‘We do bicker –we’re both so stubborn!’

Caitlyn Badham-thornhill, 27, lives in London. She runs Cupcakes & Shhht with best friend, Sophie Beale, 30.

As a child, I dreamt of owning my own bakery. My mum taught me how to whip up delicious cupcakes and fudge and I studied food technology at school. But with no business experience, aged 18, I started working in a department store. I’d been there for a year when, in March 2011, Sophie joined the team.

With her big grin and outgoing personality, I’d found a best friend. It was one evening at the pub when I told Sophie about my childhood dream to open a bakery. ‘Let’s do it together!’ she said.

With Sophie’s support, suddenly my dream didn’t seem so unrealistic. So a month later, we quit our jobs and – with no income – we moved into Sophie’s parents’ house.

In their kitchen, I taught Sophie how to bake – from chocolate chunk cookies to peanut butter fudge. We’d stay up all night, burning our fingers and sampling as many sweet treats as we could manage. We didn’t have cash to buy clothes or go on holiday – but when one of us was feeling down, the other would be there to offer a shoulder to cry on.

With no money to open a permanent premises, we decided to set up a market stall. We gave our business the cheeky name, Cupcakes & Shhht, and on our first day of trading, we made just £70. It sounds paltry but it felt like

a huge achievement – and every day, our takings increased. We found that our gluten-free and vegan products were the most popular, so we created new recipes. By June 2012, we’d moved out of Sophie’s parents’ house, and could even afford to go on holiday to Italy.

With each year that passed, our business grew and in November 2015 we opened our own cafe. It wasn’t much different to working on the market stall – just a lot warmer! And now, we’re hoping to open new locations.

Baking with my best friend doesn’t feel like work. While we do bicker – we’re both so stubborn – we spend most of the time in fits of giggles. We’re proof that working with friends is a recipe for success. ✱ cupcakesandshhht.com

From very small beginnings, the founders of Cupcakes & shhht now have their own cafe