How life-changing events turned a pipe dream into reality for a new Leamington cake-making business

Life-changing events have inspired the launch of a new cake-making business in Leamington

With the end of lockdown in sight and a renewed sense of optimism among many, Leamington resident Kate Alderman said she thought this was the perfect time to start her new business, Little Prince Cakery.

And while 2020 has been a year of major changes for everyone, for Kate it was a life-changing year.

"If ever I needed a life-changing event to spur me into action, 2020 had me spoilt for choice," she said.

"The explosion of coronavirus devastated lives and economies on a global scale, and on a personal level, I gave birth to my first child, Ted.

"This is a life-changing event at the best of times, but after countless miscarriages, operations, a complex delivery during a pandemic, and post-natal depression, it had been a long and exhausting journey.

"After five years of doodling cake designs on magazines, I launched my business specialising in wedding, celebration and cupcakes."

Prior to taking the plunge, Kate worked in communications for 15 years.

"I’ve been extremely lucky with my corporate career," she added.

"The work is interesting, satisfying, and I’ve worked for companies that genuinely help the world, but I’ve always slightly envied those people with a ‘calling’ in life – that innate sense of what you should be doing, paired with an obsessive passion for doing it.

"In recent years I’ve felt a shift in my priorities. I began thinking more deeply about what I love to do and how I could make that a bigger part of my life.

"Occasionally, I’d talk to my husband about running a cake business from home but for a while it remained a pipe dream.

"While I was working full-time, I struggled to carve out space to develop the idea. So, as dark as recent times have been, lockdown has at least provided me with the opportunity to find my feet and get my business off the ground."

Kate has been making novelty cakes for friends and family for years - but to see if the public would be interested in her cakes, she put messages out on social media, telling people she would be making celebration cakes at base cost for six months only and anyone planning a celebration should get in touch.

"I instantly received a flurry of orders, with many customers insisting on paying more than agreed when they saw the finished product," said Kate.

"I also received fantastic feedback following their events."

Talking about her new business, Kate said: "I considered the values I wanted my brand to embody and what it meant to me, and kept coming back to the same thing – family.

"I wanted my business to be family run, for the ingredients and end product to always match the quality I would expect for my own family, and for every customer to feel as welcome and looked after as a family member.

"This is why my cakery prioritises the personal touch – hand written thank you cards sent to every customer for example."

And what about the name of the business?

"I also knew instantly that I would name the cakery for my son," she said.

"After all, he did inspire me to take the entrepreneurial plunge, but I struggled to come up with a fitting title. In the end, all credit went to his Granny.

"Ted’s ‘miracle baby’ status has seen him positively doted on by his large extended family – so much so, my mum jokingly appointed him the ‘Little Prince’. It was perfect – it captured a little of his cheeky character, and tied in nicely with Leamington Spa’s royal connections."

You can contact Little Prince Cakery on the following addresses:

Facebook: @littleprincecakery

Twitter: @LPcakery

Website: https://littleprincecakery.com