Megna Jain a Bangalore-based entrepreneur, undertake on her journey with Dream A Dozen in 2018. From summer baking workshops to Diwali hampers for corporate clients, Megna come a long way in establishing her brand in the competitive market of Bangalore. At just age of 18, she began selling her cupcakes in her college cafeteria, just for fun, as she says.
But soon her fun activity gained popularity.
In 2011, Megna joined a summer baking class offered by her neighbor, where she learned to make cupcakes. With the support and encouragement from her family and friends, she began baking cupcakes on Sundays and selling them on Mondays at her college cafeteria.
The Competition that Changed Her Life
Participating in a business plan competition at NIT was a turning point in Megna’s life. Securing third place in the competition not only boosted her confidence but also opened up incredible opportunities for her, including an incubation opportunity with Indian Angel Networks. However, this success left her with a critical choice.
She was faced with the choice to either continue her college or pursue entrepreneurship. Meghna was overwhelmed as she wasn’t familiar with funding or equity. Thus, she decided to complete her degree and then think about business afterwards.
Despite choosing her studies, she continues to bake and sell cupcakes, which make her earn around Rs 7-8 thousand monthly.
Gained Practical Knowledge
After completing her degree, Megna decided to gain practical experience and knowledge in the food industry.
- She worked in a food tech company with Inner Chef, for 1 year and 3 months. Later, she began working on desserts and eventually, operated four kitchens in Bangalore.
- To further enhance her skills, she started her training at Cakewala.
- Meanwhile, she wanted to work with well-known food industry brands, so she applied to Starbucks.
- When she didn’t get any response back, Megna decided to build her own cake business. But then, another tough choice was confronting her.
When Megna was about to launch her brand, she received an offer from Starbucks. Now, what?
Obviously, she chose to pursue her cake business rather than going for a Starbucks job offer.
Launch of Dream A Dozen
After several critical choices, Megna finally launched her Dream A Dozen in January 2018. After 6 months, she moved her cake business from her home kitchen to a two-bedroom residence and eventually to a larger commercial space in 2020.
The Pandemic Effect
Right after moving her business to a new location, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to shut down her business. This was a challenging time for the founder of the company as they have put in so much time and effort.
COVID Struck and Changed Everything
While Megna was down, she didn’t give up. Instead, she took the opportunity to strengthen her team skills by assigning them things to do. She made them practice piping techniques and take quizzes on cake ingredients, which now has become a signature feature of Dream A Dozen.
During the lockdown, she enrolls in online baking workshops for her family and friends. By doing this, Megna was able to keep her business afloat.
In fact, between 2019-20 and 2020-21, she saw a significant increase in business.
Time to Get Creative
During the pandemic, Megna faced challenges in sourcing products for her business.
So, she decided to get creative:
- When she needed a backdrop, she used color chart paper.
- She made the balcony into the studio.
- Her father’s phone became a camera.
- The clothesline became a backdrop holder.
- To save money on hiring staff, she utilizes virtual internships, specifically employing only women in her kitchen rather than men.
No, gender biases have not been followed here. She preferred having an all-woman kitchen. Why? What is wrong with that? In our society, women are always visualized in kitchens but when it comes to running a business or working in an all-women kitchen, seems out of the scenario. Things need to change and Megna Jain is breaking stereotypes.
Megna Kitchen mainly has women from different backgrounds. Some are from poor backgrounds while some are pastry chefs. Currently, Megna’s Dream A Dozen have a team of 20 women who deliver desserts and gift hampers to people across the country.
But despite their diverse backgrounds, these women’s love for their work is the same. You can see this in the beautiful cakes and desserts made by them—together.
Expanding the Business: Diwali Gifts
In 2020, during the Diwali season, Megna received a request from a corporate client for a pan-India gift.
In addition to this, she decided to evolve her business by partnering with a local group to include homemade items like candles, diyas, and painted masks. This helped support women in the community by providing them a platform to show their skills and earn money.
Sales and Growth
Initially, Dream A Dozen focused on the Western flavor of the cake. Now, they offer Desi flavors like ghee, cardamom, and pistachios. Currently, Megna brand offers 23 curated gift hampers with over 100 SKUs, which include cupcakes, cheesecakes, and cake pops.
- Before the pandemic, Megna brand generates Rs 1-1.5 lakh monthly.
- However, in FY21, they made Rs 30 lakh.
- In FY22, they made Rs 60 lakh.
- They aim to cross Rs 1 crore revenue by FY24.
Picture Credits: Megna Jain, Dream A Dozen
