This is the Twentieth-First post in my series of posts where I speak with people in the creative industries and ask them questions about the things that “I Wish I Had Known” when I started out as a creative myself.
This week, I had the delicious pleasure of talking to Jessica Ly, a food entrepreneur slash fashion stylist slash marketing guru, who at the beginning of the pandemic started her own food service called Fashion Bake. We spoke about reinvention, immigration and how vulnerability is not a weakness but a superpower:
1- This year has taught us how brilliantly resourceful and resilient we can be. You lost your job at the start of the pandemic but then started an incredibly successful takeaway service. How did the idea come about?
It really has! Before this, I was working at an FMCG food startup (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) working in marketing. When I was made redundant in March, I threw myself into my first love, food. Growing up at home, we’ve always gathered around the table and made dumplings as a family and as a coping mechanism (I was going through lots of emotions at the time - fear, anxiety, rejection).
I started making and testing dumplings recipes for pleasure. Creating and making dumplings became my therapy and meditation. I started posting photos of my creations on Instagram and people were asking if they could buy some... I’ve always been a feeder and the penny dropped... maybe I could sell frozen dumplings?! We had 5 weeks of our tenancy left at our flat in London and I was “jobless”... so I decided to go for it and test out the market in our neighbourhood to see if there would be any interest. I sold out every week for 5 weeks!
2- Your life story represents the success of the immigrant. Your family left home and established in the UK during very difficult times and were able to make a living for themselves and raise the entrepreneurial machine that you are. Do you think about your family’s history when you are going through challenging times like these?
Every day. When my parents came here, they had nothing and couldn’t even speak English. Not only did they manage to survive, but managed to thrive. They are my daily inspiration. They created something from nothing. They’ve made so many sacrifices i.e pursuing their own dreams and ambitions (my dad wanted to be a mechanic and my mum wanted to be a hairstylist) to put food on the table and survive.
I’m a proud daughter of immigrants. Our story is a journey that represents resilience, grit and survival.
3- I am also a descendant from immigrants, and an immigrant myself. I often say that immigrants might be the only people with sufficient skills to navigate such difficult times. I’m a proud immigrant son of immigrants and something that I like from your brand is that you are proud of your heritage as well. Did you know that this was going to be an important part of your branding right from the start?
Yes definitely! I don’t think you can decide where you’re going until you know where you’re really from. Fashion Bake is me telling my story. Being a daughter of immigrants is part of my identity. I’ve always been a storyteller - first it was via my blog (Fashion Bake started off as a blog years ago!) then it was via fashion styling, now it’s via food. We ALL have stories to tell and I think it’s so important to tell our stories because you never know who you might inspire and how much somebody might have needed to hear your story - we never know who we’re giving hope to!
4- Did you have a business background before you came up with the idea for this venture?
I used to make bespoke cakes - it started when a friend asked me to make 100 cupcakes for a charity event. At the event, everybody loved the cupcakes and asked if I travelled around selling cakes and I laughed because I didn’t think it was possible. The next day I made a website, wrote out my brand mission and started off selling cupcakes.
I didn’t expect it to take off the way it did - people started ordering cupcakes, birthday cakes, wedding cakes. I then got a job as a Fashion Stylist at Harvey Nichols full time and I started making cakes after work in the evenings. I just love creating! I think my entrepreneurial spirit comes from my dad - he’s always finding new ways to create and even now at 59, he’s always thinking of the next business idea and venture.
5- Which skills do you think were transferable from your previous industry?
Every single skill I learnt has been transferable! My eye for detail as a fashion stylist. In my roles in marketing for the two food start-ups I worked at, I dabbled with food styling, branding, marketing, social media, content creation, community management. Relationship building. I’ve taken all of those experiences and skills to build and create my own business. Every single one of those skills I’ve needed to create my own business and brand. From my branding to the messages I deliver and the way they’re delivered, to the customer experience.
6- And do you think that has been the secret ingredient to your success?
What is success?! I mean I’m nowhere where I want to be yet - everybody’s definition of “success” is different. Success to me is the number of lives you have impacted and touched and contributed to. It’s loving what you do, how you do it, and who you are.
I give a shit. I love what I do, I am authentically me and I show the good, bad and ugly. I think authenticity and vulnerability are really important, that’s what people really connect with. People think vulnerability is a weakness but it’s a superpower! I would also say compassion and gratitude.
7- Speaking of success, it must have been scary to see that so many people opted for selling food during the lockdown. What made you keep going?
I really believe in my products (I truly believe every household needs frozen dumplings in their freezer) and I am uniquely me, and that is my superpower! What keeps me going is seeing how happy it makes people and hearing amazing feedback and making people smile, that is the biggest reward!
8- Any advice for other people thinking about starting their own businesses?
Make sure you really love it - don’t just do it because you’ve seen somebody else do it with success. There will be long nights and days and you’ll have to make sacrifices to build your business.
9- Just when you started your business in London, you made the decision to go back to your hometown. How has moving north impacted your business?
I was worried that nobody would buy dumplings here or get it - but my Northampton community here has been so supportive! COVID-19 has really changed people’s behaviours and for me, the challenge was to change people’s eating behaviours. Most people here hadn’t really cooked dumplings at home, but I think delivering clear messaging and content really helps!
My dumplings come with simple cooking instructions, you can scan a QR code which takes you to a video cooking tutorial and I have lots of content on Instagram.
10- I am a big believer in supporting the local economy because I’ve seen entrepreneurs like you who, with our support, have the power to change people’s lives. Keep calm and buy local, the slogan should say. How can people buy your tasty creations?
We’re currently only available locally in Northamptonshire, but watch this space! World domination is the plan ;)
Follow our journey on Instagram @fashion.bake !
Website: www.fashion-bake.com.
Jess, I have tried your delicious dumplings many times and they were always a success at home. I'm sure that soon they'll be in every home in the country! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and for sharing with me what your fashionable dumplings are all about! It’s everything that I Wish I Had Known!
If you haven’t read the previous posts of this series, you can check the whole series here. I hope you liked this new post and stay tuned for a different creative each month!
Photo credit: My portrait by Wayne Noir.
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