Side hustle secret: how I used spreadsheets to bake my way to success

Sometimes the most valuable business lessons emerge from the times when life forces a change of direction. In this blog, Jess Lawson shares her story of navigating an unexpected redundancy – leading her to baking, and eventually, coaching women business owners.

Here’s how Jess used what she learnt in the corporate world to carve a flexible career path that suited her needs as a working mother of two under two.

Life has a funny way of throwing out your perfectly planned timetable. Mine certainly did when an unexpected redundancy kicked off a journey that took me from the customer engagement team straight into the kitchen, and eventually, into business coaching.

I spent years climbing the ladder in a big corporation, feeling like I was doing all the right things, only to realise that the traditional path wasn’t built for the life I actually wanted.

From customer engagement to an unexpected baker, and finally, to a coach who helps women build structured, flexible businesses. This is a story of forced detours, two tiny humans, and learning that sometimes the end of one chapter is the perfect beginning for the next.

Here’s everything I learned to turn an unexpected redundancy into a business I truly love – plus how you could win £500 to kickstart your own venture.

1. Build on what you’ve already learned – skills are transferable
2. Start with structure – organisation is your greatest asset
3. Look out for what resonates with others
4. Redefine success (it isn’t always linear)
5. Invest in yourself (even a small investment counts)

Tip 1: Build on what you’ve already learned – skills are transferable

Before all the baking and coaching, I worked in a large corporate environment, focused on customer engagement and internal training. But in 2019, I was made redundant. It was a massive shock, especially with two children under the age of two at home.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just searching for a job, I was searching for a life that could align with the unpredictable demands of childcare and offer true flexibility. It felt impossible.

That corporate job had ended, but the skills I learnt hadn’t disappeared: the planning, the structure, the ability to break down complex tasks into understandable steps.

So when I decided to turn my love of baking into self-employment, I built the business using the same project management principles I’d used before.

Tip 2: Start with structure – organisation is your greatest asset

My baking business took off quickly. But I knew what caused burnout in big companies, and I was determined not to replicate it in my kitchen.

This is the single most important practical advice I can give you: start with structure.

Even if you only have one order, you need a system. A spreadsheet may sound boring, but trust me, it’s the key to making everything else feel easier. I immediately set up a simple tracking system, using my corporate mindset to handle the chaos of a kitchen table startup.

Here’s the structure I used then – and still use today.

A spreadsheet with tabs for different areas of the business:

• orders tab: tracks customer details, dates, and payments
• costs tab: tracks every ingredient cost, helping me price correctly and profitably
• expenses tab: logs every outgoing cost for HMRC
• traceability tab: essential for allergens and quality control in baking

Disorganisation is so much harder to fix later, when you’re overwhelmed with orders. Starting with structure lets you focus on the creative work while your system handles the stress.

Tip 3: Look out for what resonates with others

As my baking business grew, I started posting about it online. I didn’t just share perfect finished cakes – I shared the journey, the struggles, and the systems I used.

What gained real traction wasn’t just the buttercream, it was the business side. People kept asking me how I was doing it: how did you cost that? How do you manage allergens legally? How did you start a business while juggling small children?

This was my lightbulb moment – my true purpose wasn’t just baking, but using my combined knowledge of corporate structure and messy startup reality to help others.

By 2022, I started leaning more heavily into business coaching. I wrote step-by-step guides on everything from starting a business to allergen management, providing the clear, practical structure I knew people craved.

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Tip 4: Redefine success (it isn’t always linear)

Today, I have fully embraced coaching. I work specifically with women business owners to help them create the exact kind of businesses that work for their lives.

My journey wasn’t intentional, it was driven by necessity:

• redundancy taught me that security is self-made
• baking taught me the power of passion and community
• coaching taught me that every skill I developed (both in business and the kitchen) was leading me here

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that being forced into a detour can be the smartest move you make. You can start over, but you don’t have to start from scratch.

Tip 5: Invest in yourself (even a small investment counts)

If you’re at that starting point now, wrestling with a new idea or needing to build structure into your hustle, a business grant can give you the push you need to make your business look and feel real.

Feeling inspired? Take this as a sign and enter Simply Business’s competition to win £500 for your small business – designed to help you take that essential next step. You never know where it could lead you.

More guides for small business owners

• How to start a business in 9 steps
• How to advertise your business – the ultimate marketing guide
• How to write a marketing plan for your small business
• How to write a business plan in 7 simple steps (and business plan template)