The self-taught baker quit her full-time job to pursue baking and is navigating her business through social media
Lucinda Wilson, 30, made her side-hustle her full-time job in just March this year. She launched Lucinda’s Kitchen from her parent’s garage in Roath and the now professional baker hasn’t looked back since.
Once a full-time dental nurse, Lucinda now spends her time baking cakes for orders made through Facebook and Instagram in the kitchen her dad built especially for her.
On being a self-taught baker, Lucinda says: “I always baked cakes, and I was good at making them taste nice, but I never really decorated them. From watching cake decorating videos on Instagram I thought I could do it if I really wanted to!
“The first cake I ever properly made was for my cousin’s 21st, it wasn’t great and I spent hours doing it!” Lucinda explains, laughing as she remembers the memory, while a heavily detailed to-do list with orders for the day sits in front of her.
From side-hustle to full-time
When Lucinda started taking orders for cakes from friends and family she was still working as a full time dental nurse. She would come home from a long day to her husband and then spend the evening making cakes, and doesn’t understand now she is a full-time baker how she ever managed it.
She said, “I went part-time in January, going down to three days a week, but then I was taking on more orders and it just didn’t weigh up properly. In March I decided to pack in my full-time job.”
Continuing, Lucinda said her dad was the reason why she decided to take up baking full time. “My dad pushed me towards doing it,” she explains. “He started a business when he was my age and I just think that’s what he has always wanted me to do.”
Her own home was too small to make it the base for Lucinda’s Kitchen, so her parents kindly offered to construct her a kitchen in their garage. Lucinda notes how grateful she is for their support as this was something she couldn’t have ever done herself.
With beautiful grey cupboards, sparkling white countertops and her own neon sign, it’s definitely an ideal place to spend your working day. Her background as a dental nurse is apparent with how pristine every surface is.
The importance of social media
Lucinda’s Kitchen takes the majority of its orders through social media, particularly Instagram and Facebook. She said these platforms are the only thing she uses for the business.
“I get all my orders through Instagram or Facebook. I didn’t really want to make a Facebook page because I personally don’t use it that much, but I think using it you do get another age group that will make orders through there.
“I just do everything on my phone, if I lost it I would die!”
Ambassador, a leading referral marketing firm, published a report stating 71% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand to others if they have a positive experience with it on social media, hence why it is so important within Lucinda’s business.
“I just do everything on my
phone, if I lost it I would die!“
Alongside social media, baker Lucinda also says word of mouth is great for orders as people are always more likely to go with recommendations from friends.
Lucinda gives her top three tips for anyone starting their own business below, including why word of mouth and social media are so important:
In the future she dreams of owning her own shop. “It would just serve coffee and cake,” she says. “I think it’s way in the future but that’s definitely the dream.”
