Born and raised as a military brat, Debra Raney grew up with exposure to different people and cultures. She was always a proud woman and passed that pride on to her three children. They were raised with positive affirmations of their potential for greatness; building self-worth and character. The house was filled with African art to reinforce pride in their culture and appearance. This was stressed at home because while her children were growing up, she found it extremely difficult to find character products that reflected what her kids saw when they looked in the mirror.

After the birth of her grandson, Ashton, she was shocked to find that since the 1990s there was still a void in the market. Ashton inspired his "Yaya" to be the change she wanted to see and sparked the birth of Little Muffincakes.