Meet Kelly in the Preston office, and her side business in luxury cakes…
Senior accountant, Kelly Towriess, based in our Preston office, is a skilled accountant with years of experience, but she’s also spent seven years building an incredible and renowned side business.
When Kelly was planning her wedding, she noticed a gap in the market for truly luxury cakes. While the mid-tier was saturated, anyone seeking showstopping bakes for luxury events, occasions, and photoshoots had limited choice. So, armed with a business brain but not a sweet tooth, she set out to fill that gap.
During her maternity leave, Kelly – who had never baked before – embarked on a range of cake making courses, travelling the length and breadth of the UK, and learning from experts, including the Queen’s cake-maker.
Once trained and confident, Kelly set about creating her brand Pink Frosting Cake Company. Knowing that the luxury sector was her goal, she dived straight into the deep end, bypassing any opportunities to service small scale weddings and occasions to target luxury, London-based clients.
Over the course of seven years, her business and reputation grew to an inimitable level. Kelly explains: “I had some incredible experiences with my business, baking for events in the best venues in London, and even travelling to locations like Paris and Santorini with my cakes. I’ve met royalty and celebrities and achieved a lot of things that I’m very proud of.”
Asked about her favourite cakes, Kelly describes a jaw-dropping bake that captured the imaginations of thousands online: “I created a cake for a shoot that sat on a base of four wings. The wings were decorated in 3,000 edible flowers. It was so different and seemed to strike a chord with a lot of people. It went a bit viral.
“One of my personal favourites was a white cake that I made for an event at The Shard. It was covered in sugar feathers and, sitting against the window with the skyscrapers in the background; it looked just like a skyscraper itself. I loved that one.”
She also describes some – literally – shaky moments: “I made a seven-and-a-half-foot cake for a £2m Indian wedding quite recently. It was gold and white, with lots of detail, a beautiful cake. We had one hour to install it at the venue, where we realised that the marquee floor was unstable. During set up, if anyone walked past, the cake would wobble. It looked like the leaning tower of Pisa. We had to act fast, under huge pressure, to make it work. I didn’t relax at all until I knew it had been dismantled that evening.”
Kelly spent six years focussing wholly on her business before deciding to return to accounting. Reflecting on a year back in consultancy, she says: “I’d missed my life as an accountant. I love the routine of my job. I love having colleagues and a team to work with. I’ll never be able to give up the business I built entirely, but it’s nice to be back.
“I had incredible experiences with my business. The branding and marketing side were fantastic, but I don’t love baking. I’m in a fortunate position now where I don’t advertise – I have great relationships with wedding planners, and I’m on the approved supplier’s list for a few venues that I love. So, I can pick and choose what jobs I want to take on.
“I have a job booked for next year for a seven-foot cake in Belfast. It’s a really exciting prospect, so I’ve accepted the opportunity. It’s nice to be in a position where I can be choosy.”
Now focussing her commercial savvy and business sense on Champion clients, Kelly enjoys using her training and accounting skills alongside her own small business experience, benefiting other SMEs: “I have a business brain, and I love strategising and seeing growth. It’s fantastic to be here at Champion, working with so many inspiring colleagues and clients.”
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