I had no capital when I started my dessert company —Bumpershoppers MD

Ayobami Olayinka Olaleye, the Chief Executive Officer and head of Dessertier at Bumpershoppers, a sole business outfit that provides dessert catering services, is a creative individual who detests being put in a box. Her flair for creativity sets her on a path of creating a niche for herself and becoming a dessertier. In this interview with YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE, she speaks on her journey into the world of desserts and how she has been able to manage her business in spite of start-up challenges. Excerpts:

How did you get into the dessert business? What inspired you?

It was not something I planned; between the year 2008 and 2011, I was a manager in a dessert shop. It was a franchise brand of the UACN, the renowned QSR in Nigeria. I did my job exceptionally well and I’m modest about that. I learnt a lot there, I ensured I understood everything I could learn and the knowledge I got there was unquantifiable. It is the knowledge base of that experience that prepared me to take this on as a livelihood. Without that experience, I can’t be a successful dessertier. Being a team leader there also helped because I got to learn beyond the average staff, I was exposed to management, finance and all other aspects of the business, I learnt all that I could learn as a team leader. Afterward, I decided to start on my own and I must add that I took this decision when I had no capital to start. How did I start? I went straight into dessert catering which funds itself. I started with products that would sell itself any day, any time. Products like ice cream and the likes.

Why I wanted to become a Catholic priest — Charlyboy

Was it at that point you decided to make it a business?

Yes, at a point in my career, after almost 10 years, I decided to set out on my own. I have been a dessertier for the past 10 years but I started out on my own in 2016, which makes me just two year- old as an entrepreneur.

How would you describe yourself?

I am a craftswoman; a creative individual. Craft is a part of me and I am the type that likes to experiment and create. In describing myself, I will say I love creativity the most, I do not like being put in a box so I guess that didn’t favour me when I was doing my 7-5 job. I love colours and humorously, I am ‘allergic’ to bitter things, that is a good reason to veer into sweet things

So you followed your passion?

You can say that. Somehow, I have an extreme sugar tooth; I love sweet things a lot and I tend to explore anything edible that is sweet to taste. So it was easy for me to get started while also exploring the dessert aspect of a menu. A lot of good food has an after taste and there’s a need for any taste that will linger to be sweet. Sweet food gives that satisfaction and that is why dessert is usually the last on the menu. So indeed, you can say that I followed my passion and I’m making money from what I love.

What other things do you do?

Aside being a dessertier, I am a creative person. I love to get my hands busy with craft work like jewellery and paper craft. This brings immediate gratification when you look at them. So I am also a craft person, I like producing beautiful things from materials people will ordinarily take for granted.

Is this line of business lucrative considering it is just opening up?

It is true that dessert catering is a fairly new line of business in Nigeria but a lot of our bakers are exploring the field now. It is lucrative but to succeed in this, you have to put in a lot of marketing strategy in order to create the awareness of what you do and sell your product especially since it is now a competitive field though you still have to convince so many people that they need desserts at their events. Most people that hold events these days appreciate dessert stands because it adds glamour and class to a party.

What is the unique selling point of Bumpershoppers?

My strength lies in the fact that I do not follow the norm. I could come up with my version of dessert which would deviate so much from the norm but tastes just as sweet as the normal recipes or even better than the common trend. Like I said, I love creativity. I will say that my unique selling point is that I create more than is expected. And at Bumpershoppers, we ensure we give a service that makes you come back.

Any challenge peculiar to this business?

Aside the challenge that is peculiar to every other new business or entrepreneurship activity in Nigeria, the main challenge of the business of dessert catering is work ethics; a lot of our sugar mates need corresponding knowledge about the food industry; they need to learn what is expected of the food handlers and also other food vendors to have each others’ back, support their fellows in the business and not hurt them by carting away their items. That work ethics is a great challenge because many do not have it and we have to work together, it cannot be avoided.

 How affordable are desserts?

Well, definition of price is relative and depends on individuals. But I can actually say that dessert is affordable, not as expensive as perceived by many and also depends on what you want as a client.

What principles guide your business?

Well, it is being original and distinct; I do not follow trends but create my own style. I am focused and creative. I also invest in quality service because no matter what you can do, if your service is not qualitative, getting businesses will be difficult. So originality, quality service and creativity are my guiding principles.

You are a wife, mum and entrepreneur, how do you find balance?

I am a woman who appreciates family and children. I have two beautiful kids. For me, family comes first. Being the owner of the business makes it easy to create time for family and find a balance

Where do you see your brand in a few years?

Become a household name in Nigeria when you talk of dessert catering and having a product synonymous with bumpershoppers. I want to get to the point where we are the life of any event.

Advice to entrepreneurs?

My candid advice to entrepreneurs is simple; don’t dim your light, guard it jealously. And persevere till you see that light. Train and retrain, network all of the time. Most importantly, prepare for the big break because you can never guess when it will come. I registered my company name since 2010 but I didn’t start business or got that focus until 2016.

Is this a job for females?

No. Many people hold that belief and it is wrong.  We have a large number of male dessertiers who equally are exceptional in this field and it is indeed a competitive business.

What part of your business do you love the most?

Waoh; that is an interesting question. The part I love most in this job is the set up and the presentation. This is where we make the products look too good to eat and too excellent not to eat. That’s the part I love most and it is the most important aspect because whatever you prepare must be appealing for people to want to taste it after they must have been filled up with food..

So presentation is an important part of what you do?

Of course, it is an important part. The ingenuity and creativity is what attracts people and encourage potential customers. You cannot look at a well presented dessert spread and not want to order for yourself and your guests. No matter how good a dessert is, if the display is not attractive and beautiful, the dessertier has failed.

If you are not a dessertier, what would you have been?

If I am not doing this, I will most likely be a medical doctor. To be precise, I would have been a dentist.