Having her cake and eating it

“My dream was to be an investment banker. However, after graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a major in finance, I could not get an opportunity in that field. Initially, I worked as a volunteer administrator at a programme run by AMREF, then as an accountant.

“When my contract ended, I got a job with an NGO as a finance officer. I worked there for two years, but the NGO was facing financial challenges and I suffered a lot of work-related stress. I was not enjoying my job, so I decided to quit.

“It was a tough choice because now we had to rely on only my husband’s income to get by. It was also frustrating looking for a job without much success. In the meantime, I signed up for a one-month coaching programme that would help me discover what I really wanted to do with my life.

“I had many ideas, but I narrowed down to either forex trading or baking. I did not have enough capital to start forex trading, so I decided to bake instead. It was a natural choice because I have always baked for my family just for fun.

“Once I had made up my mind to bake, everything seemed to fall into place — I stumbled on Pauline Twala, a long lost friend who runs Affordable Eats in Kisumu, on Facebook and discovered that she was in the baking business. She taught me everything I needed to know about baking and decorating for sale, all through Facebook.

“All this time, I did not have the courage to start baking for sale but I started a Facebook page where I would post photos of the cakes I baked for my family. Then one day I got a chance to test the market: A friend invited me to her friend’s baby shower and I offered to bake the cake on condition that she would not reveal who the baker was just so I could get unbiased feedback. I was pleasantly surprised when everyone loved the cake.

“That is how my business began. When I started I had no capital because I had used up my savings to help my husband pay the bills. I did not even have a cooker and had to use a jiko initially. But even without capital and equipment, I was able to start my business using the deposit paid for my first cake and the basic appliances I had in my house.

SLOW BUT STEADY GROWTH

“My business has been growing slowly but steadily. The challenge has been competing in a market with many other well-known and established bakers, yet the cake business relies a lot on referrals.

“Nevertheless, most of my clients are from Facebook, from people who do not know me and have never tasted my cakes, but who are willing to take the risk. What helped me overcome this challenge was getting an online mentor through the Cherie Blair Foundation.

“When I lamented about the overcrowded market, my mentor challenged me to find out what I could do differently to create a niche for myself. That is when I came up with the idea of healthy baking.

“I did my market research and realised that Kenyans have become more health-conscious and want cakes they can eat without worrying about the health consequences. I am focusing on healthy muffins as they will be more cost-effective, but I am still trying to come up with a perfect recipe.

“My other challenge has been in pricing the cakes. I make quality cakes — for instance, if I make a banana cake, I use real bananas and not banana flavour — and I believe I sell my cakes at a fair price, but sometimes clients challenge me saying that a more established cake house sells the same cake at a lower price.

“With time and as my business grows, I will be better able to compete with established bakers because I will also be able to buy material in bulk rather than on order. But for now, if a customer is not willing to pay the price I quote, I just let her go because I have targets to meet and I do not want to undercut myself. I also want to build a loyal customer base based on the quality of my work, not cheaper cakes.

“Learning that I cannot please everyone has also helped me make peace with losing those clients who are not willing to pay the price for quality.

“Despite the challenges, my love for what I do and the feedback I get keep me going. I am also always on the lookout for ways to grow my business, and I recently started offering baking and decorating classes when I realised that many people want to learn how to bake but lack the time or money to attend baking school.

“In future, I want to get my business out of the house, open a shop, and get employees to assist with marketing and cake decoration.

“The funny thing is that though I am now focused on baking and no longer looking for a job, my parents still send me job vacancy alerts. They still believe that I will get a job and like other parents would prefer if I had a stable office job.

“But I am now pursuing my passion and I would not want to go back to a nine-to-five job. I want to be there when my baby comes back from school, to run the affairs of my home, and be my own boss.

“To me success is doing what I like, being happy with what I have done, and finding ways to improve. I know success does not come in a day; you have to work hard at it and I am willing to take that risk.”

HOW SHE DID IT

• Market research: Do not just start a business blindly. Ask yourself: Do people need what you are offering? Is there a gap? How are your competitors doing it, and can you do it differently?
• Get a mentor: Look for someone who has been successful at what you want to do and ask them to guide you on the right path.
• Get out of your comfort zone: If you are a stay-at-home mother or jobless, get out — go to the gym, join a book club, or do things that ensure you meet other people and learn from them. It broadens your thinking and you might just get a good business idea.
• Use what you have: I did not have capital. I used the first deposit to buy ingredients and baking equipment. Everyone has a passion or a skill. Use that to start your business.
• Do not undercut yourself just to make a sale.
• Do not place barriers in your path: If you are really determined and set your mind to do something, everything is possible.