18/10/2026
What goes down, must go up…
Running a small business is not for the faint-hearted. Over the last several weeks, I’ve been running at a loss. People don’t realise what goes into producing something as humble as a pancake.
There’s wages. Gas (we sometimes go through 15kgs in a day). Flour. Responsibly sourced eggs. Salt. Vanilla essence. Baking powder. And some secret stuff 😉
Then, don’t get me started on the sugar. I buy 100kg’s at a time 😅. Cinnamon. Omg. There’s cinnamon, and then there’s cinnamon. The kind I chose for my customers isn’t the cheap type. I go through kg’s at a time. I mean, what’s a pancake without good cinnamon, and LOTS thereof. The card machine also gobbles up a big chunk. Grrr. Bank fees, too.
Lots of lemon 🍋 juice, serviettes, wet wipes (don’t ask), cleaning products to make sure we leave our spot cleaner than before we setup camp, fuel, paper plates, uniforms, water, and electricity bills, lastly; packaging.
Packaging costs almost as much as the batter! There’s the plastic domes, the stickers, the loyalty cards, vouchers, signage. Plastic bags, paper bags, fomos, cellophane, ribbons 🎀 .
And then there’s my time. I also like to get recompensed for that. Sometimes it’s 15 hours on my feet in just one day. I have calloused hands, burn scars a plenty.
And don’t get me started on wastage. Burned or broken pancakes do not make the cut. Day old pancakes, and leftover batter gets donated. We also give lots to hungry people who can’t afford food, and do what we can for various fundraising initiatives.
My point. And no, I’m not complaining.
Business is hard, and when you’re not making a profit, your mind takes you to lots of dark places, and it’s at that point that you have to keep your head.
Keep doing what worked in the past. Pivot or iterate where needed. Ask the hard questions. But sometimes, you’re doing absolutely nothing wrong. Times are tough. Don’t let’s get started on fuel prices.
Life sometimes works in spurts of inhales, and exhales.
This is when you pray, and keep moving forward. Consistency is key 🔑
So… grateful that we had a better week. My overdraft is really going to thank me!!!
A massive THANK YOU to everyone who made this possible. I literally will give you a kiss 💋 if you want one 😉. A holy kiss (Google it).
This thing only works because of YOU!!! So thanks 🙏🏻
