The story of Flying Cakes’ Sunil is a must-read if you are doing a job and dreaming of setting up a business. Born in Delhi, college dropout Sunil Vashisht reveals how determination and hard work can take you from earning rupees 200 a day to running a successful business with a turnover of 8.5 crore rupees. The man who began his journey as a pizza delivery boy at Domino’s Pizza is now the founder and CEO of Flying Cakes, a chain of cake shops.

Sunil grew up in a family of five. His father was a mechanical laborer and the only earning member in their family. So, after completing class ten, the young boy was forced to earn a living for himself. He began doing odd menial jobs that came his way, making around rupees 200 a day. But in 1998, things changed when he got a job at Domino’s Pizza in Delhi as a pizza delivery boy. He learned the ropes fast and got crucial insights about how to make a business profitable. For five years, he put in every effort to be a dedicated employee. He even became the outlet’s blue-eyed boy and their best-performing employee. But all this time, he dreamt of someday starting his own business.

The Spark

“I believe that if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must first learn to be a dedicated employee”, says Sunil. In 2003, the dedicated employee leaped ahead. With some accumulated savings from his career with Domino’s Pizza, Sunil set up a small roadside eatery in Delhi. Sadly, this business enterprise failed miserably due to continuous obstruction by the civic authorities. In four years of managing the eatery, Sunil earned nothing monetarily but gathered plenty of experience. In 2007, Sunil decided to go for another business. This time he wanted something more stable, legal, bigger, and better. He was not going to let failure pull him down.

Image credits: Mad For India

Flying Cakes, not a cakewalk

Sunil did in-depth research on food joints in nearby areas. He soon realized there was no cake shop in the area and so he decided to start one. With a loan of INR 58,000 from a friend, Sunil opened a cake shop in Noida on September 1, 2006. He named it Flying Cakes.

His vision was to delight customers with good quality freshly made cakes delivered within 60 minutes of ordering. He gathered a small committed team of disciplined people and trained them to exceed customer expectations. He even devised a fifteen-minute preparation technique that later became synonymous with the brand. Though initially, the business was slow, Sunil never compromised with the quality or deterred from his vision. He often worked close to eighteen hours a day to serve the best cakes. 

Sunil Vashisht kept a tab of the minimum sales volume to avoid losses while waiting for the business to grow. And it did! One day the head of HCL’s admin department visited Flying Cakes to order a cake for her son’s birthday. The lady was so impressed by the quality of the cake, that corporate orders followed. According to Sunil, “The orders from HCL were the first milestone that made me feel the worth of my undaunting struggle and the risk that I took of quitting the stable job.” 

Image credits: The Trial Box

The Growth

Flying Cakes soon began to build a long list of valuable customers. It started to sell Kids Cakes, Sugar Icing Cakes, Fondant Cakes, Photo Cakes, Designer Cakes, Wedding Cakes, and Anniversary Cakes.

Today, Flying Cakes has 15+ outlets and 100+ employees across India, in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore, Pune, Samastipur, and Bihar. Together they have exceeded a turnover of INR 8.5 crores. 

Sunil Vashisht has plans to open 100+ Flying Cakes outlets by 2025.

Sunil’s message to those who want to start their business

“Firstly, you need to understand that a business would never start giving you profits from day one. It’s a constant process that requires continuous efforts and dedication. So patience is the most important factor here. Set your short-term and long-term goals and put all your strength and hard work into achieving these goals. Believe in your products and always keep improving the quality of your products.” says Sunil, the pizza delivery boy who dared to dream big!

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