My First Customer Sent a Laughing Emoji When I Asked for a Review

Can you give us a quick backstory of W’s Bakeshop?

Seven and a half years ago, my sister and I wanted to venture into the business of baking because I had been baking prior to that. So the first name that came to mind was Bakeshop Cupcakes because we were meant to exclusively sell only cupcakes but Nigeria happened. We started to realize that there was an increasing demand for anything that fits into certain aesthetics and that was what we tapped into after we realized that selling only cupcakes wouldn’t work. So we changed our name to Bakeshop Official. But during the business registration process of the business, I decided to use the abbreviation of my name and that’s how we eventually arrived at W’s Bakeshop. 

What inspired you to start this business and how long have you been at it?    
 

The inspiration for W Bakeshop came from my sister who is also my partner. She’s the kind of person that you’d probably describe as a hustler. We’ve been at the baking thing for a while but she sort of just incorporated a business structure into what was already on ground. We’ve been doing this for about 7 and a half years. I was 16 at the time so practically we were babies when we started. 

Your brand receives wide acceptance across almost every social media platform, what’s the reason for this? 

So I’d say the reason why we are currently one of the most loved small business owners on social media is that we found a sweet spot in the market and we tapped right into it. We noticed that people were starting to drift towards minimalism and we found an interesting way to make money off that recent wave. Our designs are simple, mostly inspired by an animated GIF stick guy doing different poses. We also use witty captions that people seem to be in love with. Basically, we just started something different and gave the people exactly what they needed at that point. Aesthetics and value for their money. 

What are the biggest challenges you face as a small business owner in Nigeria? 

When it comes to the challenges we face as small business owners, where should we even start? Every day is a new struggle, even the ones you don’t see coming. We’re facing inflation, poor electricity, fuel scarcity, and cash scarcity. It’s just like going from one problem to another.  It’s almost like we can’t even catch a break 

How do you handle your not-so-great business days? 

I consider myself lucky because I don’t run my business alone. It’s always good when you have somebody else suffering with you. (Laughs). It’s like facing collective shege. There are so many days when my partner would be down and I’d be the one trying to keep things running and on other days, it’s the other way around. But I’ll say what really keeps me going is the passion I have for what I do. 

Can you remember when you made your first sale and what did it feel like? 

My earliest memory of selling a cake is going to be so funny to me. It was the earliest phase of our business and we were still handling deliveries by ourselves. So we delivered a cake to our first customer and she burst into laughter. We asked her if everything was okay and she just kept laughing and walked away without saying anything to us. I didn’t even know if I was supposed to find it discouraging but it was a funny moment for me. Even when we texted her to find out what she thought of the cake, she replied with a laughing emoji. 

Does your gender ever come as an element of surprise to your customers and competitors?

I never considered my gender as an issue, it has just never struck me as an abnormality. But it takes people by surprise most times and it leaves some people with questions. It comes as an issue occasionally during production because many of the vendors I patronise are women and they feel more comfortable dealing with other women that are bakers. So for me to establish a professional relationship with them, it takes an extra level of trust. But other than that, I find people’s reactions funny sometimes. 

Have you always been a business-oriented person? 

I’ve never really pictured myself as a business person. I’ve always been more of an artist. I’m more intrigued by colours and designs. My sister is more in charge of the business part of our operations. But she’s starting to rub off on me and these days, I’m always thinking of the next thing we can do to make our business better. 

Your engagement rate on social media is quite impressive. Has this impacted the finances of your business? 

We started on Instagram and the more followers we got, the higher the sales we recorded. I love social media because as a business owner, there’s no limit to what you can achieve with it. 

Aside from your bakery, how else do you make your daily 2k?

I’ve been doing a whole lot of content strategy on the side. It started as a hobby at first but since I discovered that I could make some bucks off my skill, I started monetizing it. Another way I make my money is through prayer. I pray for money every day and I get it often.