Em’s bakes are the icing on the cake
When Emily Roa clocks off from her day job in credit control, she doesn't just put her feet up.
Instead she heads to the kitchen where she gets to work baking sweet treats for the community.
From cupcakes to celebration cakes, the 28-year-old completes up to 25 orders each week.
Her venture has gone from strength to strength since it was launched around two years ago and now she has been shortlisted for a business award.
"My baking business has achieved more and more success and I want to share my story to show that anything is possible if you are determined enough," says Emily, who lives in Wolverhampton.
She began making batches of cupcakes to keep herself occupied while looking for a new job after being made redundant from her reception role at a car dealership.
With the help of her mother Julie, a keen baker, she started learning new recipes and honing her skills.
"My mom was off work as well so we baked together and she taught me how to make cakes and buttercream," explains Emily.
Emily posted pictures of her baking successes on her personal Instagram account and soon started attracting compliments.
She set up her dedicated Beautiful Bakes By Em Instagram page in September 2020, which now has more than 15,000 followers.
Soon the orders were flying in and the run up to Christmas 2020 was especially busy as people shopped for gifts.
Among her customers has been a friend of a celebrity girl-band member, who she is unable to name, who got in touch and ordered four chocolate bombs as a gift.
Since then Emily has continued to attract customers from far and wide and grow the business alongside a full-time job.
"I opened during lockdown and took a massive gamble. I worked super hard - and I mean literally baking all day and night with no sleep consistently.
After finishing her day job at 5pm, she can often be found baking to fulfil orders until the early hours.
But Emily, who has also held a number of pop-up stalls, says she doesn't mind the long days because she loves getting creative and making people happy with her bakes.
"I don't enjoy the mess but I enjoy everything else. The best part is tasting it all. I have a creative flair which I never knew I had until I started this," she tells Weekend.
Her specialities now include cupcakes and cakesicles as well as decorative celebration cakes in range of flavours such as vanilla, chocolate and red velvet.
Brookies, a combination of a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie, are also becoming a popular choice.
Emily recently found out she had been nominated for The MBCC (Multicultural Business & Community Champion) Awards, which recognise and celebrate the nation's inspirational business and community unsung heroes.
Members of the public were given the chance to vote for who they thought most deserved to reach the final.
After winning enough votes to secure her place at the red carpet event on November 5, Emily now has a chance of winning the title of Most Influential Business Person of the Year.
The award is for people who not only have a successful business but also help and inspire others around them.
But she admits the nomination came as such a surprise that she didn't believe it could be true at first.
"I thought it was a scam so I ignored the first email. Then a second email arrived and I thought I'd better have a look at it.
"I have no idea who put me forward for this award. It could be a friend or relative but no one is owning up to it. A very thoughtful person has gone out of their way to do this for me and I'm really touched.
"To even be nominated for an award was enough for me but to know that my amazing Instagram followers and my loyal Wolverhampton clients all voted for me and got me to the final is completely overwhelming and I’m still in shock," Emily tells Weekend.
As well as the support of her followers and customers, she is also grateful to her mother for teaching her to bake and for making the eye-catching fondant toppers for her celebration cakes.
Her partner, Sunny, has also helped with ideas for the business and continued to "push her to succeed".
Emily hopes her story can be an inspiration to others to follow their dreams and not to let any challenges stand in their way.
"I left high school at 15 failing all my GCSEs, never went to college or uni and went straight into work. I never ever imagined I would have my own business that has gotten this far.
"I don’t want to encourage anyone not to do their GCSEs but I wanted to share my story that it’s possible to fail at times but if you want something enough you will work hard for it and you will achieve it," she says.
For more information, see www.facebook.com/BeautifulBakesByEm or follow @beautifulbakesbyem on Instagram.
