...i did it, and boy was it fun!

The run up to me being on the show was hectic, to say the least. I work from home, which means I have my toddler with me 24-7. Apart from the normal stuff of looking after him, the home and my daughter, I had a two day business workshop to attend on Thursday and Friday. Which meant I had very little time during the day to work solidly on the cake I was taking into the studios and also a cake I had for another client. As you can imagine when night came I could only do so much, as I was knackered.

Friday night came and I was adamant that I would be in bed by midnight latest so that I'll look fresh and have a clear head for when I was filmed the next morning! Man proposes right! I did not sleep a wink, I went to the studios feeling like a zombie! Not good when you know you're gonna have camaras focused on you.

Positive outcomes of the lack of sleep were, first I was able to finish both cakes to the standard I was proud of. Secondly, what came across as me being calm, collected and assured in my answers when being questioned, was actually the effect of me being naturally sedated from lack of sleep. It really helps your nerves, you are just too tired to fret! (I don't recommend you try it though, especially as I had over nearly 3 hours of driving that day!)

One thing I was nervous about were the questions I was going to be asked. This is because in my intial communication with one of the presenter's, it came to light that at times when things were really tight and I had no money to get my son disposable nappies, I've had to cut up towels to wrap his bottom in till I got enough money.

To the presenter this was a serious talking point, as here I was married to a medical doctor and I being a holder of an M.Sc blah blah blah yet we had such financial difficulties. The focus of my being on the show was to inspire others and to talk about how I overcame these financial issues to set up a business. Now I'm all about inspiring other people (take this blog for example), but my dear hubby was not happy about such information being broadcasted for all to see. I had to find a way of not upsetting my dear hubby and yet being able to inspire others. I was also quite nervous as to how the questioning will go.

I think I was more worried about my hubby's ego! ...and boy should I have been worried, he hasn't seen the recording of the show yet as he has been at work, but his sisters have seen it and they said I did well, so hopefully he should be fine with it. But there was a question that I was asked and it came out like this " In this day and age where marriages are falling apart because of financial difficulties, how was I able to overcome such adversity?....some other women would have turned around and told their husband's that you are not a 'man' as you cannot provide for your family properly, what do I have to say about that" Well you can imagine the thoughts in my head (HELP!) I pray when my husband hears my reply he will be fine, with it.

I replied along the lines that "my husband is the breadwinner of the house, and he is doing his very best to bring the money in - sometimes things just don't balance up. Also he works away from home so that sometimes we don't get to see for ages. I'm not ashamed to say that things got so tight hence the nappy stuff, but things get tight for lots of people. The important thing is what actions you take, to overcome such financial difficulties" There were a few other questions, including one on how did I go about setting up the company. Here, I mentioned places where I got business support (I would go to such places with a screaming baby in the buggy, and it wasn't a problem for them). I talked about how the whole idea came about, and the passion one has to have to get you through and so on.

It's not has if I'm rolling in cash right now, and times still get rough, but at least I'm doing something about it and I pray this came across on the show. So that others thinking of taking that plunge into 'self employment' can do so! Apart from that tricky question, it really was an enjoyable day. I was able to see what goes on behind the scenes of television shows, all the crew and the presenters were lovely, and the CEO was a really lovely and humble chap. I met some interesting fellow guests, who do great stuff out there, one lady is an author of a book called 'Out of Slavery' which is used in the National Curriculum, and tells the history of British Black Caribbean people in a fascinating and thought provoking way. There was a lady poet, I must tell you about her another time, I was really intrigued at her creativity. And another lady who is following her dream business wise.

...oh and they loved the cake! As it was Mothering Sunday the next day, the cake was themed on that but with an African touch... (excuse the date on photo, I'm convinced we need an new digital camara - the buttons to manually change the dates are stuck)