Well, my poor blog updates have really suffered in 2011! I apologise to all my readers that my posts have been sparse but I thought I'd make it up today with a little look back at 2010...
Firstly, last month I celebrated Star Bakery's 2nd birthday :) I always had dreams of having a successful little cake business but all of my lovely clients have turned my business into something so much more successful and beyond all expectations.
As some of you will remember I was made redundant in December 2009. Star Bakery was a part time venture for me (alongside a full time role in Marketing and Communications) up until that point and suddenly I had the opportunity to turn my dream into a reality. So, in January 2010 I worked around the clock to get my name out there and was rewarded with my busiest month since I started. I blogged, tweeted and Facebooked until I was blue in the face and it all paid off.
And then life changed. I found out I had another baby on the way (that baby has now become a little Milo by the way, a younger brother to Fin who's now 6) so instead of taking it easy I worked 14hr days, pencilled in a little maternity leave and carried on. I knew that if I didn't give my business my full attention that orders would soon fall off and I couldn't let all my hard work go down the drain.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my pregnancy and have always ensured that my family comes first but I don't think I could have ever predicted how much time my business would take to run.
I spend 14hrs+ a day working. That's not only baking, that's being online, delivering cakes, speaking to clients, meeting with clients, updating the website, thinking up new ideas, getting finances in order, creating new cakes, booking in stalls at events, doing countless opening and closing checks to satisfy my environmental health obligations etc etc. Weekends are now set aside for weddings and other events and my long suffering family not only survives on cake scraps (!) but I'm sure my son can reel off a list of the top wedding venues throughout Notts.... :)
So, why do I do it? Well, quite simple I LOVE my job. In this current climate there aren't many people out there who love what they do and even though I miss working with colleagues, I miss having PAID HOLIDAY (or any holiday actually!) and I could really do with eating a little less cake, I wouldn't change my job for the world. In recent weeks I've had no less than 3 Mums get teared up when they've seen their cakes. You just can't get better feedback than that!
But things are changing for Star Bakery. I've recently realised that my business needs to grow in order to cope with demand and with that in mind things are happening in 2011. I can't share the details with you all just yet but rest assured you'll be seeing more of us in the coming 12mths.
For now, it's all about getting out and about in Notts and attending events when and where I can. 8 events are now in the diary and I think I've had to print off my insurance liability certificates and trading standards signs more than I can count this week! We're at the Hucknall Beer Festival farmers market this week (11th Feb) and even though we're due to finish at 3pm, we're hoping to hang around for the evening attendees who might like a cake with their real ale!
So thank you. Thank you for reading my blog, tweeting with me, buying my cakes, complimenting my pictures on Flickr and asking your questions on Facebook. Think of me on Monday morning when you're starting up your computer or sitting on the bus on your way to work as I'll be preparing to make cake pops.
BEST JOB EVER.
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