How creativity, courage lifted Adesola’s bakery business  

With the rise of Nigeria’s middle-class, the catering industry is experiencing an increased demand and consumption.

As a result, the industry is becoming attractive to thousands of young entrepreneurs who have learnt the science, art and skills of baking to meet the huge demand.

Adesola Ajayi, founder of Loise Bakery and Confectionary, is one of such entrepreneurs.

She established Loise Bakery and Confectionary to provide amazing cakes for clients to celebrate birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduation, promotion, retirements and dozens of other special moments.

Adesola, who was a fund administrator in one of the top pension fund organisations in the country, had to quit her job to pursue this passion.

She was inspired to establish Loise Bakery and Confectionary in 2017 owing to her love and passion for the art of baking.

“I was inspired to establish my business owing to my love for the art of baking and decorating. I love to take an idea and make into a cake. This love and interest inspired the business,” she says.

In turning her idea to action, Adesola had to embark on more baking training despite having over six years’ experience in it.

Apart from attending a master class on baking, the young entrepreneur also took up training classes on the internet. “I first learnt baking in 2011 in church and afterwards, I attended a master class on mix and bake. Also, I took a lot of courses online and watched a lot of YouTube videos on baking and designs,” Adesola says.

Adesola started little and constantly works hard to grow the business.

She notes that during her working days, she regularly bought different pieces of equipment at the end of each month after receiving her salary.

“While working, after collecting my salary each month, I would buy a particular piece of baking equipment and, gradually, I had enough to kick-start when I finally resigned. This made it easier for me as I did not require much capital any longer to commence operation,” Adesola recalls.

After doing that for over five years, she spent the little she had on getting an office space and buying other accessories.

The economist-turned-entrepreneur says her business has grown quite well since she starting. She explains that the business sources its raw materials from local markets across the country.

When asked about the challenge confronting her business, Adesola tells Start-up Digest that huge infrastructural gap in the country remains the biggest issue.

She urges the federal government to provide key infrastructures such as stable power supply and motorable roads to reduce cost of doing business in the country for entrepreneurs.

Adesola plans to diversify into other confectionaries and have baking outlets across major cities in the country.

The entrepreneur says she will tell her younger self to be open to identify problems around and turn them into values that could be exchanged for income.

“I would tell my younger self to start early. Follow your interest and passion early, stay focused, pray and preserve and, in time, the seeds you have planted would start bringing forth fruits. In time, your passion develops into success,” she says.

Josephine Okojie