While many students would not take such a swerve, ex-WCCite Anila Philips has switched from finance and accounting to baking. In fact, she has made baking her career. Anila, age 29, graduated from WCC in 2013. She started her business in May 2017, working as a solo home-baker with a passion for the art. The self-taught baker found her calling when she started baking to pass the time as a school student. What started as a hobby eventually became a lucrative home-based business.
Graduating with a degree in Accounting and Finance, Anila said B Com and WCC were her first choice, with her family supporting her choice wholeheartedly. “Elizabeth Ma'am and Malar Ma’am inspired me," she said, to put the business skills she learned in WCC to practical use in her venture. Being class representative multiple times has also helped her build leadership skills.
No matter where life takes her, Anila keeps returning to WCC, with stalls and treats to share and reminisce. In 2017 and 2019, Anila hosted stalls in WCC, selling brownies with ice cream to eager students and this was a memorable experience for the baker.
Describing herself as honest, Anila uses only natural ingredients in her baking and concentrates on “giving the best”, making sure that what is promised is delivered with no compromise. Her desire to please customers is her business' most prominent quality, which has brought success to Anila.
However, all was not easy for the young entrepreneur. “In the beginning it was difficult
to reach out to people with my product,” she admitted. But being quick on her feet, Anila resorted to social media, and through effective promotions on Instagram and Facebook, she found success. For the homegrown bakery, Anila’s prime focus is, therefore, her online profile as a businesswoman. Posting her creations online under the username @anns_cakesncrumbs, she has garnered over twelve thousand followers, making her online business a booming success. Still, “I would like to own a bakery soon,” she commented, when asked where she saw herself in five years. She says she is still learning and growing.
On a trip down memory lane, Anila recounted her first day at college, touring the campus and meeting new friends, and the last day as the last exam in her UG life. Coming back to host stalls in college and to meet her professors has thus been a doorway to the past, always keeping her grounded and letting her see how far she has come.
“I am proud of where I am today,” she said, happy about creating an opportunity for herself and succeeding in it. To budding entrepreneurs her advice is that nothing is too difficult if you have a strong will and passion. ‘Don't wait for opportunities but create them yourself’ is her motto. After all, as Anila says, “I do what I love to do, so let’s say the benefits are never ending.”
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