WHAT I’VE LEARNT…

How tricky it is to promote yourself. It’s hard to communicate who you are and why people should buy your cakes over someone else’s. It’s also difficult to divide your time between making a product and maintaining things like my Instagram account.

How much I would enjoy my job. I love the creative side – having the freedom to take your business where you want and to change the path you’re following if you need to. I find that really exciting. Every day is different and there are always surprises around the corner.

That I’d have to make sacrifices. You have to balance family and relationships with work. There are a lot of unsociable hours, so you need to be passionate to stick with it and not everyone understands that.

How important it is to stand out from my

competitors. Because I’m a patissier as well as a chocolatier, there are lots of different areas I can cover. My skills are versatile and I think that gives me an edge.

You need to have a clear vision of where you

want to go with the business. It helps to know where you want to be two or three years down the line, so learn the basics and get relevant experience where you can.