Launching a Food Based Business – Bake with LiLi and Dex

Tell us your name and a bit about your family? When did you become a Mum and to whom?

My name is Sarah and I am a mum to Eliza (4) and Dexter (2).
We lI ve a busy life in Essex juggling work school and nursery runs. My parents are a massive influence in my kids lives and my mum is also my business partner and my total rock but sadly they live over 200 miles from me hence why we sell our products in two different locations in the South of England 🙂

What’s your business called?

Bake with LiLI and Dex after the two inspirations in my life!!

Can you describe it in one sentence?

Baking boxes for kids full of ready weighed out ingredients and instructions to allow your children to be creative in the kitchen with minimal fuss stress and weighing out!

When did you become a Mumpreneur and what inspired you?

I’ve been a teacher for 13 years now and bake a lot with the children. Eliza loves those boxes youimg_4190 can buy in the supermarket but they taste rubbish and I wanted her to learn about baking using a range of ingredients but couldn’t be doing with the stress of weighing and measuring.
The kids inspired me to start the business in the summer and after going through a divorce I wanted to prove to myself I could turn my hand to something new and exciting and to make the kids proud of me when they are older and know you have to work hard in life to get what you want.

How did you fund your start up?

My parents and my uncle paid for my website. We have had another investor come forward as well. It’s lovely that people close to me really believes in the success of the business and we’re willing to part with their hard earned cash!!

How do you manage working around your children?

I have an amazing Mum! I work late into the evenings but see this as fun a project to stretch and challenge me. Teaching is my bread and butter. This is all about my creativity and I absolutely love it and love seeing happy kids and products they’ve made as a result of our boxes.

Can you describe a typical day, what tasks do you have to get done, how do you manage your time?

lol I don’t manage my time as well as I should anyone close to me will tell you that. Routine for the kids has to come first. I take Eliza to childminders at 7 and Dexter at 7.15 to nursery 2 days a week and my mum takes them the other two days. Luckily I don’t work Mondays so this is my fun day with my boy whilst his sister is at school.
I usually mark, plan lessons and Normal stuff once they have gone to bed then speak to mum discussing the business, checking emails and orders, loading with our website and graphic designer and now am in the process of sourcing a photographer and someone to film me baking with the kids for YouTube videos.

What challenges have you faced in your business and how have you overcome them?

There is not enough time in the day!! We have had some label issues and personalising them away from the graphic designer so mum and I have become very quickly accomplished at photoshop and other graphics programmes to get products to clients in time.

What’s the best thing about being Mumpreneur?

It’s about and for my kids. They are my motivation to make this business a success.

What are your plans for the future?

To sell through a big well known website… they have said they love my products but we need to develop the package if to look more premium. That will be our next steps in the new year and also to sell at as many craft Fayre and events as we can to get our brand out there.

What advice would you give for someone just starting out in business?

Persevere and use people around you. it’s definitely a challenge but helps to have a dad as a bank manager, a friend as a website designer one as a tax advisor and lots of great friends willing to support share my page and trial my products giving lovely reviews to share on sites like Facebook, Instagram And twitter

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

Our products are great alternative to party bags and this is our biggest success feedback from parents not wanting to waste money on the toys and sweets you usually buy to fill them up. Take a look… 🙂

Www.bakewithlilianddex.co.ukimg_4193

https://m.facebook.com/bakewithlilianddex/