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We love meeting new entrepreneurs and SME owners at Connectnigeria.com and for this reason we were pleased to meet Nike Majekodunmi, the founder of Nuts About Cakes. Established in 2010, she has been making mouth watering and delectable baked custom cakes, pastries and bread till date. In our interview with this ambitious young woman we get a deeper insight about what her business does and how she started out. CN: Tell us your name and a bit about your professional background and when you started this business? NM: My name is Nike Majekodunmi, I founded Nuts About Cakes early 2010. Although my business is in the Food and Beverage industry I have a degree in Political Sociology from the University of Reading and a Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Nottingham. CN: What is the story behind Nuts About Cakes? Why Cakes? NM: The story behind ‘Nuts About Cakes is very interesting because at first we were called Nuts About Nuts. This is because we started by baking products using nuts. As there was a high demand of customers who requested for cakes, we decided to rebrand to ‘Nuts About Cakes’. CN: How did you raise capital to start the business? NM: Finding capital to start my business was a very humbling experience. I started by writing a business plan which I presented to many in order to seek finance. In the end, it was my family who supported me. CN: What exactly are the services that your business offers? NM: Nuts About Cakes specialises in freshly baked custom cakes, pastries and bread for both corporate and retail clients. CN: What role does the internet play in running your business? NM: We live in a global world where everything is on the go , therefore it is crucial for a successful business to operate using the internet, as it aids the flow of information, provides unlimited access to information and promotes various forms of marketing. For my business, the internet plays a significant role as social media is a vital marketing tool that aids advertising Nuts About Cakes products worldwide. The internet also helps my business internally with the transfer of information from each department via email. It is always important to keep up to date with different trends, emerging cakes designs and flavours as it keeps us informed on what customers want as well as to inspire creativity. We are able to connect with our customers, perform research and keep up to date on developing trends. CN: How are technologies owned and deployed by the bank useful to you? NM: POS machines provide an alternative stress free automated method of making payments. This is useful for both Nuts About Cakes and our customers. The use of online banking is very useful too, as it helps us receive payments from customers at the comfort of their homes and enables us to make quick payments to various vendors. CN: What is your unique selling point, why should customers choose you over others? What strategy do you have in place to gain the upper hand over competitors? NM: Nuts About Cakes prides itself in the complete customisation of freshly baked cakes. We strive to maintain excellence in the quality of our cakes as we understand that customer satisfaction is paramount in keeping good customer relationships. We identify detail in all our products whilst ensuring that our unique blend of ingredients upholds the Nuts About Cakes quality standards. As a result of this, customer referrals have played a huge role in the growth of this business. Customer referrals are one of our biggest marketing tools. This inspired me to set up Nuts About Cakes customer referral program called ‘Nutty Friends’. Every time a Nutty Friend’s family member or friend purchases a cake from Nuts About Cakes they receive 5% commission of each sale. This referral program has helped me to really connect and develop a good relationship with my customers so I guess that’s my unique selling point. CN: What do you consider to be your best career decision you have ever made? NM:The best career decision I have ever made was leaving paid employment and starting a business that I am truly passionate about, which also enables me to express my creativity daily. CN: Who are your role models/mentors? NM: My Father is my role model he inspires me in so many ways, he is a self –made determined man who holds the principle of hard work very close to him. I have learnt a lot from him. CN: What is your long term vision for Nuts About Cakes? NM: My vision for Nuts about Cakes is that we become the largest bakery in Africa.

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This article was first published on 2nd May 2014 and updated on January 25th, 2017 at 8:11 am

jehonwa

Joy Ehonwa is an editor and a writer who is passionate about relationships and personal development. She runs Pinpoint Creatives, a proofreading, editing, transcription and ghostwriting service. Email: pinpointcreatives [at] yahoo.com