Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food & beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Natasha Orumbie, Director of N.O. Cakes R Better, located in London, Greater London, UK.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I’m a Baking Business Coach that helps baking business owners turn their expensive hobby into a profitable passion.

Tell us about yourself

I first started my initial side hustle in 2009 at a point in my teaching career when I was taking a break and was spending more time at home. It stayed a side hustle very much until during the pandemic when everyone had much more time to spend at home, and I was able to spend more time learning how to build a business effectively.

Baking has been in my family for generations; my father and his sisters baked my grandmother baked before she passed away, and it was something that came very naturally to me. However, when I started, I had no intention of making it a career. After learning how to make my business more profitable. I initially spent 10 years running a very expensive hobby with no idea about business expenditure and how to ensure that my products were sold at a price that would actually yield a profit. I only began to learn this during the pandemic and started to implement these strategies, and it took about a year from the point of implementing the strategies I learned to do just that!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The thing I am most proud of is our brand new development, our cake pricing app, The Bake-ulator! This app is a game-changer for bakers all over the world and is crucial in helping me support bakers with my goal of helping them to become more profitable. Learning how to price correctly is one of the biggest issues for bakers, so this app is super helpful to support them with this!-

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

The hardest thing, I think, for entrepreneurs is loneliness. When you’re running a business, often you’re not understood by friends and family, and the journey can be tough on your own. It’s the main reason I recommend people get a mentor or be a part of a community to support them and help make sure they don’t give up!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  • The first thing I would say is, “Know your numbers” if you are not pricing for profit or selling enough, then you are running a hobby, which is fine if that was the plan, but if it wasn’t.
  • Two, get help! Too many entrepreneurs do not have the right support and guidance and so waste time making pointless mistakes that could have been avoided.
  • And finally, three - do the work!! Stop taking class after class after class and then never implement - do the work if you want to succeed.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://nocakesrbetter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nocakesrbetteruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nocakesrbetter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nocakesrbetter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-orumbie-100794198/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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