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 dan.riley@wrbm.com.
Name: Tanvi Roy
Age: 40
Job title: Multi-site franchisee
Company: Cake Box
Education: MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences
Tell us about your career so far:
After earning a Master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences, I pursued a career in medical information. I began by working for several pharmaceutical companies and eventually secured my dream position at GSK.
At the age of 26, having recently gotten married, my partner and I decided the time was right to start a family. We wanted to ensure we made the most of being a family and decided to prioritise a healthy work-life balance; long before hybrid working became common practice. This led us to move into the world of franchising, that would offer the flexibility to spend time with our children and enjoy everyday family life.
In 2013, I opened my first Cake Box in Tooting. Thirteen years later, I am now a multi-site franchisee, having expanded with three additional locations in Croydon, Tolworth, and most recently, Worcester Park.
How would you describe your job in a sentence or two?
As the owner of Cake Box stores, my role is split into two parts. The first part is to implement the vision of the Cake Box brand across all my sites. This involves following the brand guidelines to a tee and working with the franchisor to share best practices or learnings that can grow the brand. The second part is to ensure that all my sites are operating in a standardised fashion, building reliable teams and understanding and making decisions to protect the fundamentals of the business.
There’s usually no such thing as a typical day in bakery, but what would one look like for you?
A typical day involves checking in with store managers and team leaders across all sites, reviewing performance, and addressing any operational issues that need attention. I spend time planning, analysing figures, ensuring standards are being met, and supporting teams where needed. Throughout the day there’s usually something unexpected to deal with, whether it’s staffing, stock, or a customer issue, so flexibility and quick decision-making are key.
Tell us about a challenge you’ve faced recently:
The ever-changing economic climate has presented significant challenges for the business. One of the most pressing issues is employment costs such as Employers National Insurance Contributions which are rising each year and making it more difficult to maintain and grow reliable teams.
In addition, escalating business rates, higher costs associated with borrowing, and frequent energy price increases have all contributed to making it a tough environment. Other issues have been the continual increase in food costs, which adds financial pressure and complicates day-to-day operations. Together, these factors contribute to a demanding and competitive environment for operating a business in the UK.
Despite these difficulties, the support provided by Cake Box has been invaluable. By working together, it has been possible to face these challenges as a collective, sharing best practices and solutions that help navigate the tough landscape and maintain stability across all sites.
What have been some highlights of your career?
Personal growth is one of the important highlights of my career so far. Being able to learn and shift my mindset from being a single store franchisee, working in the store and learning everything single operational aspect of running it to being able to scale up and be an operator with a leadership mindset. As a single store franchisee, I learnt how to not only make cakes, but build a team, manage people, covering shifts, importance of customer service amongst many other key skills.
Now I find myself managing managers and leaders that can replicate my vision across all my stores, coaching, budgeting, understand the ins and outs of all the financial KPIs.
What’s a common misconception about your role?
People often think it’s just about making cakes, but there’s a lot more to it. The role involves business management, leadership, customer service, and decision-making every single day.
What advice would you give to people interested in being a bakery retail franchisee?
Go in with a clear understanding that while you’re buying into a brand – you’re still running a business. Follow the systems and brand standards closely, especially at the start, and be prepared to be hands-on while you learn. Focus on building strong, reliable teams and don’t underestimate the importance of consistency, discipline, and customer service. If you’re willing to put the work in and think long term, bakery retail franchising can be very rewarding.
Interested in a career in bakery? Check out Foodmanjobs for the latest vacancies
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