I went from being homeless at Christmas with four kids to making £6k in a week last December with my baking side-hustle
AFTER leaving her husband in 2016, Lucy Scott knew she had hit rock bottom when she was made homeless with her four children just before Christmas.
The 34-year-old, from West Sussex, was "penniless" and selling cakes as a side hustle, struggling to find somewhere to live as she received benefits and sofa surfed at friends’ houses.
But after a landlord “took a chance” on her family, Lucy moved in December with no furniture, and borrowed money from family and friends to buy her children Christmas gifts.
In the new year of 2017, she started buying baking equipment again - and the orders eventually started pouring in.
Now Lucy is a mum-of-five and has turned her life around.
Last Christmas she turned over £6,000 in a week, and is on target to do more this year, after opening her “dream” cake shop, , during lockdown 2021.
Read more real life stories
“It’s a real pinch-me moment, looking at how far we’ve come by working so hard over the past six years,” Lucy says.
“If someone had told me when I was sofa surfing that one day I would go from baking cakes as a way to earn extra money, to running my own successful cake shop, I’m not sure I would have believed it.
“There have been really tricky times, and I’ve put blood, sweat and tears into this, and now I’m really looking forward to Christmas.
“I feel proud I can give my kids what they want. I’ve always worked hard and wanted to provide for my kids. I’m working really hard - and it’s all for them!”
Most read in Fabulous
Lucy met her now ex-husband when she was 16 in 2004, and fell pregnant with their first child, Anthony, now 16.
Just a year later they had Katie, now 15, then Tommy, now 10, and Bobby, 8.
But Lucy, who worked full-time as a home carer, says she decided she wanted different things in her life, and in 2016 her and her ex went their separate ways.
“Of course, I had my children, so I wouldn’t change that time in my life for anything,” she says.
“When I left, we were sleeping at my friends’ or mum’s houses while I was looking for accommodation. I went to the council and they put me on the list, but because I had two older kids, I needed a three-bedroom house, there wasn't anything for us.
“I tried to rent somewhere privately, but they said no straight away as I was getting housing benefits. I was in tears at my friend's house crying, 'Why have I done this?'
“I rang one more landlord, and he said yes, and I burst into tears. We moved into the house just before Christmas but we had nothing - no furniture. My friends rallied around with a TV and beds. It was so bare, but at least we had a house!
“I did my best that Christmas. I borrowed money from my mum and bought presents on Facebook Marketplace or made them. We didn’t have much, but we were together, and the kids loved it too.”
There have been really tricky times, and I’ve put blood, sweat and tears into this.
Keen to start baking again, Lucy started buying little bits of equipment, and was taking an order a week for a cake.
She was enjoying having a social life, and her friends were all encouraging her to “get back out there”, so she joined Tinder - and was shocked when she met Ryan, 33, because he seemed like “the right man, but at the wrong time”.
“I told him I wasn’t looking for a serious relationship and that I had four children, but he is amazing and just treated me like a princess,” she said.
“He had no children and lived in London with a good job and no responsibilities. But he was planning to move to be with me and my four children, so it was a lot for him to take on, and a lot of me too.
“The kids loved him and he loved them. He moved down within a couple of months and then he proposed nine months later, we got married in 2018, and he bought me my dream dress.
“He really encouraged me to get back into baking cakes, and business started getting better. Then in the following February, Albie was born.”
When lockdown hit in 2020, Ryan was made redundant from his job as a site manager. Lucy said at this point she could be making up to five birthday cakes a week at £65 each, and had her sights set on opening a shop.
After finding a location in Selsey high street, Lucy and Ryan set about transforming it - in just nine days. When Beauty Bake opened, there were people queuing along both sides of the street.
“It was a dark and dingy shop that no one had been in for so long, but as soon as we went to look at it, I knew it was meant to be my shop,” Lucy said.
“Ryan and my friend’s husband worked day and night for nine days to transform it, and we spent about £5,000 to pay for it. I was paying people in cakes if they came and helped, and we managed to do it on a budget.
“Opening day was amazing - we sold all the stock, and it was a lot, and we made enough in that first week to cover what we’d paid for it.
“We also tried cooking new recipes, including brownies and blondies, as we wanted people to be able to walk in and buy something straight away. It couldn’t have gone any better - everyone wanted it to be a success.
“We also baked cakes for the NHS and for nurses to say thanks for doing such an incredible job. We also started posting on and orders came in through there too.”
Orders starting pouring into Beauty Bake - Lucy could find herself making up to 25 big birthday cakes as well as the day-to-day orders too.
So, in May 2021, when Albie, who is autistic, started playschool, it meant Ryan, who had been his full-time carer, had more free time and was able to start work at the shop.
FABULOUS BINGO: Get a £20 bonus & 30 free spins when you spend £10 today
Lucy taught him how to bake, and she decorated them, meaning the couple were able to take on more orders in time for Christmas.
“Last year, we made 28 big reindeer cakes as well as all the other orders coming through the shop. I had gone from making about £500-£1,000 when it was just me at home making cakes, to turning over about £6,000 in total in a week - of course, that’s before the costs have been deducted.
“This year, we’ve paid for a Santa’s grotto in the shop, we’ve already got orders for 54 reindeer cakes and that’s without all the rest of the things we’ll be selling over the festive period in the shop.
“So I’m really hoping our turnover will be more like £10,000 for the entire Christmas period as it’s our biggest time of year - not least because the cost of living has increased and the bills at the shop, such as electricity, have gone sky-high.”
After turning over £64,000 last year Lucy says opening the shop has given the family more financial stability. The family has been on their first holiday abroad together, and this year, Lucy is planning a Christmas to remember.
“I’m not splashing the cash as I still need to work hard. But my kids will get for Christmas what they’ve asked for - but they’re good kids and they don’t take the mickey,” she said.
“They enjoyed the Christmas of 2016 when we had nothing, and equally they’ll enjoy this year. I’ve always felt as though it’s my role to provide for my children, and I don’t sit still. So I do feel proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Lucy admits she has big plans for next year - she’s moving into a bigger shop premises and also would love to start baking for a few of her favourite celebrities.
“Opening the shop was a complete blur. A few days later I burst into tears - it was such an achievement.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“I’m going to be picking up the keys for our new shop, which will be opening in February 2023. It all feels like a dream come true.
“I’d also love to bake for Stacey Solomon or Mrs Hinch - if that did happen, it really would be the cherry on the cake!”
