My name is Claire Magowan and I run The Lily Pink Bakery, a cake companyspecialisingin buttercream cupcakes and layer cakes.
My background is in film. I graduated from Queen's University Belfast in 2010 with a BA Hons in Film Studies, then went back to Queen's to do a Masters in film, and graduated in 2011. I then did some volunteer work with a local cinema in their marketing department. I was struggling to find a job in my chosen field when I found out about a programme run by Belfast City Council to help people turn their hobby or passion into a business.
I had always loved baking, taking inspiration from my grandparents and my many Nigella Lawson cookbooks as a teenager. I had been running a blog where I shared my recipes for several years, and had always had good feedback and encouragement to take things further.
From the first meeting of the programme I knew that running my own cake business was what I wanted to do, and with the help of Belfast City Council I would be able to achieve it. Through the programme we got to visit local businesses who were happy to share their advice on a range of topics; everything from dealing with customers and the importance of originality right to more practical issues such as sourcing packaging and financing. We were also taught how to write a business plan, which was an invaluable help to me.
At the end of the programme we were each given a stall at St George's Sunday Market to trial our products. I had spent the previous month trialling recipes for cupcakes to ensure that my cakes not only looked, but tasted wonderful. Both weeks at St George's were a complete success and I sold out of all stock.
Following this success I decided to trade as a casual trader at St George's every Sunday, and my stall has now been made permanent. Running The Lily Pink Bakery is now my full time job. During the week we cater for everything from weddings to birthday parties, and also supply several local businesses with our cupcakes through wholesale. I have greatly expanded my flavour range while maintaining my original focus of cakes and cupcakes made with only fair trade, free range and local ingredients.
Business has really taken off and we are currently working on several projects which will expand the bakery even further.