Candid Interview: Saiba Singh on her complementary careers at Sugar Rush by Saiba and Google

Let's start at the beginning, how did you first get into baking?

I've been baking since I was a child, my Masi (aunt) used to teach me over each summer vacation I visited Pune, she ran a very successful bakery there 'Cherry On The Top', and that inspired me. She had a PhD in Banking, and decided to purse her passion so she started the bakery. We used to meet her and my grandparents every summer, and helped her name it! Being a massive dessert addict - the one condition she used to have was I should try learning as well, besides stuffing my face and that lead to a long line of funny looking experiments.

"My family is still in shock that someone is excited to eat food I make. If I can juggle this, you can honestly go to the moon if you want to!"

​What led to the inception of 'Sugar Rush by Saiba'?

I started Sugar Rush By Saiba because of a variety of reasons. One being I do want to pursue my MBA and travel in the next few years, but I also want to be able to finance both myself. I'm very particular about being able to stand on my own feet, so in the event that I had to take on a loan, I wanted to have substantial savings - which is why I decided to start Sugar Rush alongside a full time job. Other reasons included wanting to learn how to successfully run a company. I have a background in Marketing and Advertising from Symbiosis and have experience in building brands digitally for others, so I wanted to see how to use that knowledge practically for myself. I am also an Account Manager for Small & Medium Businesses (SMB) for Google so it was a great way for me to put my money where my mouth is :)

The last reason was that I saw a need gap, besides a few handful bakeries that do brownies, there are very few in India that are known for the same and if I took on a second career, I needed to do something I could manage with the time commitment of a few hours, which doesn't include birthday cakes and fondant cakes since all of them are labour and time intensive. Hence Sugar Rush By Saiba has products that are unique like marshmallows, brownies, tea time cakes and homemade energy bars that the normal bakery may not supply. ​

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​​What do you think has attributed to your success?

I'm a big believer in practical application of theoretical knowledge and luckily have been exposed to a variety of fields from multiple forms of advertising, communications and business strategy, so I feel that has been a big advantage. Another thing was people. When I launched I expected to have 1 order a week, never imagined it would be 3 a day or more than I could handle! This was due to the page and my brand going viral by people I knew who encouraged me, ordered, and spread the word initially to potential consumers. 

What have you learnt as a business owner?

Before starting Sugar Rush I read a bit about key success tips for businesses and realized that mine had to be - Customer Satisfaction. Being a big foodie and an avid traveler, I'm very irritated by bad quality and bad service. Similarly I didn't want to be hypocritical for my own venture. So I followed some basic rules - 

• Don't bite off more than you can chew - So that with a limited number of orders I'm able to make them all fresh each morning, and ensure 100% quality. 
• Quality over Quantity - The above point used to pinch at times when I had massive orders, and have to turn some people away. But it made me realize I took the right call. Due to only sticking to quality, my ratings on both FB and Zomato have been consistently excellent in terms of feedback since the time we started. 
• Some things can be outsourced - Luckily for me, I have fantastic family and friends! My parents and aunt helped me with the materials and ingredient sourcing, my best friends helped me with everything from designing logos and write page information to packing boxes for me when I had no time and giving me plenty of hugs.
• Positivity & Feedback - Not to sound superbly cliched, but these are very important. I say a short prayer before every order goes into the oven - and I'm not even that religious! But I believe in good energy, so I normally ensure I'm in a good mood and singing and jumping around the kitchen at 6am, much to the dismay of my family. I also always message the customer to ask for feedback and suggestions this is what helps me maintain a good rating and repeat customers because I normally act on feedback to try and improve my brand and products.
  
  

What kind of challenges do you face whilst juggling a day job and your business? How do you overcome them? 

• Expected Empathy - I expected people to understand I was juggling, and would bend over backwards to give them the best product I could, but not necessarily everything else they needed. For example, there was a time I had to stop delivery, and asked them to pick it up, or when I said I wont be able to provide candles or flowers along with it, but can add a handwritten message. Most people were very happy I was upfront about the fact that I cannot take calls during the time I'm at office and they need to Whatsapp/Message me and I'll reply at lunch or at night. 
• Keep calm - This is easier said than done. I've had people calling and asking me to make something I don't know about 3 times a day, sometimes multiple requests from the same person. I've had people not understand it was made to order and often turn up at my house! Even people who've woken me up at night to ask me for a midnight order. For all of these examples, I normally laugh it off, because there is humour in every stressful situation. Else I would be binge eating my own brownies :)
• Business Capabilities - There are SO many things that go into this, right from Costing to Branding and then Communication, I've spent a lot of time reaching out to other professionals as well as reading up on the internet about many issues and how to tackle them. People are always willing to help a frantic Facebook status - One friend even sat and tutored me on Instagram!
  
  

Do you ever want to pursue baking as a full-time career?

I feel I want to pursue many things! I need to complete my photography blog, get back into my fitness regime and publish my poetry. I don't think anyone should be confined to a number they need to pursue? And I have quite a few on my bucket list!

As for Sugar Rush By Saiba - I feel baking will always be in the family. And I would like to build the brand to a stage where my parents can take it up when both me and my brother are out of their hair since both of them are amazing chefs and very passionate about feeding people!
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If you had one piece of advice for someone who is in two minds about professionally pursuing their interests/hobby, what would it be? 

So this question is always interesting for me, because I don't see myself as someone who's running a company and working at Google. If you know me well enough you'll know me as this lazy child who's so late for her cab she's inadvertently running to the lift with someone handing her a toast and another person holding the lift, while she tried finding her shoes. I've been that way since school!

So I would say ...you can always do it!
Just make a strategy and prioritize. Sugar Rush is the #2 bakery in Gurgaon at the moment by a girl who doesn't know how to make maggi, is a serial procrastinator and hates putting her social life on a backseat for other work. My family is still in shock that someone is excited to eat food I make. If I can juggle this, you can honestly go to the moon if you want to!
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We love that Saiba is motivated to pursue her varied interests. We wish her all the best for her future as a baker and a corporate professional. (We look forward to sharing her journey when she adds 'photographer', 'poet' and 'fitness trainer' to her repertoire!) Read more exciting stores about people just like Saiba on our #OneOfUs Blog. ​

You can also explore exciting opportunities in entrepreneurship, arts, design and other alternative fields at Alterbeat!

Reach out to Saiba on saibasingh@gmail.com.
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