“No dream is big or small; the way you look at it determines everything. ”
Sandhya Parasarthy, a qualified software engineer who left a high paying IT career, to start up her own venture “Cake My Heart”. She followed her heart and converted her passion for baking into a successful business. Her perseverance and willingness to experiment with baking created a magic in her products. “Cake My Heart” specializes in making customized cakes, dessert table set ups and sugar art; for her customer satisfaction is of foremost priority. Having an expertise in cake baking, she even provides classes in her studio. With her zeal to serve with love and a personalized approach to every client she has managed to change the myth where people believe 'Egg-less cakes aren't as tasty.
Please share the story behind your venture ‘Cake my heart’…. As an IT employee I was always looking for a break from the monotonous life, that’s how baking happened to me. At first it was just a hobby but soon it turned out to be more than just being a leisure activity. After a long day at work I would come home and be excited to start baking. One led to the other and soon I reconsidered what I actually want and where my heart lies. The answer was simple, the joy I see on the face of people after having my cupcake or a macaroon was worth a lot more than having an IT job. That was when I decided to quit my job, not knowing what lies ahead, taking the biggest risk of my life. Today not only is ‘Cake my heart’ a well-known name where I take custom orders but it has also allowed me to teach what I love- The art of simple home baking.
From an IT employee to a self-made business woman: Has the journey been rewarding? Some light on your future goals? My journey so far has been really enriching and rewarding. Exploring my creative side which I never knew even existed has made this job as a cake decorator far more satisfying than my previous jobs. Everyday has been a learning experience. I see Cake My Heart as a place where homemakers can go, polish their skills and kick start their dream as a Baker and a Cake decorator.
The challenges you faced and your approach while dealing with them? No work is simple, as it looks! A home baked cake is whole lot more than a regular cake, is made of choicest ingredients, tried and tested recipes and an innovative and talented hand behind it. This states why is it worth every penny and a little expensive than regular ones. Serving such quality doesn’t come economical so this was one of my biggest challenges initially. It’s pretty difficult to source the best ingredients and make a cost effective product for a customer but we try to do just that. Over the years I’ve realised that only the best that goes in will give you the best results. The strategy here is to make clients understand the kind of products we use and also their health benefits as opposed to locally mimicked counterparts.
What are your views on the thought, that as compared to male counterparts, it’s harder and more struggling for females to make a mark professionally? The only way I would say a women entrepreneur is any different is because of the multiple roles she has to juggle. Apart from that every business has its own share of ups and downs.
Piece of advice to the aspiring youth entrepreneurs… I would say there is no better place to be than ‘today’. If you believe in your dreams then there is nothing that can stop you. Finding your passion is the difficult part, but once that’s clear then everything is just ‘Cake walk’. The best advice I could give to budding entrepreneurs would be to:
No dream is big or small; the way you look at it determines everything.
Essential skills required to be a successful entrepreneur? Determination, hard work and Self-motivation are the three things that kept me going.
How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life? Has the family always been supportive? It has only made it better. When you are working in a stressful IT job all you do is bring out all that frustration home. But here although the stress levels are the same the joy I see on the face of people after having my cupcake or a macaroon makes it worthwhile. My family has been my pillar of strength from the moment I decided to quit and everything thereafter. Be it helping me set up my own space or understanding my commitments and giving all the encouragement that I need. There are days I see my dad proudly showing off my work to his colleagues. And then there are days when they say outright that I could’ve done better. They are my biggest critics and I’m glad to have them beside me on this journey.
What are your views and opinions towards the ambiguous need to promote women entrepreneurship and women empowerment in India? In today’s world, we see a lot of working moms. We see women don various roles from being a mother to being a CEO to running a household on her own. Women are capable of doing things today which a few years ago were thought to be impossible. To begin with the biggest blessing would be to educate every girl. It would also be good if the Government offered monetary assistance to women entrepreneurs to kick start their goals and help them put their dreams into action.
