Sarah has been baking since she was 12. Her sponges won the village show three years running. In March 2023 she started selling at a Saturday market — GBP 80 on a good day, GBP 20 on a wet one.
By October 2024 she closed her market stall and went full-time on online orders at GBP 4,500 a week.
The Steps
Month 1-2: Build the audience before you sell. She posted every single day. Not product photos — process photos. Flour on the counter at 5am. The light through her kitchen window. Her hands covered in dough. 30 posts in 30 days.
Month 3: First product-based post. "I have been making these lemon drizzle sponges for a neighbour's 40th and she said they were the best she had ever had. Would anyone else be interested in ordering?" 14 orders in 48 hours.
Month 4-6: Introduce a simple order form. A Google Form. Name, date needed, flavour, delivery or pickup. She printed cards at the market. "I take orders for custom bakes — scan to order."
Month 7-12: Pricing and systems. A clear menu with prices. A 7-day minimum lead time. Pick-up from her home. She turned down two large corporate orders to protect her margins.
Month 13-18: Referral loop. Every order came with a card: "Share with a friend, get GBP 5 off your next order." 30 percent of new orders came from referrals by month 18.
The market taught her the product. Instagram taught her the customers. The Google Form turned it into a business.
*This was a sample from ContentForge — I help artisan businesses get content that sells without sounding like a brochure. From GBP 97 per month.
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