In this series, British Baker talks to people from across the baking industry to find out about their career path, what their job involves, and the latest trends that are shaping their work.
We’re looking to showcase a diverse range of talent and job types across the industry, so if you’d like to be involved, please email amy.north@wrbm.com
Name: Jenny Pace
Age: 37
Job title: Marketing & ecommerce director
Company and location: Fitzbillies, Cambridge
Education: BA(Hons) in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds (quite a while ago!)
Tell us about your career to date:
Since 2009, I’ve been working in ecommerce, first with Notonthehighstreet.com and then consulting with small businesses throughout the UK to grow and streamline their online sales. While I’ve specialised in marketing, I’ve also advised owner-operated, product-based businesses on all aspects from pricing to planning to cashflow. It’s been a lot of fun to help all kinds of creatives to build strong, sustainable businesses in a changing market.
Explain your job in a sentence (or two):
I oversee the marketing for our ecommerce offering (mostly Chelsea buns by post and gift hampers), as well as marketing strategy for the whole of the business. We run one restaurant in our original 1920 shopfront in Cambridge, as well as three bakery coffee shops, a dedicated cake shop, and a wholesale offering in the local area.
What does a typical work day involve for you?
I’m usually trying to get everyone to think about what we’ll be baking in six- or 12-months’ time. No two days are the same, but some combination of working out the sales calendar, creating content, looking at sales reports, and generating marketing and PR features.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
I love seeing all the reasons people buy cake and Chelsea buns from us! Reading the gift notes that go with online orders is my guilty pleasure.
What is a common misconception about your role?
That it’s all about social media. Marketing for any brand has many layers and requires a lot of touchpoints to get customers knowing the brand and making a purchase.
What are your ultimate career goals?
Right now, I’m really focused on growing Fitzbillies’ online sales to £1m a year. In my consulting work, I’ve qualified as a business coach, and ultimately, I’d love to work on a combination of business strategy and the coaching needed to make it happen.
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