(With big thanks to everyone who voted!)
Sarah Walters – founder of Cakes by the Bunch
If you’d told me a year ago that I would have been writing a blog as a Gold winner in the Buttercream Blooms awards just a year, I would have laughed in your face! And yet, here I am! I started my floral buttercream journey when my youngest started school and I was looking for something new to get my teeth into. I’d baked as a hobby before but I soon realised that I loved the florals, was naturally quite good at it, and that it could give me the opportunity to start my own business – something I’d secretly always hankered after doing! For a year I combined growing my business with working in my children’s school but over the summer I took the leap and resigned from my school job to try and develop my business in news way – and to try and restore a little work life balance!
When I entered the Bloom awards I didn’t have any real expectation of winning. I don’t have tens of thousands following me on social media as some are clever and talented enough to have managed! But, boy, did I work hard for the month of voting. I shared my entries everywhere I could think, both on my own platforms as well as local, National and international groups. It was scary to put my work out there but I was blown away by the response I got. So….if you’re thinking about entering in the future, I would really encourage you to do it and then think about how you can share your work more widely.
As well as the obvious privilege of being a Bloom winner, the increased exposure lead to a week long feature on my cakes and business on local BBC radio so it really was worth it!
by Sarah Walters
