From Cakes to Riches: The Journey of a Home Baker
The world is full of storiesarticle that inspire, that move you, that tug at your heart strings. In today’s world of Millennials where women are slowly taking center stage in many areas and professions, it is not surprising that the fairer sex is scripting many of these inspirational storiesarticle. HerMoneyTalks, India’s first financial services marketplace for women, brings to you just one such inspirational story. Karthika Prajoth, HerMoneyTalks correspondent, catches up with Anjali Kaimal, a self-made entrepreneur.
I first met her at my college, where she was a senior. A smart girl with a pretty smile and a pony tail, she crossed the corridors of my classroom every day. My friend once showed me an Instagram page ‘Fairy Bakes’ and told me, “Hey.. you have seen that girl na? Anjali? She is a home baker and has around 6k followers.” My curiosity hit me hard, and I went to meet her. A professional home baker rooted in Cochin,Anjali Kaimal started talking to me about her journey.
“People used to call me an ‘introvert’ since my school days, as I never opened myself to others. It was in 2016 that I took the decision to become a home baker,”reveals Anjali who consciously tried to be in the safest corners of the classroom and had a very small gang of friends during her school days.
Shy introvert whips up a batch of confidence
As the years rolled by, she became a college student, and it was during her 2nd year that young Anjali got a desire to bake cakes. Youtube became her savior and helped her with the basics of cake making.It was her mother who first encouraged her to go along with her instinct and do what made her happy.
“I somehow managed to buy an oven and a mixer and tried to experiment in my little kitchen. Initially it was hard to get a willing customer, but I was unwilling to give up my passion,”Anjali smiles.
Word-of-mouth publicity is truly contagious and my list of customers grew bigger than before. I began to get more orders and started to earn something on my own.
I could see her eyes smiling whenever she talked about cakes and baking.I started thumbing through ‘Fairy Bakes’,the Instagram page owned by Anjali Kaimal.
The days of struggle continued but Anjali’s friends and family held saw her through those dark days. Then gritty young Anjali started a page in Facebook to showcase her newly baked cakes.
Reveals the self-made home-preneur, “I always had to reassure myself with an extra confident booster every day, as I had a very slow pace of growth. But you know what? Word-of-mouth publicity is truly contagious and my list of customers grew bigger than before. I began to get more orders and started to earn something on my own. Indeed I became an entrepreneur and learnt the basics of marketing my passion.”
Confidence baked into crisp golden brown success
Anjali went on to become a full-fledged baker in her free time and began to make investments in banks. Then she started an Instagram page named “Fairy Bakes” with some countable followers.Now it has grown beyond her expectations. Admits Anjali, “This is extremely overwhelming for a person like me who was never ever a crowd puller.”
Her smile grew wider as she talked. “After completing my post graduation in computer application, I was offered a job at Cognizant, Chennai. I stayed there for 4 months, but felt a little suffocated from within.”
I had to face much criticism from people when I opted to quit my celebrated white collar job. But I believe I am happier now than before, with the tag of a baker.
Severely conflicted, Anjali took a hard decision to quit her job and came back to Cochin, her home town. She decided to devote her entire time to baking and also began to conduct baking classes for beginners. “This is the moment, I believe,that made me smarter than before. I began to talk with people, and felt the shedding of my reticent self.”
When Anjali began her career as a baker, home baking was not as acclaimed as it is today. But now, Kochi is flooded with home bakers all over, and a huge number of cake baking possibilities is being discovered every day. But,from an ordinary girl with an extreme level of stage fright, Anjali is now a self-made entrepreneur and enjoys doing what she loves.
“I had to face much criticism from people when I opted to quit my celebrated white collar job. But I believe I am happier now than before, with the tag of a baker,” signs off Anjali with a twinkle in her eye and her next cake recipe cooking in her mind.
Isn’t Anjali an inspiration? Look around the world and you will see your passions mirrored by many others. Flaunt your Passions, and never hide them. Make your passion your job, and you will never retire!
