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Gladys Igbekele, chief executive of Edyglad Cakes and Event Company, has explained that passion and ability to satisfy clients are key factors that have sustained the business in the last 12 years.
Igbekele said, in an interview, that her journey into entrepreneurship began while she was in the higher institution but officially kicked off in 2008.
“I worked for some years in the public sector before deciding to turn my passion into business,” she said. “I went further to register a company in 2008 after attending several trainings to be certified as a cake baker and confectioner.”
The entrepreneur explained that of all her passions, she picked up cakes and events as a business, which had remained robust in the last 12 years.
“I am very passionate about my works and believe in creativity. I love imparting knowledge. This has led to the birth of an academy to train more people to be financially independent and also give back to the society. This happens through mentorship of upcoming entrepreneurs with interest in baking and event planning,” she explained.
She further said that Edyglad was today known for exceptional “beauty to behold tasty cakes and confectioneries” as well as planning of events.
Igbekele noted that it had become necessary to empower youths and women at this time through her culinary academy so as to help them become financially independent. She has trained about 210 since inception.
On how she was able to meet her client’s needs during the total lockdown, the event and catering expert said it was easy to meet clients’ needs during the lockdown because food and confectioneries fell under government essentials.
She revealed that her brand cooked and packaged food for home delivery which was made possible by her outfit’s delivery van.
Speaking on her brand’s post-coronavirus plans, she explained that Edyglad was poised to do more for new and current clients by ensuring all staff adhered to health and safety protocols in event planning, food handling and customer delivery.
“It’s part of our business policy to abide by government and industry rules in order to maintain the integrity of our organisation,” she said.
Sharing success insights with upcoming female entrepreneurs, Igbekele advised them to know what their clients wanted and ensure they met that need.
“They must imbibe the spirit of hard work, collaboration and excellent customer satisfaction. All these are what has kept me going till date,” she concluded.
