The Baking Studio: Saying Goodbye to a Company.

The Baking Studio was built unplanned, by accident. I am not a baker, and still have yet to bake up till today. Someone came through my office in June 2013 and told me about the possibility of opening a kitchen for bakers, and I went ahead to open it.

Without thinking twice, and with absolute no desire to ever bake, I went on to open a fully fledged commercial kitchen just so bakers in my community can bake. I saw the possible vision of bakers coming by, to not only bake but also to teach baking workshops. I felt so happy just knowing, I could play a small part is helping people connecting and educating other people.

Through some fund raising effort, within a week, we raised enough funds to build the studio and started out operations by November 3rd, at Telok Kurau. With the help of our Executive Director at that time, it was such a beautiful kitchen put together. And over 100 people turn out on its official opening day to catch a glimpse of The Baking Studio, an idea sparked over an hour meeting some three months before that.

3rd November 2013, we opened The Baking Studio with big dreams of how many bake-preneurs would have benefited from this investment. Many times, we reminded the public that this investment was not made for us but for them to stay motivated, supported and creative. This kitchen belongs to the community, we are just realising that dream for them. Since then, 28,000 followers joined on Facebook to stay connected.

Somewhere along the way, managing The Baking Studio was tough. Directors leave to pursue the same path of running their own studios, we had a lot of human resource issues with this business, of poor coordination of matters and misuse of funds. We had to fire a Director, and cleaned up messes that was left. Sustaining The Baking Studio became hard and for a good six months, I had to shut it down. By then the business was slightly a year old but I came to realise I have got attached to this kitchen. I was hardly physically there but I was always proud that I made it existed for everyone else. When I had to shut it down, as I was unable to sustain the expensive rental then- I was so heartbroken that I had my parents to help do the storing of the goods for me. I was not even physically present to see the move. At the same time, I also had to endure other matters related to the other companies I owned and losing TBS (without certainty when it will open again) was just a bit too much to bear.

I kept the equipment for 3 months in storage, gathered funds anyway from various means and went on to open TBS again. The day I opened the storage facility was a moment I will not forget. I cried a little about how much I miss walking into the kitchen, and that I wanted those equipment to now come out and play. But I was a very happy person that day, knowing the vision of seeing more bakers use the facilities will happen again.

The Baking Studio went on to excel in having more bakers to rent, bake and even filmed. We had celebrities like Tanya Chua shooting at our studio, and ran multiple corporate baking sessions for companies. We then attracted bakers from Hong Kong and Korea to run their workshops in Singapore through our kitchen. Being the cheapest in Singapore, we are able to serve bakers from small scale to professional commercial chefs. Those pictures and videos they took, are great memories to remember for a long time.

One of the best things I accomplished with that kitchen, was the connection I get to make. I ran baking retreats with my own employees and charity drives with over 25,000 cookies were baked for charity in this very kitchen of mine.

These moments form unforgettable memories that truly filled up my life as an entrepreneur.

But now, I am going to have to say goodbye to this studio. That this month, January 2016, it will be surrendered to a baker who will now enjoy the pleasure of baking and running baking workshop in this kitchen. It has been over 3 years that I own the studio, and now it's off my hands.

It's something I am going to have to get used to. I have grown attached to this company despite never baking in the kitchen. I have protected it for so long, that it has become such an integral part of me.

It's almost like a long term relationship, and that though it is about to end, you know you can never fall completely out of love with it.

I am just amazed at how much I have bonded with an idea. It's like a baby you took care of, and grew. Until it comes a time, you have to let go of that child. As entrepreneurs, sometimes we are so focused in achieving goals for the company that we forgot to stop and look back at what we actually have built!

You will always be a part of me.

My biggest achievement is not only the fact that I have created a company that served thousands of bakers and aspiring bakers, but the fact that this vision could continue although in the hands of someone else, to serve more bakers in the near future.

With that in mind, I bid you goodbye.

Hi I am Leza Parker. Aged 32, I have three children. I started a business from home some six years ago and currently the CEO of SC Beauty Network that operates in six countries with over 350 full time and contractual employees. I am also an angel investor having invested in small start ups in the baking, education, training, beauty and fashion industries. I have over 100,000 accumulative followers on social media and am dedicated to inspire thousands more through my Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook channels. I have published several books, appear in numerous media articles and I lecture in several universities to educate future entrepreneurs local and overseas. Two of my start ups are VC-funded and have expanded globally since.