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Hey, Danny here 👋
It’s the year 2025 and somehow tech founders are still posting stuff like this:
Starters like us know that finding a balance between creating a meaningful business and enjoying your life is literally winning itself. What other goal is there? Swimming in a pool of gold like Scrooge McDuck? (Ok, that actually sounds fun.)
In other news: the NYT has discovered sausage rolls; I ordered For Starters biz cards (wait, is this a business?); and we’ve got some seriously good advice today from a young baker who’s absolutely smashing it.
In this issue:
Inspo ➠ Chemists making 🍫
Advice ➠ How to bake a biz
Ideas ➠ “Help me quit my job!”
Resources ➠ Free ideas
Town Hall ➠ A brand is born
👋 For Starters is a weekly email for starting the business of your dreams. It’s written by Danny Giacopelli, former editor of Courier magazine and host of Monocle’s The Entrepreneurs podcast.
📥️ Want small biz inspo & advice? → Subscribe for free
📬️ Tell us your business dreams → [email protected]
Commerce can be beautiful | Credit: Humboldt Books
1. Hand-painted signs, India-style. Regular readers know we have a thing for hand-painted shop signs. (Examples from previous editions: here in San Diego and here in Paris). So discovering the gorgeous book, SADAK: Hand Painted Street Signs in India – which explores art director and filmmaker Aradhana Seth's archive of biz signs around India – is an absolute delight.
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2. A Beirut-born, NYC-educated, former chemical engineer just opened an artisan chocolate shop in London. Noor Freiha, who taught herself how to make chocolate and who previously ran the chocolate brand Kyoot, recently swung open the doors to Makers in London’s Chelsea area. The idea: delicious chocolate with no refined sugar or dairy. → Chemists making food, you say? Reminds me of Gloria Allorbi, the LA-based cosmetic chemist who's growing Gloria's Shito.
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3. And in Solana Beach, California, there’s a new next-gen golf shop. Home Course, founded by designer Brandon Hunter, is a ‘golf atelier’ that sells cool clothes and kit for a younger gen of golfers – but it’s also a barbershop. Love genre-blending retail.
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Moyin Odeniran started Mr Desserts when he was just 14. Now, after selling his cupcakes, cookies, brownies and cakes at London food markets and pop-ups and growing a large social following, the self-taught baker is ready to expand… right after he graduates from uni. Here’s his hard-won advice for starters…
✍️ MOYIN’S TOP TIPS
01. Don’t let your age hold you back. I started Mr Desserts when I was 14. Some people tried to take advantage, but being young also gave me an edge. People paid attention. If you’re under 18, there are limits, but you can still use your age to your advantage.
02. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. You probably won’t, so just turn it better. Most people in food don’t create new products; they find new ways to present them. Borough 22 didn’t invent donuts or gluten-free baking, but brought them together in a standout way. I do the same with flavours – think caramel chai cupcakes or matcha + white chocolate. A cupcake isn’t new, but making one that’s really good and a bit unexpected is where the magic is.
03. Pick your lane, at least at the start. You can be a great baker or a great cake decorator; some people are both, some are one. Obviously it’s ideal to be both, but if you’re stronger in one area, lean into it. It’s okay to start where you are strongest or most confident, and evolve over time.
04. Connect with the baking community online. They’re genuinely supportive and can make you feel less alone, especially in those early days.
05. Differentiate your product, but also your brand. People buy stories and personalities, not just treats. I use storytelling on social media to connect with my audience. I’ve got my signature videos (even if I’m terrible at posting consistently), but I lean into my personality because there’s only one me. Brooki Bakehouse in Australia is a great example. She built a global brand through “day in the life” content on TikTok.
06. You don’t need fancy equipment to start. I began with a hand mixer. A KitchenAid looks great, but it won’t help if you don’t understand baking basics. YouTube, TikTok and IG are your best friends, especially accounts like @benjaminthebaker, @sugarologie101 and @thepracticeofpastry for the science side, and @ibakemistakes for flavour thinking. For general baking, I love Cupcake Gemma, The Scran Line and How To Cook That.
07. Be clear with customers. If they send a design, let them know you can’t replicate it exactly, but you can be inspired by it. Some bakers even refuse to copy others out of principle. Set boundaries and have clear T&Cs – they’ll protect your time and creativity. Always take a deposit or full payment before confirming an order, as it saves you so much stress.
08. Charge your worth. Baking is manual labour. I can bake for 8 hours straight. If your skills are solid and your product is great, price it like it matters. Look at @bakedsocal, she charges $15 for one cookie because she puts in the work, and she sells out. If the product is good, people will pay.
09. Keeping up the momentum is hard. People see the end product, but not the late nights, the flopped bakes, or the quiet moments when nothing is happening. It takes consistency, not just creativity. You can be good, but if you’re not willing to put in the reps, you’re not going to get great. And honestly, that’s something I’m still learning.
