"I hated office work so I quit my job in insurance to pursue my passion for baking"

“I’ve loved baking for as long as I can remember, having been taught to make rock cakes and Victoria sponge by my mum, Ann, when I was too little to even go near an oven. It makes me so happy that I’m now able to make a living from it,” explains Charlotte Cooper, who has never regretted her change of career in 2017.

“As a teenager, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, just that I didn’t want to work in an office. I only started working at an insurance company to save up some money to travel. But having made my way up through the ranks, I found I was still there in my late 20s.

“The money was good, but I was unhappy and hated going to work. It was just too structured and routine-based for someone with a real creative side like me, but I had no idea what else I could do."

My baking side hustle

“One Saturday, my dad, Les, asked me to make birthday cupcakes to share with colleagues at work. The cakes were a hit, with many of his workmates asking for my business card, so I started baking more in my spare time and selling to friends and family. Their positive feedback was the push I needed to quit the office job.

“I wasn’t sure how I’d turn cakes into a career, but I took the leap anyway. My family was hugely supportive, but some friends were more doubtful. I still remember one saying she’d give it six months before I went back to a proper job!”

Taking on a café

“For two years, I gained great experience running the coffee shop at a local museum, although their kitchen wasn’t suitable for the kind of bakes I wanted to create, so I used to make all the cakes at Mum and Dad’s.

“In Spring 2020, I felt ready to take on sole responsibility and run it as my own enterprise, and opened Wonderberrys at the museum site on 1 March, 2020.

“Just 19 days later, the rapid spread of Covid-19 led to the closure of all hospitality businesses, so it wasn’t a great start.

“But I’ve been thrown many curveballs like this since opening (including having to move premises twice) and I’ve learnt to flex and adapt through all of them. I’ve surprised myself at how calm I’ve managed to remain when things go wrong!”

Coping with Covid

“Unable to open the Coffee Shop, I started running Bake-alongs on Instagram. I’d send out a list of ingredients on Monday, and at 10am on Thursday, a lovely community of home bakers would join me to bake brownies, tiffin and sponge cakes on an Instagram Live.

“As the lockdowns continued to affect hospitality, I also started a Cake-Away business, which became a huge success.

“I’d take orders for everything from doughnuts to 8-inch tall, iced ‘Cakes of the week’ and people picked all their goodies up at the weekends. The demand was huge, and I was still living at home, so my parents’ kitchen was rammed, making around 400 doughnuts, not to mention all the other bakes every week.

“Mum was a huge help throughout and enjoyed it so much that at the end of 2021, she left her job at a university to become my business partner. It works so well with Mum handling all the admin and me doing all the baking. I love working with her and know we both always have what’s best for the business at heart.”

Connecting with a community

“It was wonderful when the Covid restrictions eased, and in January 2022, I moved from the museum to open my own Wonderberrys Coffee Shop.

“As an unexpected upside of the lockdowns, I had built up a big social media following and many of the Bake-Along and Cake-Away families became regular customers. Having taken their orders for over a year, I knew all their names and favourite bakes, so it was great finally to meet them all in person.

“We’ve now moved to our third Wonderberrys site, with a shop in Woolston, Southampton, where I bake every day.

“Our best-sellers are Snickers brownies, Cookie pies and Cinnamon buns, but with around 30 options to choose from, there’s something for everyone. I’m so excited to launch our online shop, offering UK-wide delivery on some of our best bakes.

“I have a wonderful team who works with me, and we’ve built such strong connections with our community of customers. We’re always busy testing out new tasty treats, and I love nothing more than an open brief for a celebration cake where I can really get creative!”

Happiest when baking

“Despite the years of working long hours, seven days a week, I’m so glad I quit the ‘rat race’ to pursue my passion. When I look back at Insurance Charlotte vs Baker Charlotte, it’s like we’re two completely different people. I’m so much happier now, and I love the variety, creativity and sociability of what I do.

“I thrive on the buzz of running my own business, making decisions in minutes and creating delicious bakes all day, every day. Having found the job I really love doing, it just doesn’t feel like work.”