Taking A Whisk: Kiwi-Indian Woman’s Cake Shop Journey

Urmila Keshav’s love for baking began when she was just 8 years old - now, she has turned that passion into a thriving business.

After beginning her career as a pastry chef, Urmila decided at age 30 to take a risk, and bought Icing on the Cake in Auckland’s Herne Bay.

“I just thought, I would really love to do something for myself,” Urmila said.

“I didn’t see it as a risk to be honest, I just went all in - everyone said, ‘oh you're so brave’, but I never really saw that side of it."

Urmila spoke with ANZ New Zealand CEO Antonia Watson, as part of the bank’s Watch Women Win initiative, which aims to showcase women succeeding in their chosen fields and inspire others to do the same.

Photo: Urmila with ANZ NZ CEO Antonia Watson/ Supplied

After buying the business, Urmila kept some things the same, but changed other aspects, including the look and feel of the business, to her own tastes.

The hardest part wasn’t the baking or meeting orders, she said, but actually just coming to grips with the business side of her new venture.

“It was the marketing, the staff, keeping up with our suppliers and attracting clients,” Urmila said.

“But I actually now almost prefer that side of the business to being in there baking - I like talking to people and finding out what I need to do to support my staff and get the best out of them.”

She now employs two full-time and two part-time staff, and has spent a lot of time developing them.

Photo: A range of cakes, cupcakes and sweets available from Icing on the Cake/Supplied

Antonia endorsed that approach, saying while delegation could be challenging, especially for those who are new to management, it was a necessary step to scaling up many businesses.

"My parents had a pharmacy, and to be able to go on holiday they needed to be able to trust someone else to run their business," Antonia said.

Now, with good staff and systems in place, Urmila trusts them completely to keep the business going.

“I'm able to drop off my kids every morning, and arrive around 9.30 - but I know that, every day, the store will be set up and open for business,” she said.

The last few years have been challenging, Urmila said, with inflation pushing ingredient (and therefore cake) costs up, as well as the undeniable effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I remember when they announced that businesses would shut, and thinking what are we going to do? To be shut for weeks, how are we going to manage this?”

With support from her family, as well as her landlord, Icing on the Cake weathered the storm - and Urmila also realised the need to innovate - preferences had changed.

Social distancing had put a temporary end to large, in-person gatherings, which meant their larger cakes were off the table for a while - so Urmila introduced a new line of smaller “bubble” cakes - enough for 3-4 people to enjoy at home, as well as cupcakes and slices, perfect for a socially-distanced picnic.

Urmila said, during the early years, she did have doubts about the viability of the business at times - but she knew she had to push through.

"In the first 18 months, and we had some very quiet months with not much cashflow, we just couldn't cover costs," Urmila said.

"I was thinking, this is supposed to be what I love doing, and I'm failing at it - but we just had to ride it out.

"It's the first two years, if you can just get past that barrier … it is difficult, I’m not going to say it's not, but if you believe in it, and you've got a vision, stick with it, and put everything into it."

Antonia agreed the two-year mark is crucial for new businesses, adding that ANZ had recently created the HOWTWO programme, which is specifically designed to help business customers navigate that difficult period.

“Agility and adaptability are great traits to have in those first years, and small businesses are so important to our economy as we continue to recover from the pandemic,” Antonia said.

But when it comes down to it, Urmila said, you really get out what you put in.