BY ESTHER NURIA
SOLOMON Women Newspaper was fortunate to feature one of the local females who has been baking cakes for more than four years now.
Ms. Salome Hong, a 28-year old female has been called to the office to bake and there she shares her experience as to why and how she came up with her baking business.
Solomon Women Newspaper (SWN): As the paper understands, you have had a baking cake business, therefore can you tell us more about it?
Ms. Salome Hong (SH): As someone with no employment status, the baking business helped me a lot in many ways. It helps me to earn extra money. Because nowadays life is very hard and even working people too have faced a lot of challenges in coping in with their daily life struggles. And today if you are someone who is formally employed, you must also engage in other things apart from your job before you can survive the daily demands. And most of all, for us who do not have a permanent job, we must turn to do extra things to earn money. Example, my ‘baking cake business’.
SWN: Who taught you how to bake in the first place?
SH: My mum taught me, because she used to bake cakes. And during those times, I usually helped my mum in beating up eggs and helping her with the cake measurements. And it was during those times too, as I helped my mum, the idea of baking has not yet sunk deeply within me. I just do baking because my mum asked me to do it. Not only that, but I also have a friend who bake cakes. I usually visit her and helped her when she bakes. But all these have changed one day, when a friend of mine called me to give her the contact of my friend who bakes cake. But it was then that my friend, who usually bakes cake, has gone down to her home province. Therefore this friend, who had called me, begged me to bake the cake that day. I was scared then that time, but I could not let that friend down. Therefore I went to my mum and asked her to help me and she instructed me. And everything changed for me that day. Since then more orders for cake flowed in from my friends and families basically for birthday parties and special events.
SWN: Have you ever faced challenges with what you are doing, and can you explain these challenges?
SH: Yes, I have faced a lot of challenges. But the two main challenges I always come across is the lack of ingredients, particularly the icing and the need to meet my clients’ deadlines. It can be very stressful for me when these things don’t go according to plan.
SWN: Do you love what you are doing?
SH: Yes, baking cakes is what I love most.
SWN: Today many women and even men are doing the same business ‘Cake Baking’. That is it like competing with them?
SH: Yes it is challenging for me because sometimes I have this idea that, ‘maybe they will bake better cakes than me, or do better decorations or icing than mine.’ But what keeps me going is the single thought that, ‘if they can do it, then I can do it as well.’ And this helps me to keep out all these negative thoughts.
SWN: What do you think the government should do to help small businesses like ‘Cake Baking?’
SH: I would like the government to recognize these types of businesses and to find ways to assist us by providing funds to help boost our productivity. We struggle every day to keep our business afloat, therefore I think it is only fair for the government to help us with the capital that we need to expand and keep us going in the long run.
SWN: Any advice for youths who are interested in doing the same thing?
SH: If you have an interest in baking cakes, then please continue to maintain and make use of the skills you have. Because nowadays buying a birthday cake or buying a cake for a special event is very expensive. Therefore if you can bake; then it will cost you less than buying a cake.
SWN: Any final comments you wish to share with our readers?
SH: To my friends, families, best friends and even our readers. If you want cakes for your birthdays or any special events. Please don’t hesitate to call me and make your order.
