Gateshead Mum shows she's Top of the Popits!

Popits Cake Pops Launched

After suffering a foot injury, Louise Joyce, 40, from Gateshead, was forced to give up her child minding career, leaving her unemployed. With help from InBiz, a national organisation helping people go from unemployment to self employment, she has now launched Popits Cake Pops, baking and designing cake pops for corporate and private customers - even the cast of Emmerdale has enjoyed Louise’s Popits!

Louise had been a childminder for 8 years, but following an operation on her foot, was unable to chase around after young children – an essential part of the job. After being out of work for 24 months, she began to consider the idea of launching her own baking business, but didn't know where to start.

She enrolled on an InBiz self employment programme, at the office on Westgate Road, Newcastle for help and guidance. InBiz programmes are government funded and so free to the individual. At InBiz, she was assigned a personal business adviser, and was taken through each step of launching and running a business including planning, raising finance, insurance, tax, sales and marketing.

Louise loved baking, but wanted her business to be something a bit different. While browsing the internet, she came across a craze sweeping America – cake pops, which are essentially small cakes on a stick, similar in appearance to a lollipop. Louise thought they looked great, and knew she would enjoy decorating them, so decided to focus her business around this new style of cake.

In December this year, Louise launched Popits Cake Pops, and was immediately flooded with orders. Louise is now making cake pops for businesses, weddings, birthdays, christenings... you name it, there's a Popit Cake Pop for it! Louise even gave family friend Chelsea Halfpenny, Emmerdale actress, some cake pops to share among the cast and crew, and they loved them!

Louise commented on her success, "Bringing up my own children, and then loving my job as a childminder, I never thought about any other careers, so I felt a bit lost when I couldn't work in childcare any more. I had the idea for baking for a living, but no idea how to start a business, and I wasn't sure where to turn. Going to InBiz changed that, and gave me the knowledge I needed to start my own business, and to keep it growing successfully. Without the support InBiz provided, I'm not sure I would have been able to get going, and bring my cake pops to the North East."

Dave Stewart business adviser, at InBiz, said, "SMEs are the lifeblood of the local economy, and supporting budding entrepreneurs and business start-ups will help to boost the local community, and Louise is a great example of the work that InBiz does in Gateshead, and across the North East. Unable to carry on in her chosen career, she had an idea to launch her own business, but needed help to get started. InBiz helped her by providing her with the business knowledge she needed, not only to get started, but also to keep running, and growing, her business."