Meet the Cat, The Women behind THAT Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake
REMEMBER THIS SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN CAKE THAT SENT THE PERTH COLLECTIVE'S INSTAGRAM INTO MELTDOWN WITH LIKES AND COMMENTS ON FRIDAY?? MEET CATHY HUANG THE BAKER OF THESE AMAZING CAKES! How and why did you start your business? Bake You Smile started out of my downright obsession for baking. I found myself baking frequently in my off time, as my way of relaxing and unwinding, after fighting daily battles in the corporate world. After years of baking for friends and family, I decided to turn my love of all things pretty and tasty into my business. My vision was to provide Perth with an alternative option to the usual chain stores’ cakes. I try to be quirky and fun (and sometimes outrageous) with my creations so that people look forward to their cake on their special day. If this currently your full time career? Unfortunately no, but I would love to see Bake You Smile grow into my full time career. I have so many ideas I’m itching to try out. Where do you Bake from? All my creations are made in my home based business in Mount Pleasant. Where did your business name come from? I wanted my business name to reflect the sole reason for why I started this business. I had to think really long and hard about why I enjoyed baking so much. What was it that gave me the motivation to try new recipes and to try new techniques? What kept me going all those long nights in the kitchen? Almost every reason led to – there is just something I really love about baking for others! I enjoy making people happy! And the best way I know how is through my baking. So here I am, on a mission to bake people smile. What do you find is the biggest challenge when owning you own business? The biggest challenge for me is giving up things in my daily social life. It’s hard to find that balance between working beyond full time and spending time with loved ones. I have a pretty supportive and understanding team behind me (which I find is super important when you are just starting out) so the last thing I want is to neglect them! Your best moment so far in your business? Best moment (or moments) in my business is the opportunity it has given me to be creative. I loveeeeeeeeee “outrageous” orders! Throw a theme at me and let me work with it. Most memorable challenge you have when establishing the business? Operating on 3-4 hours of sleep a night haha! But you know what…it has been well worth it and I wouldn’t change a thing. There is nothing I enjoy more than bringing more joy to people’s special day. Your favourite quote or mantra “Do what you love. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” - Confucius What is your advice to Perth Women wanting to start their own business or turning their hobby into a small business? I hesitated for a good while before I started Bake You Smile. Every time someone asked me why I don’t start my own bakery I replied “because there are already plenty of bakers out there! It would be a tough and saturated market”. Now that I have taken the plunge, I have realised my statement was only partly true. There ARE a lot of amazing bakers out there! But I’ve realised that everyone has their own style and flare and no two bakers will ever be the same. The journey has been fun and I’ve learnt a lot of things along the way. I don’t expect to become a millionaire overnight (or ever). Most importantly, I’ve given it a shot and enjoyed every experience and moment it has hit me with. My advice to other Perth Women – Stop thinking and GO FOR IT! Take the plunge and follow your dreams! Don’t waste more precious time pondering years and years on end. Don’t go in with the idea of failure in your mind because you’ll learn from the experience – the good and the ugly. Go on, take the plunge and blow us away with your amazing ideas! What is your vision for your business? I am extremely happy with where Bake You Smile has gotten to in such as a short amount of time. I love catering for events and designing custom cakes, cookies, and cupcakes suitable to different needs. In the near future, I would love to work with other Perth talents to do some fun and unique collaborations such as fundraisers, organise “Perth Creative” events, or do a couple of pop-ups.
THE QUICK FIVE
Favourite Perth Coffee I have so many! CBD office work days: Low down; Airport office work days: Hoopla Espresso; and In my off-time: Pixel coffee (they sell delicious cakes too. Big bonus in my eyes)! Favourite Perth Fashion Label Hello Parry –classic and gorgeous range at affordable prices. Favourite Perth Homewares A cup of chic – simple yet elegant homewares. Favourite Perth Bar The Laneway Lounge – I can’t get enough of their delicious and creative cocktails. Favourite Perth Restaurant Oooo this is a hard one for me since I’m a big foodie. Right now, it has to be Petite Mort.
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