From Baking Free Cakes for Friends to Running a Multi-Million Naira Business. Here are Key lessons We Learned from Cakes & Cream Founder, Bolaji Johnson on the BWG Show.

If you live in Lagos, Nigeria, there is a high possibility that you’ve eaten a Cakes and Cream cake at one point or another. Have you ever wondered who founded the outfit that churns out those scrumptious cakes?

Bolaji Johnson is the founder of Cakes and Cream. She started baking cakes while in the University of Lagos by simply reading recipe books and making free cakes for friends up until she realized it could actually become a business. Her decision to monetize her love for baking has produced a nationally recognized organization with a staff strength of over 400 people with four large bakeries across Lagos. Cakes and Cream is recognized as one of the biggest cake companies in Nigeria.

On episode 8 of Binging with Game Changers, Bolaji speaks with show host, Seyi Banigbe, about establishing and running her thriving business. Below, we have put together 3 major lessons we gleaned from their conversation.

1. Passion and hard work are mutually inclusive in birthing a dream. You cannot succeed with just passion, similarly you cannot succeed with just hard work. The synergy that comes with passion and hard work births something of value. Similarly, the place of innovation and creativity cannot be discounted when pursuing your passion. You must be willing to sacrifice, learn the ropes, relearn the ropes, unlearn what does not serve your pursuit… basically, you must be willing to put in the work to whatever to ensure that your pursuit comes out if exactly but very close to what you envisioned. Bolaji says her mantra at Cakes and Creams is “if you can dream it, we can cream it.”
2. As a brand, you should ensure you are listening to your customers per time. Their needs evolves. Hence, to stay on top of your game, you must be willing listen to the people you are serving. That is what Customer Service in its true sense is- Listening.
3. As a leader, you should ensure that you are evolving at the same pace as your vision is evolving and you must be willing to communicate the vision over and over and over again to your staff.

You can watch the show below.