THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF: Baking businesses on the rise as treats replace tech as the ‘enterprise du jour’

Bakery businesses are accounting for more and more startups, KashFlow finds.

Despite the current economic downturn, it appears that the age-old business of baking is experiencing a revival. KashFlow, the award-winning accountancy software business that provides flexible accounting systems for small business owners, has noticed a drastic increase in the number of bakers and bakery businesses in the wake of popular television show, The Great British Bake Off.

  • Brays Cottage, a KashFlow customer and artisanal pie bakery in Norfolk, has provided an insight into how they set up their business.
  • Further case studies are available on request from KashFlow.
  • TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off could have a positive effect on the economy.
  • KashFlow has offered a PR tip infographic for SMEs wanting to generate buzz about their business.

QUOTATIONS

Sarah Pettegree of Brays Cottage, an artisanal pie bakery in Norfolk commented;

“Wanting to spend more time in the countryside was the driving factor behind setting up Brays Cottage. I’d had enough of the City and corporate life and wanted to indulge in my passion for food, so I thought why not make some money out of it?”

She continued:

“Starting without any equipment other than usual domestic appliances and no outside investment, we’ve proven (no pun intended) that all it takes is passion for what you do and a little elbow grease to be successful. Without external funding, everything has been paid for by the pies and we’re proud of the company we have established.”

Sarah added:

“Once we had the idea and the confidence to go for our dream, we thought long and hard about what we would need to be successful, and the key elements are actually fairly simple – once you’ve got the inspiration, which can come from anywhere (like The Great British Bake Off!) all you need is three simple things:

1. Visibility – We built our own website using free tools and spoke to relevant journalists and bloggers to spread the word. If your product is good enough, they’ll listen.
2. Customers – Finding and getting in front of the right people who will want to buy your product.
3. An awareness of numbers – It might sound obvious, but just maintaining good admin systems creates clarity and transparency to show how well you’re doing.

The third point was initially managed using spreadsheets, but our lives were made a lot easier once we started using KashFlow. It freed up so much time, which we could then use to concoct new fillings!”

Duane Jackson, Founder of KashFlow commented:

“I started KashFlow as a solution to my accountancy woes as an entrepreneur, and I’m really excited to see what inspires others to start something. It’s also very interesting to think that The Great British Bake Off could actually have a direct impact on our economy by motivating bakers to ‘live the dream’. Who knows? The next big TV show could ignite another boost in the economy!”

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