A REGIONAL business support programme has given the owner of an independent bakery in Coventry the secret ingredients to post-lockdown success, helping revenue to double.
The owner of artisan cake business Sugar & Spice, Shiksha Gill, has praised the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce for its role in bringing about a two-fold profit increase in the space of a year and building a substantial customer base across the city and beyond.
Shiksha, 25, who has run Sugar & Spice from her home in Coundon since January 2020, now has her sights set on moving into a permanent premises and employing her first member of staff.
The bakery makes personalised cakes and seasonal treats influenced by her Indian heritage available to order online and via social media, delivering throughout Coventry and Warwickshire and as far as Hinckley and Birmingham.
She received tailored advice from Russell Grant, Business Advisor at the Chamber, and said streamlining her menu and boosting her online presence have been crucial to her success over the last year.
“The advice I have received from Russell and the Chamber has been absolutely instrumental in getting the most out of my business during a time when others have been struggling.
“The growth has been noticeable and I couldn’t be more thankful for the advice.”
Sugar and Spice has also been nominated in the annual Chamber of Commerce Awards for The Problem Solver Business Diversification Award, supported by Cisco.
The award celebrates businesses that have either transformed the market that they operate in or their product or service in order to gain a strong position in their market.
Russell Grant, business adviser at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce said: “It is fantastic to see the way that Shiksha’s business has developed so strongly over the course of this year since getting in touch with us in February.
“It is the sign of an astute business leader that she was so eager to seek out advice and implement that guidance into her day-to-day operations.
“She works extremely hard and deserves all of her success, but we are delighted to have helped her along the way.”
Visit www.sugarandspicebys.co.uk to order artisan cakes.
