You Don’t Have to Be the First — You Just Have to Do It Differently

What Kind of Magic are you brining in your biz?

In an earlier blog post I wrote about the downside of starting a baking biz in this saturated and competitive space. The reason for making such a statement is that give a hint about the current markets and to tread with caution before embarking on any biz venture.

In today's biz, customers have so many choices - be it bakery, hotels or food delivery. With market is flooded with choices, sellers are offering heavy discounts and offers, it's difficult to gain attention.

However, in the world of umpteen choices, there are pockets of growth and potential to be tapped.

So, now the question to a person who's planning to start a journey in baking or any food biz is this - how are you going to do it differently than those around you?

• Is there opportunity to be tapped in a market that appears to be flat? 
• What's the growth potential for a new entrant in 2025? 
• How can I attract the kind of audience that I love to serve?
• Is there profit in this biz as a home-baker or for a bakery biz? What are the challenges ahead of you ( do your homework)?
•  Have you worked out the overhead cost? 
• What kind of model are you looking - cloud based one or running a take-away counter or running a kutti shop from your basement car-park or renting out a place? 

Starting afresh in baking or cooking field in the year of 2025?

Some of the most successful bakers and culinary entrepreneurs weren’t the first to sell banana bread or teach how to make cupcakes. They were the ones who recognized an existing demand and delivered it better, fresher, or more aligned with what people truly wanted.

Let’s break down three powerful ways to build a profitable baking or cooking business, without starting from scratch.

1. Reimagine: Add Your Voice and Vision to Stand Out

Reimagining is all about standing out by presenting your offerings differently.

You don’t need to invent a new cake. You just need to transform the experience around it. Maybe it’s your nostalgic story, your visual style, or the values behind your baking (like using millets, vegan ingredients, or slow baking methods). Or when a typical bakery in your town is providing all sorts of creamy cakes or cakes with tons of icing, why not cater to plain cakes with no or very little icing. What about stating a bakery or starting a unit from home with caters to minimalist cakes - aka naked cakes! 

This approach thrives in saturated markets—where everyone’s offering decadent cake, but no one which is catering to people who loves minimal icing on cake. They just want tea cakes or denser cakes with less cream on top!

 Example around us:

There are home bakers everywhere in cities like Kochi and Pune. But when someone focuses on “Grandma-style baking using Kerala jaggery,” or “eggless bakes with traditional ingredients,” they attract a new, loyal audience. It’s no longer “just another cake.” It’s a memory, a connection, an identity.

Your secret sauce—your unique perspective—is what makes people remember and return.

It’s not about doing more. It’s about connecting deeper.

2. Remodel: Take a Proven Baking Idea to a New Audience

Remodeling means taking what already works and bringing it to a different crowd.

Let’s say you’ve taught dozens of cake workshops to homemakers. Can you remodel that into an online course for teenagers learning to cook? Or an Instagram-based challenge for busy professionals who want to bake on weekends?

The product stays the same—but the way you talk about it changes.

Example from US:

Take the example of bakers in the US who started “bread subscription boxes” during the pandemic. The idea of selling bread isn’t new—but delivering fresh sourdough loaves weekly to health-conscious, work-from-home families? That’s remodeling.

In India, there’s massive potential in adapting baking for regional cuisines—like making ragi brownies, jackfruit muffins, or coconut-stuffed bread—and marketing them to an audience proud of their roots.

Empathy is key: the more you speak your audience’s language, the more they’ll feel like you baked it just for them.

3. Refine: Improve What Already Exists in the Baking Biz

Refining is the unsung hero of success. Instead of creating something new, make what’s already there better.

Maybe the local cake scene is full of dry tea cakes. What if you refine that experience with better packaging, longer shelf life, artisan flavors, or even QR codes that link to the story behind each cake?

Example:

A lot of people sell cookies. But when a baker makes low-sugar, protein-rich cookies for diabetics or senior citizens or making celebration cookies with royal icing on cooking —and ensures they’re beautifully packed and delivered fresh—they’re not changing the product. They’re refining the experience.

Another example: Instead of launching a whole new line of baked goods, take your cupcake class and refine it into a step-by-step WhatsApp course with pre-recorded videos, printable recipes, and real-time feedback.

People already want the cake—you just made it easier to access, buy, or learn.

Why These Strategies Work in Baking and Cooking

These strategies don’t ask you to invent a new recipe. They ask you to look around, find what’s already working, and then make it more personal, accessible, or meaningful.

You’re not trying to create demand from scratch. You’re tapping into existing cravings—just serving them in a way they haven’t seen before.

In the Indian context, where baking and cooking have both cultural depth and modern momentum, this approach helps cut through the noise and still thrive.

Choosing the Best Path for Your Bakery Biz

Each of these strategies lets you lean into your strength:

• If you’re creative and love storytelling → Reimagine.
• If you’re observant and understand market needs → Remodel.
• If you’re detail-oriented and love improving systems → Refine.

And remember: being first to bake doesn’t guarantee success. Often, it’s the one who bakes smarter, not earlier, who wins.

Just like Rameshwaram Café in B'lore didn’t invent idlis—they just transformed how people experienced them. Now this cafe which started in a small space in 12th Main Indira Nagar has growth as a big scalable model, replicating its biz in many places beyond Bangalore. 

Let your baking be more than flour and sugar. Let it be a voice, a vision, and a business that rises differently.

Try to Bring the Change!