Katja’s Cakes
Let them Eat Cake
Cake Maker Katja from Katja’s Cakes based at The Yard, Hastings explains how she has been able to organise her business and find her worth with the support of the CHART programme and Let’s Do Business Group.
Katja’s Cakes makes bespoke, highly decorative celebration cakes and cupcakes using buttercream. Owner Katja has been creating cakes for over 20 years. After finishing her degree in ceramics and metalwork she visited her brother in New York, who was working at a place called ‘The Cupcake Café’.
“I remember going in and seeing all these beautiful cakes, and stunning flowers everywhere, I fell in love with it”
She fell so in love with the idea of creating beautiful cake masterpieces that she secured an apprenticeship there, working for 3 years, and having the experience of making cakes for A list stars such as Opera Winfrey, Madonna, and Bill Clinton.
“I love what I do because it is a very creative undertaking, and most importantly, it is great to be a part of someone’s special day. It’s lovely to be able to please people.”
When she returned to England, she decided to set up her own business, where she could develop her passion for playing with surface pattern and colour to create unique, bespoke cakes for her clients special occasions.
“When I returned to England no-one even knew what cupcakes were, I’ve watched cupcakes become this major thing, and I am proud to have been there from the beginning.”
Website - www.katjascakes.co.uk
Instagram - @katjascakes
After spending some time in London and Manchester, 6 years ago Katja made the move down to Hastings, and eventually found a home for her business in a unit at The Yard, on Waterworks Road, Hastings. A thriving community of independent businesses, craftspeople and artists, it is a hub of activity, drawing in the local community to enjoy the goods and services available there.
“I came down with my husband to make a delivery, and so we visited hastings as neither of us had been there before. I remember it so clearly. We got fish and chips and went and sat on the beach where the fishing boars are. My husband turned to me and said I could live here and within a year we moved. There are so many things I love about Hastings, I love the light, I love the sea, the sense of something always happening. I was born in London and parts of St Leonards remind me of London, of where I grew up. There are so many diverse people living right next to each other. The whole town comes out for things”
Support to Rise
It was through The Yard that Katja was introduced to Emily Wright from Let’s Do Business Group who is a Business Manager for the CHART development Programme.
Connecting Hastings and Rother Together (CHART) is a Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Programme tailored to help pre-start and established businesses in Hastings, Sidley and Central Bexhill to grow. The project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This project provides up to 12 hours free business support for businesses in the qualifying areas.
“Emily took me under her wing. She is very proactive, and is so friendly and helpful. She really listened to what support I might need, and then put me in touch with Jonathan, to help with my financial planning”
Jonathan Dow, has extensive financial experience, so was an ideal fit to advice Katja on how to progress her business forward.
“Jonathan has been fantastic. For me he changed my whole mindset. I know I have been doing this a long time, but I lacked confidence, and I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. I know I am good at what I do but I’m really rubbish at selling myself. What Jonathan did was sat me down, talked to me honestly and took a real look at my business, he even made me double my prices which was scary, but it has had a huge impact. Spending time with him really opened the flood gates giving me ideas on all these things I could do.
The change in mindset for me, where suddenly I am worth something has been fantastic. From there, he is trying to mould me into a businesswoman, which is something I have never really been naturally. Getting me organised, helping me to know what I am doing with my money, and valuing myself, my time and my skills. I really can’t thank both him and Emily enough, it’s been fantastic”
Sweet Success?
Although initially anxious about some of the changes, Katja has reported a rise in demand since her interactions with Let’s Do Business Group. Despite putting her prices up, she is now seeing a huge demand for her services, with clients actively seeking her out to create their celebration cake. She is now also looking into alternative revenue streams to continue to grow her business, exploring the idea of branded merchandise to really raise her profile in the area.
“Everything I have been told about business just clicked and started to make sense, so my main focus is now turning what I do into a business, rather than just me making some cakes and hoping to be paid for them.”
