parents, the mentorship she received from colleagues such as Darren Elliott, and the unwavering support of her husband Marcus Collins, an Emmy Award-winning designer whose vision helped shape Cakes’ brand identity.
To support her ambitions, Ms. Collins pursued an education at Excelsior University, earning a bachelor’s degree in applied sciences in 2014 and a Master of Business Administration in engineering technology management in 2016. Additionally obtaining several certifications in her field, she also completed coursework in biotechnology at California State University Northridge before redirecting her focus toward making a broader impact beyond medicine.
Ms. Collins’ accolades include recognition for the Emerging Brand of the Year at the Gundie Awards in 2024. Looking toward the future, she plans to establish a fully domestic product line manufactured entirely in America, expand Cakes Concealed Carry into a comprehensive, practical lifestyle brand, and partner with firearms instructors nationwide so every woman can access specialized training retreats tailored to their needs.