She bakes cakes with a big heart

From running her business, Sweet Inspirations Ltd, Beatrice Kagondu has learnt one thing; to find out what it is that keep clients coming back, then working at perfecting it

If being a perfectionist is a weakness or advantage, it has helped Ms Beatrice Kagondu thrive in business. She confesses of not being able to let go of the character that great requires a great deal of commitment. And this is why she has to personally approve every product coming out of her pastry company, Sweet Inspirations Ltd.

When she decided to go it alone, it was after a long time of contemplation and calculations. She for long harbored a great passion of baking. But after training as a chef at the Norfolk hotel, got employed at a wedding fashion shop.

“What kept me from leaving my job to venture into business for a long time, even though I wanted to, was fear of the unknown. You usually think, ‘what if I go and fail.’ ” she says.  “But I realized it’s not always a success story at the beginning. It is a learning process.” For her, the awakening came when on a maternity leave, and eager to spend more time with her baby, a friend, who was leaving the country, made a decision to close her business. Ms Kagondu asked her to instead sell the business to her. And the rest is history.

Buying it as a going concern, she retained some of their clients, and now three years down the line has build a vibrant and growing list of her own clientele.

Passion drives the business

Sweet Inspirations, located at Nairobi’s Hurlingham neighborhood, is now a brand in making of cakes and chocolates for birthdays, weddings and corporate organisations. It also trains in cake baking and imports sugar craft equipment and supplies for sell to other bakers.

“I have trained countless people, mostly women, for both long and short-term courses. Some are already in the business and come to polish their skills while others are first time bakers,” said Ms Kagondu. Training ranges right from basic skills of how to read a recipe, to cake storage, decoration and sugar craft, cake finishing, sugar flowers, presentation and set-up. Many of their former trainees are now running successful businesses while others have a profitable and enjoyable hobby, she explains. Her plans are to have a more spacious training centre.

“The cake business requires one to have passion. This is not negotiable,” says Ms Kagondu. “Some of the people we have trained were pushed by their parents or spouses to train because the business ‘looks lucrative’. However upon realising how much time is required, some do not even complete their training.”

A business that is highly competitive, her success is pegged on delivering high quality. This translates to positive clients’ feedback, which is her main marketing strategy. “I also set a good relationship with other people in the industry especially in weddings. We liaise, such that they send me clients and I do the same. That has worked for me,” she said. She advises people going into business to network a lot. Some networking bodies even offer advantages like free training and support. “I get to network with women in various fields especially in my membership at the Organisation of Women in International Trade (OWIT), exchange ideas, learn from others and even get contacts and business,” she says. Meeting others in similar ventures also help in building confidence in yourself.

Right now, the Kenyan government is more supportive of women going into business and banks are more willing to help out with funding. “Do not shy away. If you have a passion for a certain business, go for it.” Many people in employment today are nurturing their businesses on the side, which Ms Kagondu says is a great way to go.

Finance is a big deal for most entrepreneurs, more so for women. Ms Kagondu has liaised with other women in business to organise training and seminars. “We have gone in a group, and we find this way it’s easier to acquire credit than when you approach the financier alone,” she says. “There is power in numbers and working in a group is often easier when it comes to things like purchasing power and access to credit.”

To stand out from competition, Ms Kagondu ensures that Sweet Inspirations incorporates into their cakes, designs and tastes that are selling well abroad. She works closely with wedding planners to deliver in weddings, as well as corporates who get cakes with customized designs complete with their logos. Weddings are seasonal, but birthdays are not, so they keep the business going throughout the year. Chocolates move fast especially during Valentine’s Day and Christmas, but individuals also buy them as personal gifts and favours.

“Lack of creativity is the reason for the mediocre cakes we see all over,” says Ms Kagondu. “If you are not a creative person, consider the mass market for cakes like queencakes and block cakes.” To keep herself updated Mr Kagondu reads a lot of literature online content, and has a well designed website. She also advertises a lot in bridal magazines, places displays in popular walkways and distributes her business cards in supermarkets and other business premises.

While she employs two fulltime staff, she is able to get extra hands from casuals when demand overflows.

“I have learnt that the cake business requires a personal touch. It took a long time for people to be convinced that we could do the same quality of work as the previous owner,” says Ms Kagondu. Her advice, find out what it is that keep clients coming back, and then work at perfecting it. Her business management training (she has a higher diploma from Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) and experience in the industry have been a big booster too. She also invests in staff training.

Not everyone can be an entrepreneur however, Ms Kagondu believes. “Some people are born leaders and with the right training will be willing to take calculated risks. Any business is a risk and the investment is usually a high one,” she reasons. “Others are followers and in my experience, this type sometimes makes very good and loyal employees.”

There is no business without challenges, and the main one here is the rising cost of production like electricity and baking ingredients – even inflation impact on imports – which push prices up. It is an intricate balance with profits, while at the same time keeping clients happy. But it has to be achieved.