A YOUNG Neilston woman is taking the baking industry and social media by storm with her impressive cake business.
Chloe Martin, 22, has been running Chloebakescakess for nearly three years after starting it while being bored during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.
The Neilston woman said: “It was pretty much a lockdown thing – I was furloughed from my normal job during Covid, and I was a bit bored and looking for something to do.
“So, I started baking and then I quickly realised that I could actually make a job out of it.”
Less than a year into the business, Chloe said she moved house to build a bakery in her garage, where she has been designing a variety of cake styles ever since.
"It all went quite quick," Chloe said.
Before getting into the baking business, Chloe previously worked in childcare.
The 22-year-old used to work in schools, describing it as a “bit different” from what she does now.
While her baking skills are top-notch, Chloe is also taking social media by storm, especially TikTok.
Having almost 50,000 followers, the baker uploads clips to the video-sharing platform of her giving insights into the making of her cakes.
Chloe revealed that social media has been a massive help with the growth of her business.
She said: “I get a lot of people that will message me and say – ‘I found you on TikTok, can I place an order?’
“They probably wouldn’t have found my page if it wasn’t for that.
“I also get a lot of bakers as well and they say – ‘your page helps me out when I’m stuck on a design or don’t know what I’m doing'.
“So, I definitely think it’s helped me out a lot in my business and it’s motivating that I'm helping people.”
Recently, Chloe scooped runner-up at the All About Barrhead Awards for the Independent Business of the Year.
“I was really shocked, I definitely was expecting it just because I know that there were other businesses that have been around a lot longer than I have,” Chloe said.
She continued to say: “I think it probably came as a shock to a lot of people that I made the shortlist, never mind getting runner up.
“It was nice, and I think it got my name out locally to people who hadn’t heard of my business before.”
Chloe says she is “pretty happy” at where she is just now with the business, and she doesn’t have any plans to get a shop as she is “really happy” with her studio in the garage.
The Neilston cake maker is also keen to plan to continue entertaining and helping others on TikTok.
She said: “I think I do quite a lot of teaching on social media and helping people who are just starting out on making cakes, with tips and how they can learn, and just sharing what I’ve learnt over the years.”
You can find Chloe across social media at Chloebakescakess.
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