Sophie and the business of baked delights 13 July 2011 Chris Hogan Right http://www.cetamail.co.uk/files/sophies_baked_delights_lrg.jpg A quote sometimes attributed to Confucius goes along the lines of "find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." This month's company profile features someone who has truly lived up to that motto. After a corporate career Sophie Browne dreamed of making a living from her passion. Now she is not only doing that but her products and her business are attracting compliments from award judges as well as customers. But often people who turn their hobby into a business aren't realistic about its appeal to other people, or don't understand how to make a viable living out of it. We spoke to Sophie to find out how she did it. Starting out Sophie has always baked, since she was old enough to hold a spoon, and loves cooking just as much as for its ability to bring family and friends together as its sustenance value. The products that form the core of her business (as seen on her website http://www.SophiesBakedDelights.co.uk ) are classic cakes and artisan variations on those themes, some unfamiliar to UK palates. Her best seller, for example, is Apple & Olive Oil Cake with Maple Frosting. She has also built a significant second aspect to the business – baking classes for children and adults which are both fun and educational. We asked Sophie what she would say to someone who wanted to follow the same route, not necessarily baking of course, but turning a passion into a business. Sophie was very uncertain herself at the beginning, not sure whether to get on with cooking or going out to get cooking qualifications. Straight-talking Oxfordshire-based novelist, Prue Leith, who was previously a cook and restaurateur, put her on the right path. "She very kindly agreed to see me and I took some of my cooking," said Sophie, "she told me that I could definitely cook and that people weren't going to judge me on my qualifications; they'd judge me on what they put in their mouths." find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life "So I just started cooking, tried a few different things, like doing dinner parties for people, but in the end it came down to the baking, that's what I'm focussed on now." Know what you are selling "The second piece of advice," Sophie said, "was from Emma Walton, my PR consultant, which was that there was no point having a fantastic product if you're not telling anyone about it." "So research your market first, look at what other people are doing and look at how they operate," said Sophie, "be determined, see what you can offer over and above what's already available, then do it and shout about it." Knowing what she is selling and what's good about it has been crucial to Sophie's success. She is completely aware that her handmade, locally sourced, 50% organic cakes cannot compete on price in larger markets. "People keep saying 'ooh, it would be great to get you into Waitrose' but to do that I would need a huge kitchen on an industrial estate and I'd never want to make them down to their prices, the margins are so slim. That's absolutely not what it's about for me." Where is the business support for people like Sophie? Sophie received help from Business Link when setting up and would recommend people discussing their ideas with them or any similar organisations in their area, but most of the success has come from her own determination. Other help has come from closer to hand. "I joined Networking Women which really gave me a boost. Women in business collaborating, not competing against each other, was fantastic, and it remains a great support network. I have used the services of people within the group and in return they have bought lots of cake!" Awards and the future Sophie told us that personal recommendation has been the most successful sales tool and it has also led to recent competition success. Sophie narrowly missed out on winning her category at the Cotswold Life Food Awards in June but was Highly Commended and the judge urged her to enter the Taste of the West, which she has done. Sophie passed us the judges' comments: "The judges felt the quality of the cakes at Sophie's Baked Delights was outstanding as is Sophie's enthusiasm for what she is doing, especially her bakery classes with children. Her business is controlled and she understands the need to invest time and effort in planning, marketing and other key functions. Sophie has taken that success in teaching children and is now developing and packaging up a training course aimed at the corporate team building and motivation sector, after pilots proved very successful. "There was a combined reward and team building event with a sales team, they were going to have an experience of something they didn't normally do, relax together, and work together. There was meant to be a competitive bake-off as well, but as it turned out they were working so well together that the manager didn't want to introduce that competitive element." (the team) were working so well together that the manager didn't want to introduce that competitive element "When I asked him about it he said 'no – it's fantastic to see the way they are working together, I'm seeing talents being expressed here that I haven't seen elsewhere.' So it really went well and I'm looking to offer this as a service through people who work to improve businesses and teams." Work the way you want So it's all working out for Sophie's Baked Delights, the future looks good, and for Sophie it still doesn't feel like work. "What goes on behind the scenes in terms of planning, marketing, accounting, PR, that's the work, and once you build your business you can pay someone to do that for you. In fact sometimes it's better to get other people involved as early as possible so you can concentrate on what you do best." For many businesses it's very hard to risk spending money engaging other people to help out at the beginning, but for Sophie it has clearly worked and she now has a successful business, working her way. "Buying local, selling local, and being part of the community, working with local people, that's what it's all about for me," said Sophie. And long may it continue.