This week, we interviewed Nadia Zucchelli, the Founder and Owner of Let Them Eat Cake Bahrain. Her passion for making cakes and dedication to achieving her aims has taken her to the position where she owns this shop.
She believes that getting more and more experience in one’s field can be a valuable addition to their career. She is a pastry chef who aims to open her 3rd cake shop in Bahrain and is currently working on it too. Learn more about Nadia Zucchelli and her cake shop through our interview below.
How did you start your entrepreneurship journey? Do you have some advice for beginners?
Being a Pastry Chef, most of us want to own our own business! This was very much the case for me when I was younger. However, in my late 20s, I became very disillusioned by the industry (I was working and living in Germany then) and stepped out for over 10 years. I returned to the industry for personal reasons working from home in Dubai, as I had a two-year-old son and wanted to be at home with him.
Starting again rekindled my passion for making cakes, and it quickly became obvious to me that this was my future. I was very fortunate, a few years later, to be approached by a company in Bahrain to set up a new cake shop for them. This was an amazing opportunity, and I am most thankful for everything I could learn during my 2.5 years there. The CEO was my mentor, and I appreciated the trust, belief and encouragement I received during this time from him.
I was finally at a stage where I believed in my capabilities to go ahead and open my own cake shop, and that was the beginning of Let Them Eat Cake!
For beginners, I suggest getting as much experience within your field as possible and finding a good mentor. Never be afraid to ask for help/advice, and always accept a challenge. You have yet to determine where it may lead!
What is the most crucial part of continuing business seamlessly?
Communication is key. There must be good communication between all departments, suppliers and customers.
A business can not survive without the commitment of its employees. It is important that all employees feel that the business belongs to them and that they impact its growth.
We saw that you are active as a leader in multiple companies. What are your goals through your companies, and how do you plan to help individuals with them?
My goal is to open the 3rd Shop in Bahrain to create a triangle, which will give us access to all regions in Bahrain. Being a cake shop, we need to be within reasonable reach for our customers, to shorten the travel distance for delicate cakes and the travel distance for our customers. We are also considering introducing small cake decorating classes for adults in one of our branches. This idea has arisen due to the high demand for children decorating classes over the holidays that we have been doing for the last 4 years.
Describe yourself in one word.
Energetic
Do employees’ energy and enthusiasm have a hand in business success? How do you plan to motivate your team to go the extra mile?
Yes, energy and enthusiasm are very important parts of the business. I encourage my staff to participate in menu planning/development for every occasion. I need to have their input. People have amazing ideas but need a platform to air them, so I encourage this as much as possible.
My team knows that I appreciate them, and this is very important. I trust they will always do the right thing, always. As a team, we also have regular get-togethers to celebrate various times of the year, and we participate in Beach clean-ups as a team for the environment. The shop closes during these times, which shows the staff that they are an important part of the business and everyone is included.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I encourage my team to do their best and work together. I encourage each team member to help the other and put themselves in their team members’ shoes, so to speak. Every person responds so much better to kindness, gratitude and honesty.
Did you face any challenges during your career span? If so, how were you able to overcome them?
There were (and still are) some challenges along the way! However, I feel without the challenges. I would not be where I am today. Challenges occur on a daily basis, and my goal is to learn from them. There is always another side to a story or a way to turn a situation around.
Being open to this is important for us to grow. When I think of challenges, I look back at the past and see that actually. They were not so bad or so daunting or such a catastrophe as they seemed at the time. I have a song in my head (way back in the 80s) that always comes to mind when a challenge appears. It reminds me of what direction I am going in!
Are you adapting to digital transformation? How is it helping your business?
We are adapting to digital transformation within the food industry. It has become an important aspect of our business. Online food ordering apps have, especially since COVID, become an integral part of the business. We also launched our own online shop this year. We are very active on Instagram and Facebook for social media.
Do you use innovative ideas to be unique?
That we do! Innovation and creativity are very much a part of what we do. We create new cakes/desserts monthly, always looking for new designs and ways of making cakes/desserts. We are very open to the latest trends in healthy options and always looking for improvements.
Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?
We have been open for 4 years, and I have seen that my leadership has greatly changed over time. From being very much hands-on at the beginning, my journey has taken me through all aspects of running a business to a position where I feel for us to grow further, we require more leaders in the company. My goal for the next year is to encourage and motivate new growth within the company.
The Benefit, our clients, are getting is a much more streamlined customer service experience.
Connect with Nadia Zucchelli on LinkedIn.