Please let us know what you are doing now and where?

I am now a baker with my own business working full time from my mum & dad’s kitchen.

Your journey to setting up GG Bakes, how did this journey start?

I started GG Bakes whilst in my second year at Leeds Beckett University studying Management and Advertising. Having done little bits of baking for family and friends ‘here and there’, I decided to set up an Instagram account to showcase my work.  Upon leaving university in 2018, I struggled to find work using my degree but managed to get a job working for a family business.  After a year, I decided to go forward with GG Bakes and it wasn’t until a year after that that I managed to go full time with it, and when covid hit, my Instagram following shot up by 30k.  I had hundreds of messages a day and so many orders, it was crazy!

 Are there any particular skills that you find are essential for your job?

I am organised and friendly, and consider myself to be a ‘people person’, that is essential because I work with the public every day and so have to make sure my customer service is amazing. It is also essential that I am driven and hard working in my area of work.

Do you have any advice that you would give to your younger self?

Don’t be so hard on yourself and that everything happens for a reason. I used to beat myself up about making mistakes with my business but now I know that they all happened for a reason.  I have learnt so much from those mistakes and this has made my business so much better.

The challenges that you have faced establishing a new business, any advice that you would give to a young budding entrepreneur?

You must be prepared to put in 110%, it doesn’t come easy and comes with a lot of stress, sleepless nights and worry but it is all worth it. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and make sure you stand out from the crowd. Find your niche and play on that, don’t copy what other people do, as it doesn’t get you anywhere.

What do you hope to do in the future, where do you hope to be?

I hope to continue to grow my brand, work with some big brands and hopefully have a shop or somewhere that I can teach people. I believe the world is your oyster and you have to go for your dreams!

When you look back at your time at BGS, what are some of your fondest memories?

My best memories are with all the friends I had there, most of which are still my closest friends now. It really is like a big family, and I loved the 14 years I spent there!

Are there any teachers who helped to shape your career journey?

I had lots of help from my teachers at School, however my teachers in my creative subjects always believed in my talent a lot more. Bury Grammar helped shape who I am today.