Page 27 - KZN Top Business Women 2019 eBook

Empowering women has always

been close to my heart.

This teacher, now a retired school principal, adopted Nothing was handed to her; she had no money and
Founder and owner, Cheryl as a daughter, helped her to believe in herself, could not get a bank loan. Cheryl understood the risks
of The Cake House
and became her mentor to this day. involved but her faith and trust in God helped her. She
managed to buy all her industrial baking equipment
HERYL GOVENDER is the founder and Cheryl won a Consumer Studies Inter School Award in from a helpful appliance store on a three-month cash
owner of The Cake House in Pietermaritz- matric due to her passion for cake decorating, but at basis. Her business remains debt-free to this day.
Cburg. She is a qualified chef and professional that time she considered it a hobby, not a career.
cake artist. The Cake House has become a leading After a year at college, Cheryl married and became a Business skills are unrelated to gender
provider of designer cakes including engineered mother. She joined the corporate world but kept on In Cheryl’s view, women and men need the same
life-size cakes. Cheryl’s exceptional cakes, each a making decorated cakes as a hobby to supplement business approach, as the skills required for a successful
masterpiece, have been featured in magazines and her income. When her son was two years old, Cheryl business are unrelated to gender. “Tenacity, hard work,
on television, and The Cake House is recognised as a entered and won the Pietermaritzburg Royal Show honesty, patience and endurance are equally required
leader in new age sugarcraft. sugarcraft competition. This led to her teaching from men and women.” She does, however, concede

Cheryl is inspired by successful bakeries and cake sugarcraft on a part-time basis at the now FET that women face more challenges. She has had to
face abuse, being a mother, and a divorce.
artists. She explains, “This is a tough industry and College in Northdale, something she continued
requires not only talent, but a business mind, passionately for 25 years. This Cheryl said, was Achieving a work-life balance boils down to discipline
people skills, market insight, tenacity, and continuous fulfilling: “empowering women has always been for Cheryl. “It is necessary to make time for your
learning and growth.” close to my heart”. family and yourself, and also to rest, but not working
Focus on one thing and do it well can be scary for a business owner with much to do,”
One of her biggest inspirations is Buddy Valastro, she says. “I’ve had to learn to set boundaries, say no,
an American baker who is the star of the reality Cheryl gained wide experience in the corporate world, and cut myself off from work when it’s time to relax
television series ‘Cake Boss’. including ten years in shipping and international and unwind.” Gardening, time with her family and
travel, before she started her own export business.
Be clear about what must be achieved puppies, and doing things outside of the business
This business crashed during the worldwide financial help create a balance.
Cheryl believes she got to where she is now and crisis of 2008 and she “fell back on her hands”, starting
reached her goals by being clear about what a food catering business that also provided cakes. Brand ambassador
she needed to achieve and why she needed to Cheryl made a few designer cakes assuming there Cheryl is happy with what she has accomplished thus
achieve them. far and readily give others credit. Without her mother,
was little market for these due to the high prices, she could not have set up The Cake House. Without
She says her career started when she was fourteen but word of her quality and expertise spread and the help of her husband Alan, her family, and staff
when she was handed down decorating tools that orders increased. members, she would not have been able to grow the
her sister no longer needed. “Although I was a real A traumatic divorce, the demands of being involved business. She feels honoured having recently being
tomboy, beating the boys at their own games in in catering, wedding décor, training and making appointed a brand ambassador with royal status,
the streets, I did girly stuff when I went home, like cakes at the same time, made her realise that she for Rolkem Colours, one of the world’s largest food
playing with cake decorating tools and my dolls,” needed to streamline her activities. In 2012 she colourant providers.
she laughed. decided to focus on one thing only and do it well While Cheryl is satisfied with the place she has

Cheryl learned about sugar art by reading books and opened The Cake House. reached, she is not comfortable about remaining
from the municipal library and often left the kitchen Cheryl, a single mom had herself, her mother’s there. Cheryl dreams of making the province proud
in a mess after experimenting. Her Consumer Studies assistance, two children, and a house. As she had of The Cake House as a tourism attraction. With a
teacher recognised Cheryl’s talent; arranged for her lost her vehicle, Cheryl went everywhere in running growing support structure in place, she is prepared
to attend a cake decorating course, and gave her a shoes while carrying cake ingredients and other to take risks within her means and take the business
toolset, which she treasures to this day. items in a backpack. to the next level.

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