From Alibaba Designer to Scenic Cake Artist: Fang Hao’s Inspiring Journey
Fang Hao, a former visible designer at Alibaba, made a daring profession shift by buying and selling her design instruments for cake adorning provides. This transition marked the start of a novel and galvanizing journey. Fang Hao’s scenic truffles, which superbly seize breathtaking landscapes and heartwarming tales, have garnered immense reputation. This transformation from a hobbyist to a profitable entrepreneur is a testomony to her unwavering pursuit of ardour and creativity.
Fang Hao’s Background and Inspiration
Fang Hao, born in 1988 in Taizhou, China, spent roughly 4 years at Alibaba as a visible designer. Her function concerned creating designs for buttons and different person interface parts, using instruments like Photoshop and Sketch. Regardless of her profitable profession at a distinguished tech firm, Fang Hao’s true ardour lay in baking, a interest she had cherished since her school days.
In her early twenties, Fang Hao purchased her first oven and began experimenting with numerous baked items, akin to cookies and egg tarts. Her journey into cake making started with creating customized truffles for Alibaba’s anniversary celebrations. Though these early creations had been easy, they ignited her curiosity in combining her inventive abilities with baking. She quickly envisioned the potential for crafting extra elaborate and personalised truffles.
Fang Hao’s early customized truffles had been priced between 300 and 600 yuan, and he or she discovered nice satisfaction in assembly her purchasers’ requests. The enjoyment and success she skilled from this ardour, even whereas working full-time, grew to become the driving power behind her resolution to transition careers.
The Start of Scenic Desserts
Fang Hao’s transformation from a hobbyist to a famend cake artist started with a particular order. Her future husband, a colleague, requested a cake depicting a small island with a single home, symbolizing his dream getaway. This problem propelled Fang Hao past her consolation zone, requiring her to combine pottery and craftsmanship along with her baking abilities.
Creating this cake concerned exploring new strategies and supplies. Fang Hao meticulously analyzed the {photograph} of the island, contemplating the textures of the salt wall, grass, and different parts. She experimented with numerous elements to realize the specified visible impact. The end result was a cake that intently resembled the {photograph}, stunning each Fang Hao and her consumer.
The success of this cake marked a pivotal second in Fang Hao’s profession. It ignited a surge in demand for truffles that captured scenic views and private tales. Her work gained recognition on social media platforms, significantly on the favored Chinese language platform, Xiaohongshu (Purple). Inside a yr, her on-line presence grew by 500,000 followers, demonstrating the widespread enchantment of her distinctive creations.
The Enterprise of Scenic Desserts
Fang Hao’s dedication to her craft went past the artistic course of. She understood the need of balancing her ardour with the practicalities of operating a enterprise. Initially, her major focus was on perfecting her abilities somewhat than maximizing income. She intentionally saved her operations small, working from a modest studio and prioritizing high quality over amount.
As her enterprise expanded, Fang Hao encountered the problem of managing a staff whereas upholding the excessive requirements she had established. In Could 2018, she started collaborating along with her youthful brother and a supervisor, Xiao Chen, in a small workplace house on the sixth flooring. Initially, their month-to-month income was round 60,000 to 70,000 yuan, just like her earlier wage at Alibaba. Nonetheless, her enterprise continued to develop, and by the top of 2022, with a staff of 4, they had been producing roughly 20 truffles each day and producing about 400,000 yuan in month-to-month income.
Regardless of the rising demand and potential for greater income, Fang Hao remained dedicated to her authentic strategy. She resisted the temptation to boost costs, focusing as a substitute on her well-being and work-life stability. She believed that prioritizing her happiness and avoiding extreme work hours had been essential to her long-term success and satisfaction.
The Inventive Strategy of Scenic Desserts
Fang Hao’s scenic truffles are extra than simply edible replicas of landscapes; they’re intricate artistic endeavors that inform tales and evoke feelings. Her course of includes a meticulous mix of baking, sculpting, and inventive strategies. Every cake is a novel creation, impressed by a consumer’s imaginative and prescient and Fang Hao’s inventive interpretation.
Let’s delve into the creation of a snow mountain cake, as demonstrated within the video. The method includes a number of key steps:
- Snow Mountain Base: The bottom of the snow mountain is created utilizing Oreo cream, which acts as a glue-like substance to carry the construction collectively.
- Sculpting the Mountain Texture: A skinny layer of chocolate is utilized to the bottom, offering a basis for sculpting the mountain’s texture. This layer is refrigerated to solidify, making it simpler to work with in subsequent steps.
- Including Coloration and Texture: Edible pigments and cake paste are used to create the varied shades of brown, grey, and inexperienced that signify the mountain’s rock and vegetation.
- Planting the Grass: Totally different coloured cake pastes are meticulously utilized to create a sensible illustration of grass and different vegetation.
- Creating the River: A blood-bath fruit paste is used to create the river, representing the move of water.
- Including Particulars: Small parts like homes, bushes, and animals are added to finish the scene.
- Ending Touches: Sugar is sprinkled on the cake to create a snowy impact.
Fang Hao’s Philosophy on Success and Enterprise
Fang Hao’s strategy to enterprise stands out for its emphasis on well-being and happiness over fast progress and revenue maximization. She believes {that a} sustainable enterprise mannequin ought to prioritize the standard of life for these concerned, somewhat than simply specializing in the underside line. This philosophy has guided her choices all through her entrepreneurial journey.
Regardless of going through imitation and plagiarism from different cake artists, Fang Hao stays unfazed. She is assured that her dedication to high quality and innovation will set her aside. She emphasizes the significance of product energy and steady enchancment, believing that her dedication to her craft will guarantee her continued success.
Fang Hao’s definition of success is exclusive. She believes that true success lies in doing what you like and discovering happiness in your work. She stresses the significance of private success and a balanced life-style. Her story serves as a reminder that success may be outlined in some ways, and that prioritizing one’s personal well-being is essential for attaining lasting success.