Poppy’s Cupcakes: the female-run bakery inspired by a daughter’s love of cupcakes

 
We’re shining a spotlight on small businesses and today we’re looking at Poppy’s Cupcakes in West London, launched by entrepreneur Wendy Conway who was inspired by her daughter’s love of cupcakes.

Wendy launched her business, Poppy’s Cupcakes (opens in new tab), in 2013, serving treats to local residents of Chiswick, West London. 

The idea was conceived one day when she was sitting with her daughter enjoying a freshly made batch of cupcakes. “Mum, you could sell these!” she said. So Wendy decided to do just that. 

And so Poppy’s Cupcakes was born, with sweet treats available in a vast array of flavors including Sicilian lemon, double-dipped strawberry, and raspberry and white chocolate.  

The bakery’s allure was its family-run friendly, atmosphere and homemade goods. But when word got around that you could buy the cupcakes online, business began to boom. 

"I’ve always loved baking. I used to watch my Mum when I was a little girl, and as an adult I love watching baking programmes and experimenting with different recipes. I think baking is in my blood!” said Wendy.

Poppy’s is able to cater for a variety of customers, with all dietary requirements.

“We are regularly asked to bake cupcakes for people with different dietary requirements, lifestyle choices and medical concerns.”

“We have baked vegan cupcakes regularly along with gluten-free, eggless and for people with various intolerances. We cater for as many food allergies as possible and can adapt our recipe to suit every need.”

How GoDaddy helped Wendy’s business

In order to spread the word further, Wendy created a GoDaddy website.

“I started my website to get our brand out there. We were very lucky to find GoDaddy as the staff were so helpful and friendly, and made the process painless.”

As Wendy’s social media and digital presence grew, so did her business, and she began to distribute her cupcakes across the country. What started out as an off-the-cuff remark from daughter Poppy, soon became a lucrative business - with over 34,400 followers on Twitter (opens in new tab).

In 2016, Poppy’s Cupcakes won the Theo Paphitis #SBS Award and attended an award ceremony at the ICC Birmingham to mark her success.

Overcoming obstacles

Of course, no business comes without its challenges. Wendy explains, “Obstacles I faced when starting my business included, trying to get noticed and trying to build brand recognition.

“I overcame this by setting up a website, getting my name onto social media and approaching local businesses regarding stocking our products.”

But all the hard work is worth it for Wendy when she gets feedback from a happy customer. She says, “Getting positive feedback and seeing the smiles on customers’ faces makes it all worthwhile.”

But despite getting so much satisfaction from her baking business, for Wendy, the best part of her day is, “hanging up my apron and spending some quality time with my husband and daughter Poppy.”

Got a passion that would make a bright business idea? Head over to uk.godaddy.com (opens in new tab) to take the first step towards your new career.