Taking a leap of faith Gabriela whipped her dream up into a thriving cake business

Since Gabriela was six years old she dreamed of owning a cake shop.

Resigning from her full time job at the end of 2016 she decided to take a leap of faith and start her own cake business, Bakealicious By Gabriela.

To assist her to get her business up and running, Gabriela applied for New Business Assistance with NEIS and commenced in January 2017. She learnt the essentials of setting up a business and was connected to a business coach and financial assistance.

“One of the best aspects of the NEIS program is the fact that you get a business coach who calls you on a monthly basis to see how you’re going and gives you advice on how to overcome the problems that you might be facing,” said Gabriela.

“The other great things about the course is the financial assistance, which takes a lot of stress off your shoulders and that you get to meet a lot of entrepreneurs that are going through the same process. It’s just nice to be with like-minded people who are going through the same thing!”

Still working from home Gabriela’s next goal is to open her own shop.

“The best part of my job, apart from baking of course, is when I meet my customers. I’d like to open my shop very soon so I can have customers come in all day and I can talk to them and make sure that my cakes meet what they want for their celebration or special occasion.”

Gabriela’s advice to other entrepreneurs is “to have a positive mindset and take a leap of faith. Although it is scary, you just have to put your fear aside and focus on your dream.”

“You can avoid jumping because you’re too afraid and regret it 10 years down the track, or you can take the jump and even if things don’t work out, at least you tried.”

To find out about New Business Assistance with NEIS and how it could assist you to start your own business, talk to a NEIS provider today