10. Taste is everything. I don’t always take my own advice. I’d be much better if I did, but my saving grace is that the product is very, very good. You can have the best branding, the cleanest aesthetic, but if your dessert doesn’t taste good, it’s not going to last. I’ve remade my cookie recipe 20+ times to get it where it is now and I still tweak it. Don’t settle. Hone your craft. Anyone can make a brownie or cookie – your job is to make it better than expected.
🧠 HOW HE LEARNED
→ By trying, messing up, and trying again. Starting young definitely helped as I’ve always had a strong support system around me. My mum (above) and Aunty are both accountants, so I’ve been lucky to have people I could go to with business questions.
→ By talking to other bakers. People like Dee Omole and Rishi Nanavati are just a couple of the many in the industry I’ve built relationships with who’ve been really generous with their time and advice. Enterprise Nation and FounderVine has been great free resources too. The best thing you can do is ask questions, listen, and watch how people move.
→ When it comes to branding and marketing, I’ve picked up so much from a workshop with Jaiku, a storytelling agency, founded by Marianne Olaleye. As well as my brand designer, Lucy Eden. She not only brought the vision to life, but also drops gems on TikTok and IG. I’d also recommend Kiki Bhaur for solid brand strategy resources, especially if you’re just starting out.
→ Social media took me ages to figure out. I’m still learning. I just kept posting, testing, trying different things and eventually something stuck. I’ve seen the same with others too, growing accounts to 500k+ just by showing up consistently and tweaking as they go. There’s no magic formula, but if you keep at it, it adds up.
🍪 HIS FAV BRANDS
Borough 22. Known for their gluten-free fried donuts and for making free-from baking actually exciting.
Marcelo’s Ice Cream. Dairy-free and full of flavour. I don’t usually love free-from alternatives, but their rum & raisin is unreal. There’s a balance between being like the original and owning its own thing.
Salad Days Market. I’m biased because I trade with them, but they’ve built one of the warmest, most supportive small biz communities I’ve seen.
Puff Puff Ministry. I love seeing a traditional Nigerian staple being repackaged and reframed without losing its identity. It’s clever, bold, and long overdue.
Chaps. Another Nigerian fave, bringing classic drinks to the market with pride and polish.
Vegan Patty Lady. I met her years ago when she was a baker, and now she’s killing it with vegan patties. I hate mushrooms, but I liked the one with them as a meat replacement, which says a lot.
Arva. A non-alcoholic spritz brand. I don’t usually like fizzy drinks that much, but their Yuzu & Pear and Lychee & Hibiscus are always delicious.
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🏃♀️ Fitness apps. Working on a biz in the fitness app space? Strava snapped up cycling training app The Breakaway a week ago, after recently buying running training app Runna. → Time to vibe-code your way into Strava’s DMs…
🌮 Immersive dining. Keep an eye on The Infinite Table, launching in June. Founded by Peter J. Kim, it’s a 5-course meal with immersive storytelling and 360° video. The first ‘trip’ is to Oaxaca. An idea with lots of potential…
🚀 Accessibility tech. A new angel group called Adaptation Ventures just launched which backs early-stage co’s building products/services for people with disabilities. An absolutely enormous opportunity.
😨 Resignation agencies. Too scared to quit your job? In Japan, you can hire a ‘resignation agent’ to quit for you. The service starts at 22,000 yen ($152).
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🛠️ Tools
Idea Browser. Essentially a directory of business ideas, all for the taking.
📚️ Reads
Meet the ‘Stealthy Wealthy’ Who Make Their Money the Boring Way. The road to riches is paved with cup holders, burgers and miles of elementary school carpeting. WSJ
Craig Mod on the Creative Power of Walking. “From this boredom, words flow. I can’t stop them.” Lit Hub
Inside the High-Tech Pickleball Company With 1,900 Percent Revenue Growth. This family-owned business is going all-in on the future of pickleball with a high-tech lab featuring 3-D printers, a collaborative robot, and a durability cannon. Inc
She earned $20 doing laundry for a friend. Now this entrepreneur washes 7,000lb a month. Army veteran Hyacinth Tucker started doing laundry as a side hustle. Now she’s winning pitch competitions. Guardian
🧠 Findings
$1 → The longtime price of an oyster. Now it’s $3 – and sometimes $6! Why? It’s complicated.
🙃 Fun
The flavour of this summer: the creamsicle. Set up a creamsicle stand outside your shop and see what happens…
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And congrats to For Starters subscriber James Kape, founder of branding agency OMSE, who recently turned a fun side project into a proper business. Check out his coffee brand Devil’s Fruit. The name and design, as you’d expect, are 🤌🏼
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