Today we’d like to introduce you to Lola Isijola.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lola. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a self-taught home baker who Started out baking as a hobby. Ever since I was a kid, I loved cooking and baking. My mum loved and still loves to cook so I guess I got the flare from her. Making cakes commercially; however, didn’t start until 2011, I was in Nigeria at the time and surprisingly, things picked up pretty quickly. I made cakes, breads, cookies, and local Nigerian snacks and pastries.
As a result of the success I had in Nigeria, I figured that being here in the United States could only mean more opportunities for me. I brushed up on my skills, practiced new recipes, gave out free samples, received feedback and fine-tuned my recipes before I decided to start making cakes commercially. The whole experience has been equally as challenging as it has been exciting.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I was at the verge of completing my Masters Degree in Information Science when I decided to start up my cake, making business in Nigeria. My first challenge was the expectation from my circle. It seemed to few well-meaning family and friends like it wasn’t the right decision because of the education that I have, everyone expected that I use my degrees to get a corporate job but I wasn’t even trying to get a corporate job, I just wanted to run my own business.
I persevered and saved up from my allowances to purchase my first oven (that felt like my greatest achievement). Also, starting out was challenging because already it was a saturated market with lots and lots of bakers, so I had to make cakes, treats, and designs that stood out in the crowd. The other way that it was challenging was having to make lots of free samples just so people could know what I was capable of. In the end, it all worked out because, by the end of my first year in business, I was getting orders from out of the town that my bakery was.
Starting out here in the United States has been less challenging but that’s probably because I had been down that road before and I knew what to expect and how to handle things. However, I had to challenge myself to learn new things and the kind of treats that are popular here, I had to make myself understand that even though there’s a market for me here among Africans and African Americans I wanted like to have a broad market where my products can be purchased by non-Africans.
Treatlane – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Treatlane is a home-based Houston bakery with the commitment to making every customer’s experience exciting and outstanding, excellence and consistency are the watchwords. Treatlane was born out of the love for delicious tasting cakes that truly capture amazing flavors that stand out from the very first bite. Inspiration is drawn from the love for colors, spices, and sweets for making beautiful designs and delicious cakes.
We specialize in Wedding cakes, Birthday cakes, Cupcakes, Cookies, Cake pops, French macarons, Breads, Meat pies, beef rolls, scotch eggs, fish rolls, Nigerian puff-puff, and small chops.
Treatlane cakes are known for its not too sweet, rich, airy, fluffy and flavorful taste. We do not compromise on quality ingredients because they give the outstanding results you can only get from our products.
Treatlane is also known for its Nigerian culture infused savory snacks that just melts in your mouth and literally takes your tastebuds on a treat lane.
Our biggest pride as a company is our strive for consistency. As we have continued to grow, we have been paying more and more attention to crisp finesse finishes of our products.
What sets Treatlane aside from others is what we are most proud of and that’s consistency. We are committed to our return customers and ensure their experience is just as good or better than what they remember; that’s what keeps them coming back for more.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is finding one’s purpose in life and fulfilling destiny.
My criteria for success include diligence, dedication, determination, and passion. To be successful in anything you do, you’ve got to be passionate about it else you’ll be unhappy.
I like to work smarter than I work hard because I have learned that you can sprint in the wrong direction and think you’re winning because you’ve put in so much effort but in reality, you’re running in the wrong direction or taking the wrong or inefficient paths.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.treatlane.com
- Phone: 8322136668
- Email: treatlane@gmail.com
- Instagram: Treatlane
- Facebook: Treatlane
- Twitter: Treatlane
- Yelp: Treatlane
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?trk=guest_homepage-basic_nav-header-signin
Image Credit:
Lola isijola
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