Diana Kigozi makes a kill out of baking

Almost three years ago, Diana Kigozi was a corporate woman wielding her negotiating skills for Vivo Uganda as a convenience retailing manager.
But after 17 years of formal employment, Kigozi was tired. Although she had not planned to retire, a conversation between her and her children got the wheels turning. It was a bitter sweet moment when the agreed time finally came because she had been working since internship.
But she did, for her sanity. “I needed to face the entrenuership world a little bit early. I needed to do all the running when I still had the energy to do so,” Kigozi reveals.
“Our mother introduced us to baking because we always had a birthday cake on our birthdays. So as we started out, we baked in shoe polish tins and added all sorts of colours. Baking and cooking are second nature to me,” she speaks fondly of the genesis of what would soon become her hustle.
Despite the fact that she had baked since childhood, for the first six months, Kigozi did none of that. “It felt like I was on leave. I thank my husband for being a sure help during this time because I needed to breathe before starting out,” she shares.
March 2017 was when she started thinking about the direction she would be taking. Her first product was buns but the start was rather adventurous, “I needed to eat bread I had once tasted while in Morocco but I did not remember its name,” she laughs at the memory.

How she started
Searching the internet, she turned to the one person that always gave her answers, God, for a clue or help. “The next day, I got it at my first attempt,” she said triumphantly. She loved its taste that she could not help sharing with her inner circle- her family and her husband said, “Fine tune it to make it your own.”
These are the words that jumpstarted Kigozi. “I baked some more and shared with a farmer friend, Jackie. She was resourceful and helped her to perfect the art together with another friend who continually urged her to add value to her eggs because she was rearing chicken at home.
“These were a spring board to start baking for sale,” she says, “Today, I am glad that I have back to back orders,” she shares.
Apart from buns, Kigozi also makes pastries, bread, and Keto friendly bakes, “I also love to do roasts, fingerlicking foods and snacks.
With a bubbly and friendly persona, Kigozi makes friends easily whom she markets her products to her clients by word of mouth, social media platforms and through her friends. For example, she is a member of several cake groups where she shares about her products.
Nonetheless, the journey has not been that rosy for the budding baker. “There are times when we get fake ingredients. These not only destroy the product but also paint a negative image for a baker.
The other challenge is ‘difficult’ customers who place an order with details but reject the product upon delivery. There are others who make orders and never pick them up. All these lead to losses,” she says.

Marketing
However, the marketing guru is not threatened. “I am very careful with ingredients. There are some tried and tested ingredients which reduce the damage.
“I do my best to understand my clients. I leave no stone unturned when it comes to details. Although Kigozi, under her Di’s Bakery Company still operates at home, she hopes to expand, “I plan to open up a confectionary outlet as a central distribution point for my products.”

Lessons learnt
“I have learnt great lessons, including the essence of time. “You need to make time for your business if it is to thrive and give you good returns. As we give our employers ample time to do the allotted work, we should also invest time in our businesses if they are to grow and support us,” she says.
While formal employment is great, it is only for a given time. “During this time, we must pick as much knowledge as possible to help us run our own enterprises since most of the skilling is free,” she advises.
When she envisioned retirement, she says, “My thought was, leave, get ‘burnt’ while my heart can still handle the disappointments. By the time I turn 60, my business will be running on its own. I will only come to supervise the workforce. I am glad I made the decision then not later,” she concludes.

Advice:
Everyday, I look out for ways of providing quality bakes to my clients. I do a lot of reseach about baking. Search within yourself for passion about something that can can earn you money. Even if is seemingly not working, learn from your mistakes and get back on track. It will eventually work out. Doing what you do not love will break you. Use internet to make money.