"The most difficult step is to take one"
The hardest thing about starting out, is knowing where to start. I have dreamt of having my own business for many years, and really I'm still at the beginning. I still have a full time job in PR in Buckinghamshire and I make the hour commute there and back everyday and run Victoria's Sponges in the evenings and on the weekends. And I will be the first to admit, it isn't easy to find the time to complete the orders, let alone try out new things when I have a spare hour or two.
Commitment is required to make it a success and I am dedicated to working hard to make my dreams become a reality (even if it means I don't get any sleep!). I take a lot of inspiration from others and seeing them succeed in order to keep my spirits high and keep working at the rate in which I am.
My top 5 inspirational cake business owners/bloggers
Finch Bakery (@finchbakery)
A friend of mine introduced me to Finch Bakery (based in Blackburn) as she is friends with the talented twins. They have their own shop (and about to open a second) and people queue for hours to get them hands on cupcakes and their famous cake jars! They are creative, inspirational, dedicated and extremely funny on their Instagram which just puts a smile on my face every time I'm scrolling through my feed.
Style Sweet CA
StyleSweetCA.com is the cake blog from Tessa Huff (who also contributes to thecakeblog.com) which, as well as showing a personable side to Tessa, offers great recipes which I love to try out - the carrot cake is a particular favourite of mine. Her style is so friendly and welcoming and suited to the home baker.
The Cake Blog
Sweet Ambs
Sweet Ambs (www.sweetambs.com) does the most incredible cookie decorating tutorials and the cookies certainly look exquisite. Using the royal icing recipe has allowed me to create some fab cookies for my friends and family. Amber has tutorials on how to make royal icing, how to change the consistency, and then shows a number of different techniques on her YouTube channel and website. She makes it look so easy! All of her videos include the information about what you’ll need so you can fully prepare before you begin one of her decorating master classes. Also – her cookie recipe is to die for! Definitely worth paying a little extra to get some additional tutorials and recipes. She has also launched a book recently (and had a little one!)
Macarooz
Not technically a blogger but a business in Texas, US. And I love following them on Instagram – they create the most beautiful flavoured macarons with absolutely gorgeous imagery that I can only aspire to! I literally find macarons the hardest things to take a picture of and I try and take inspiration from @macarooz when I do. The videos they share also show the different stages of making macarons, from whisking up the egg white and colouring them to piping them. Just a colourful addition to my newsfeed and one day, hopefully I’ll travel to Texas to try them first hand!
