Hello, hello!
I thought I would write a little blog post about how Bitesize came to be, and who it is that makes your sweet treats. If you are nosey like me, then hopefully this will be right up your street. If not, I won't be offended if you want to slip on by and detour straight to the goods!
So, the beginning... Well, honestly, the beginning *should* have been circa 2014 but, I had been putting it off with thoughts of "not enough time", "who would buy from me?", "I can make enough selling cake to live on" etc etc. Bitesize Bakehouse should have been 6 years old this year, but I used all these excuses and being a massive scaredy cat just plodded on baking for family and close friends. I did dip my toe in a few times with a food blog for 3 years, but that was as close as it got. I had an outlet for my creativity in my spare time and baked for anyone that would eat it, and just shoehorned this passion in and around my full time job. I loved it though. It provided me the time to cultivated a book of trusted recipes and a confidence in the kitchen to know when something isn't quite right, or when conversely, I have it absolutely spot on! That time also allowed me the space to day dream. I envisioned my brand, the business name, how I wanted it to grow, what I wanted to sell - and as importantly, what I didn't want to sell, along with where I wanted to place myself in the part and what my point of difference would be. This procrastination in one way, allowed a lot of forward planning in another and when I did take the plunge, I was able to go in, head first, knowing I was driving this small business in the right direction.
But, what changed? Why did I suddenly launch in 2019? Well, two things happened in my life. The first was I gave birth to my first child, Ruby. She had been long awaited and I still count my lucky stars that we got her! Through the whole process though, I realised that if I can do that, I can do anything (superhero cape after childbirth is still squarely on my shoulders and not going anywhere). Creating Ruby has given me some sort of inner confidence I could never have learned. The second was that maternity leave opened my eyes to all the amazing things you can do without being chained to a desk all day, every day and that you can live on a lot less too! I had always worked in an office since leaving university - i've worked in a variety of roles, through different sectors but they had always been 9-5 and always office based. My assumption was that was how to make a living and you just do the things you love around the outside. How wrong I was. Whilst off, I also read "The Multi-Hyphen Method" by Emma Gannon which exposed me to so many other potential ways to live a life that worked for me. At the same time that this epiphany was happening, my office job had all but forgotten I existed; the role was given to someone else and another made up for my return. If I'd have kept quiet I'm not sure they would have even noticed I didn't bother to come back.
Anyway, This little cocktail of experiences all muddled together and, out the other end came my business launch. I applied for a spot at Eat Cambridge in May, got in, and the rest was History!
At the moment, Bitesize Bakehouse is run by me (plus a generous support network including but not limited to patient husband who also double as box-maker-upper, amazing grandparents who double as impromptu childcare for last minute orders and a bunch of amazing close friends who have not only ordered and not asked for free cake, but have all lifted me during the wobbles and motivated me to keep striving on!). I am head baker, chief washer-upper, financial holder-of-purse and marketing maven all rolled into one. Long term, there will be more than just this one man band, but for the short term, if you call or email, it's my lovely self that will help you with your query everytime!
...and so here we are; up and running, and growing and learning, and improving and connecting. There's a long way to go but, as they say, "its a journey" and I'm in it for the long haul.
(photo credits: @girlbehindthelens)