Some say romance & work don’t mix, but this S’porean cake shop’s 2nd-gen owners beg to differ

They say that you should never work with family or loved ones, but Zhuo Jia Yi and Chan Kai Yang are among the many couples who have debunked this saying.

The duo first met after matching on Tinder in 2019, where they realised that they were polar opposites of one another. “Kai Yang is a charismatic extrovert who used to party every week. I’m an introvert who’s always preferred to stay home,” Jia Yi wrote in a TODAY article.

Despite their differences, they got married in 2023, and together, they helm CakeInspiration—a cake shop that was founded by Jia Yi’s parents and known for their customised cakes.

Continuing her parents’ legacy

Jiayi’s parents, who are the original founders of CakeInspiration/ Image Credit: CakeInspiration

Watching her parents assemble cakes since she was nine, Jia Yi often helped out after school and during the holidays. Naturally, her interest in the business grew as it allowed her to hone her creativity. But that was not the only reason she wanted to carry her parents’ legacy.

Jia Yi explained that if she decided not to take over the business, CakeInspiration would have shut down when her parents retired. However, after watching her parents work for “16 hours straight” every day, she felt that it would be “a shame” given how dedicated they were to building and sustaining the business.

“I wanted to continue what they started instead of letting the business close down,” she firmly stated.

Her drive spurred her to pursue a diploma in Food and Beverage Business at Nanyang Polytechnic, as she wanted to gain the acumen needed to run and grow the business.

However, when she joined the business after graduating in late 2021, CakeInspiration’s sales were heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as large-scale events that require grand and intricate cakes were limited.

This led Jia Yi to expand CakeInspiration’s product range and introduce two brands: Eggyi.co, which focuses on bento cakes, and Petissier, which sells customised cakes for cats and dogs.

The cake shop also gained its first B2B orders, where they assisted cafes with crafting their menus. They also produced and supplied desserts and cakes for hotel events.

Always shoot your shot

On the other hand, Jia Yi’s husband, Kai Yang, comes from an engineering background. He has always aspired to run a business, which doesn’t come as a surprise, as his parents had their own business in the data storage industry.

Kai Yang also had the opportunity to pursue a six-month internship at a tech startup in Vietnam, where he was required to network with other business professionals through LinkedIn and cold-emailing, which became one of his valuable assets.

Upon returning to Singapore, he pursued other career paths and helped out at CakeInspiration over the weekends—but he soon identified a problem with the business. “I saw immense potential in their craftsmanship and products, but the brand lacked visibility.”

With a new challenge at hand, Kai Yang relied on his networking skills and reached out to established restaurants, hotels, and even luxury brands. “As a fan of luxury goods, I recognised that our customised cakes could be a great addition to luxury brands’ Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs.”

Jia Yi and Kai Yang with Vincent Phang of TungLok Group / Image Credit: CakeInspiration

One successful shot was when he connected with Vincent Phang, the CEO of the catering division of homegrown F&B powerhouse TungLok Group, who introduced him to F&B associations, opening doors to potential partnerships.

It was then that he decided to fully support Jia Yi in growing CakeInspiration and joined the company after the couple’s marriage in 2023.

Making it work

Being in the F&B industry is no easy feat. Operating costs such as rental and ingredients have only increased over the years, which has resulted in many businesses raising the prices of their offerings—CakeInspiration was no exception.

“It was not as easy for us to explain to our customers the reasons behind increasing our cake prices, and some of them will not take it that well,” lamented Jia Yi. With more brands and home bakeries offering customisable cakes, the competition has also become more intense.

To sustain CakeInspiration and ensure its growth, the duo decided to focus on building its B2B business, with Kai Yang noting its consistency.

“With a fixed number of orders coming in every month, we can better project our sales. We have experienced very dry months after the pandemic, and it was not easy to have enough sales via the B2C route; our B2B business covers a part of our running costs, which helps to ease the stress,” he explained.

However, Kai Yang added that establishing credibility and relationships with the big guys “took time.” Many luxury brands and corporate clients have go-to suppliers, making it essential for CakeInspiration to distinguish themselves with their niche—”full customisation and quality.”

“Many people assume cake customisation is as simple as picking a design from a catalogue. We often have to educate them on the craftsmanship and time required, especially for handcrafted figurines,” added Jia Yi.

It seems that they made the right move, as they claimed to have not only recovered the losses incurred from the pandemic but also increased sales by 20 to 30% since mid-2023.

CakeInspiration also secured partnerships with many client brands, including Singaporean hospitality giant Ascott, who asked the couple to organise cake decorating classes for residents at two of its serviced apartments, Ascott Orchard and Raffles.

Looking forward, the cake shop will be renovating its storefront at Joo Chiat in a bid to look more “welcoming” to customers. The duo is also considering launching a takeaway cafe concept after renovations have been completed and will introduce more cake-decorating workshops.

Jia Yi and Kai Yang may have contrasting personalities, but they’ve managed to make their partnership work, both in love and in business.

However, for some couples—including Jia Yi and Kai Yang—striking a balance between work and personal time is an ongoing challenge. While the duo are “still new to this,” they have some tips that help maintain harmony in and out of work:

“Keep the romance going. We are not just business partners but life partners as well, that has to be kept in mind,” emphasised the couple, proving that romance and work can mix.

Featured Image Credit: CakeInspiration