The Big Move – Part 1

In August this year, we received some real life changing medical news about my husband & it got me thinking about what the future holds and where in my life plan I was & was going to. After much consideration, I finally decided that it was time to take the plunge & dive into owning & running a full-time brick & mortar.

I battled with the decision to leave my full-time job of 15 years & after multiple signs I finally did it in September23. Best decision of my life considering that my resignation didn’t even earn me a significant goodbye or farewell by the business who I have serviced for so many years in so many ways. Anyhoo it all made sense eventually – putting myself & my family first is the most important priority for me & while this seemed like a massive risk – it really was the best thing for us.

After weeks of planning & cutting my budget 7 ways from Sunday, questioning my sanity every other day & going through some depressive swings of adjusting from the “unemployed” to “self-employed” mindset – I finally came out on top. Keeping the big secret & planning with only a few family & friends knowing was tough but it had to be done because not everyone who seems to want the best for you, actually does. This is the best advice I would give to entrepreneurs making these type of big moves. Keep your circle small in the beginning so that your obstacles are limited.

First thing I did was seek government program funding however things work so backward in SA that the things required to get business funding require you to already have a successful business with everything (equipment & premises) in place to apply for it.  Next option was a business loan which was immediately declined due to affordability. Obviously, my affordability wouldn’t be great if I was only doing the business part time but they don’t bother with important things like that. Biggest lesson learnt – no one cares how motivated & determined you are to make a success of your business; collateral & a big bank balance is what gets you the goods!

Next best thing was to invest in my dream using my provident fund, I was on the lowest contribution % for the past 15 years so the total wasn’t enough to get me everything I wanted to fulfill my vision. While this depressed me a little & demotivated me a lot, I learnt that not everything needs to be perfect in the very beginning, its already a blessing to be able to have the ability & opportunity to take such a big step & have the funds to make at least a basic version of your dream come true. I watched a lot of TheCakeMamas videos & this is exactly how she got started.

Ok so then we need to get the premises right? Absolutely best story! I found a place that I immediately fell in love with on Gumtree but I couldn’t get the deets without logging in which I was skeptical to do because of my background in cybersecurity so I moved on & checked for others. I visited 2 other places before my google search landed me back on the originally found property ad. So, I logged in & got the details, contacted the agent & he immediately declined me saying my cakery wouldn’t work in the property because of power constraints. I remember having my bestie on speaker on my MS Teams while I had this guy on speaker on my cellphone & I’m sure she could hear the disappointment in my voice. We decided that I need to call back & try again because his idea of a bakery & what I was actually going to do was 2 different things. He agreed to let us view the place, so the appointment was made & my husband went for the viewing 2 days later with the agent’s assistant.

I thought he would immediately feel what I did looking at the pics, but he wasn’t impressed, he sent me some of the pics of the property & I realized she actually took him to see the wrong place! The next day he saw the “correct” place & he was happy but a little skeptical. When I went for the viewing the following week my decision was immediately solidified! I truly believe that God sent me this place. It was meant for me. 100sq meters to make my dream a reality!

After completing the offer document for rental, the directors of the complex said it was too risky to take me on as a tenant because of affordability as well. I was so defeated but still I rose & negotiated & finally they gave me a 1yr lease! I was sooooo excited, this was definitely the place for me & I fought for it!

After a few weeks of tension on the home front due to uncertainty & this massive change, we finally moved in last week. Everything was taking shape & coming together & I’m so excited to say the place will be fully ready by Wednesday next week. I was blessed to have my carpenter & plumber whom I always use to have done all the work in the place & my gardener to do the painting. It felt like a proper family affair.

Today I told my parents about the big move & I’m not sure what their reactions were like, I think they might be more scared for me than me, but they said they were proud, so I guess that’s what counts. Imagine the secret being kept for like 3 months & when I finally want to share it with my customers & followers today – the fibre is completely down for the entire day! So, I guess that’s an announcement for tomorrow.

My decision wasn’t an easy one, but I believe it truly was the best one. As I told each person over the past 2 weeks as the need came up, I had never in my life realized the impression people have of me. The amount of people who said they are proud & if anyone deserves it, its us – is shocking. Those that said if it was anyone else, they would be worried but because its me they definitely know I will make it work. The support I received from my friends is unimaginable, they temporarily loaned me the cash to secure my property while I waited for my payout. I am so truly truly blessed & it’s times like these that you realize how important your faith is to your success!

My advice to all of you out there is to make sure that you take the chances that you can – when you can. Make sure that your & your family’s needs are always prioritized when making these lifechanging decisions. Always remember the people who contributed to your success & getting you this far & acknowledge that. Most of all, thank God for the opportunity to make your dreams a reality.

Until next time, bake people happy & have a look at some of my first well wishes below, I think over the past 2 months I told about 12 people only & it was a staggered approach.