Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sonia Gupta, Founder of AnyBodyCanBake, located in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

At AnyBodyCanBake, we are pledged to transform HomeMakers into HomeBakers. We help baking enthusiasts and home bakers Master the Art of Eggless Healthy Baking at home without using preservatives or harmful chemicals.

Tell us about yourself

I am Sonia Gupta, Post Graduate of Mathematics. I had to quit my 10 yrs of corporate experience as my husband took up a new project in Pune in 2014. My child was growing up and was quite infatuated with bakery items, including sandwiches, burgers, pizza, cakes, muffins, etc. His demand was increasing, and so was my concern. I didn't want to feed him market-baked goods because of the added preservatives, ingredient quality, and hygiene in which they were made. I was also reading a lot about how preservatives impact the health of kids and why we see increased cases of obesity, hypertension, and even cancer.

So instead of saying No to what he loved eating, I started to bake at home. My friends, family, and neighborhood started liking it and also wanted to learn the same skill from me as they also wanted to ensure their family's health. And this gave birth to my venture, which is now known as AnyBodyCanBake.

Anybodycanbake (ABCB) is my second child. Like any mother, I want to see my child growing day by day. And this is what keeps me going and motivates me to continue to create new healthy recipes. The love that I get from my readers and my students inspire me to develop new courses and help people master the art of baking at home.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

In the last six years, I have taught more than 9000 students. My blog was ranked among the top 5 eggless healthy baking blogs in Pune and under the top 10 baking blogs in India. My Facebook Community is currently of more than 90K followers and is growing. The more I spread the knowledge, the more I feel accomplished.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Everybody has 24 hours a day. A woman business owner needs to ensure that she is able to give enough time to her business so that it flourishes but without compromising the time her family needs from her. And in my opinion, being able to maintain a balance between both of them is the hardest.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Alright, I will straight get to the tips. As an entrepreneur, you must:

  1. Focus: Once you decide your niche and audience, keep yourself laser-focused on them. Unless you learn what your audience wants and how the niche is evolving, it will be difficult for you to provide value and grow.
  2. Plan: Remember, an idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan. Planning needs a lot of research. Your planning must answer What, Why, When, Who, and How.
  3. Persistence: If anyone had a success formula, then every business could have copied it and become successful. Success is a step-by-step process, and you need to stay persistent to hit success.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I believe and advocate FIF, that's Financially Independent Females. If our country has to shine, if we have to develop, the woman in the family should be financially independent. I firmly believe once females attain financial independence, crime against women will also come down. At ABCB, I help females learn a skill in hand, baking, that they can use to gain financial independence. And that is exactly what my tagline says - HomeMakers to HomeBakers.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://anybodycanbake.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakewithsonia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bakewithsonia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soniagupta16
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anybodycanbake/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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