Why Rhoda Wouldn’t Underprice Her Majestic Cakes

By Nilpa Shah

Posted on January 15, 2019

12 min read

1,764

One look at Bran and Berry Ltd’s creations would have you wishing you had a birthday this month!
Rhoda Ojwang Thumbi, 32, is the face behind the majestic creations that are slowly becoming many a household’s staple! From simple themed cartoon character cakes to witty baby shower cakes, Rhoda has earned her niche market with her delectable beauties. She spoke to Nilpa Shah about her journey into entrepreneurship.

Tell us about yourself. What’s your background?

I am the second born in a family of three girls. I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father is an educational consultant and my mother is a business lady currently specializing in farming. My sisters are intrapreneurs; one is a talent manager and the other is a creative artist. I have an undergraduate degree in international business administration with a minor in entrepreneurship and financial studies. I started off my professional life as a banker, which I did for two and a half years. After some time, I made the decision to quit formal employment and be a stay-at-home mum. My husband Hezekiah is also my business partner and I have two beautiful children, a boy and a girl.

What inspired you to start?

I have been a stay-at-home mum for six years now and have run the business for five years. At the beginning I wanted to keep myself busy as I stayed home to take care of our son. I enrolled in a baking class and after a few months of baking for my family, I decided to start selling cakes to my close family and friends. The positive response I got from them made me register a company to formally begin selling as a business. The baking class that I took also taught how to cost cakes and sell for profit. This gave me a good foundation on how to run the business.

Rhoda Ojwang with her husband and business partner Hezekiah Thumbi.

What resources did you start with and how did you use them?

I work from home so I already had a cooker for home use with an oven to start off with. My husband and I invested part of our savings into the company and I used the money to buy more baking equipment like pans and a cake mixer. It has mostly been a solo run but at one point I had a friend who helped me out with my business as I taught her how to bake.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?

I mostly use social media (Facebook and Instagram) to advertise my business. However, referrals from existing customers have helped me widen my customer base.

What have been your biggest challenges so far with running your business and how do you overcome them?

The biggest challenge has been dealing with clients who would like me to charge lower prices like some of my competitors. Clients will call up to order a cake but soon complain that my prices are too high. The pressure to give in and take the order is tremendous since you want to make a sale. But over the years I have learnt that it is not worth compromising the quality of my cakes just to make a sale. I have learnt to stick to my prices and let go if the client isn’t willing to pay for the product. Surprisingly, this has earned me a group of loyal customers who know that I will always give my best in the cake.
Another challenge was in the first few years of my business; I would overwork myself and work odd hours to complete orders. This eventually caused me to burn out and not be able to keep up with client orders. In the later years, I discovered that I could get part-time help whenever I have large orders.

Tell us about your team.

The Bran and Berry team consists of my husband, Hezekiah, and I. I specialize in baking, decorating and creative works on the cakes, while he focuses on the creative designs of the cake boxes. He is also the part-time delivery driver.

What do you love most about running your own business?

Scheduling my day so that I can balance out spending time with family and also running a business. I love creating my own goals and targets.

How do you keep motivated through difficult times?

I have great support from my fellow bakers through the Bakers’ Association. We meet often and in the forum, I get to interact with bakers who have been in the industry for a long time; some for as long as 20 years! Their advice helps me navigate through the challenging times.

What’s the biggest lesson you have ever learned?

Not to mix business with friendship. Several times I have made and delivered cakes to friends without any deposit and that has caused me to go at a loss since the client ends up not paying for the cake. I now have in place systems that ensure that clients pay up in full on delivery of the cake.

How has entrepreneurship changed you as an individual and your lifestyle?

It has made me more time conscious and budget wisely. I must plan my day to do orders in good time as well as spend time with my family. I budget the company money well so that I am able to pay myself as well as buy equipment that I need for my business.

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

I would hire people for my team. This would have helped me in times where I was overwhelmed with many orders. I would also hire a business coach to walk with me as I started my business. I believe this would have helped me to make smarter decisions concerning the business from the beginning.

What’s your annual turnover now as compared to your seed capital?

My seed capital was KES 100,000 and I am managing an annual turnover of KES. 300,000.

Where do you see your business five years from now?

I would like to own a small café where people can come and enjoy a slice of heavenly baked goods from my bakery. I would also like to start a baking school to teach children who would like to learn how to bake.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?

Get a business coach. Business coaching helps in focusing on your business and being accountable. It is easy to mix business and personal life especially the financial aspect, but through the coaching you learn how to place systems that help with accountability.