Wisbey Bakes

Having lost her job, Naomi decided to take the plunge and seriously explore her passion for baking.

Over a year on, she has registered as a sole trader and launched her lifestyle business ‘Wisbey Bakes’. She now regularly sells artisan bread and savoury snacks at weekly pop-ups, outdoor markets and selected outlets in Plymouth. She has also made strides in building an engaged community who share her passion on Instagram and Facebook.

Naomi first discovered Outset Plymouth by registering for a face-to-face Social Media workshop as she was keen to build her practical knowledge in this area, given its natural fit with her type of enterprise. The training covered a number of areas and helped her to see the importance of strong visual content, consistency and scheduling when building her brand and finding new customers.

In addition to the training, she was able to access 1:1 support too, particularly on the finance side to help her understand the importance of cash-flow planning and demystify the terminology around finance in business. She also regularly attended the Friday Start-Up Club weekly networking meetings as these supportive interactive sessions helped to build her confidence and overall morale. They expanded her local network of partners in Plymouth too, which came in very useful in getting her business off the ground.

Naomi says:

Without the friendly support and encouragement from the local Outset team, I would not have had the confidence to register as a sole trader.

Looking ahead, she is open minded and positive about the opportunities to continue to build her business and ensure that her love for bread can generate a reliable source of income.

Asked if she would recommend Outset, Naomi says:

Definitely. It’s a really supportive programme. It massively helped to boost my confidence and opened my eyes to make informed choices.