Wendy Conway launched Poppy’s Cupcakes in August 2013, inspired by her daughter Poppy’s love of cupcakes.
One day whilst eating one of her freshly made treats, Poppy said ‘Mum you could sell these’ and that's when the idea came to her to set up her own cupcake business and name it after her daughter. Here’s her inspirational story.
One piece of cake at a time
Poppy's Cupcakes is an online bakery based in Chiswick, West London, and has been serving delicious treats to local residents since 2013.
The business started off small but word soon got round that you could buy delicious cupcakes online from Poppy's. Initially Wendy started selling to customers in her local area but quickly expanded to cover further afield with the help of their website and social media presence.
“I have always loved baking, I used to watch my Mum when I was a little girl, and as an adult I love watching baking programmes about baking and experimenting with different recipes, I think baking is in my blood.” said Wendy.
Whether it's a baby shower, a wedding or just a party, Poppy’s is called upon to cater a variety of occasions.
“We are regularly asked to bake cupcakes for people with differing 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.”
Wendy believes that people are all different and, as such, so are Poppy’s cupcakes. Their delicious cupcakes are freshly made to order, and they always try to use as many locally sourced natural ingredients as they can. What’s not to love?
A tasty website
Poppy's Cupcakes' website, built with GoDaddy, has been integral to the success of the business. Wendy explained: “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.”
Poppy’s website showcases the wide variety of mouth watering treats, whether it’s Sicilian Lemon, Double dipped strawberry or Raspberry & White Choc cupcakes through to their corporate or seasonal offerings. It also features a blog where Wendy showcases her knowledge and expertise.
When asked what challenges Wendy had faced when starting her business, she replied: “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.”
Poppy’s online presence showcases their tasty product offering and through their use of social media they’ve built an impressive following with over 34,400 followers on Twitter alone.
When asked what advice Wendy would have for someone starting out, she said: “Set up a website with GoDaddy, make your presence known on all social media, have a business plan and aim high.”
Wendy believes ‘perseverance’ has been a key attribute to her online journey. A journey that she’s learned a lot of lessons on.
“The most valuable lessons I have learned since starting my business are to stay calm and focused, and listen to the customer,” said Wendy.
Sweet success
Wendy’s business journey has been an impressive one. Taking her passion for baking and turning it into a business is an impressive feat. And in 2016 Poppy’s Cupcakes won the Theo Paphitis #SBS Award and attended an award ceremony at the ICC Birmingham.
But it’s not just awards that make Wendy’s journey worthwhile, as she explained: “Getting positive feedback and seeing the smiles on customers' faces makes it all worthwhile.”
And, when she’s not baking up a recipe for business success online, the best part of her day is “ hanging up my apron and spending some quality time with my husband and daughter Poppy.”
When asked how she would define success, Wendy replied: “I would define success as reaching your goals and accomplishing what you set out to do.”
Feeling inspired…
If you’re inspired by Wendy’s story and ready to start your online journey, we’re standing by ready to help.
At GoDaddy we’re all about empowering every idea, business, side hustle or nonprofit cause to claim their place online and look great at the same time.
And guess what? We love hearing about your success stories. In fact, we want to shout about them! Get in touch with us on social media and share a link to your website and we may well be in touch to feature you on our blog.
