My name is Wetalu Obi and I'm the cofounder and CEO of W's Bakeshop. We are an artisanal bakery that bakes celebration cakes and pastries. We've been at it for almost 10 years. Saying it out loud sounds like a really long time, but yeah, that's been us.

Originally, it was supposed to be "Bakeshop Cupcakes" because when we started out, it was meant to be just cupcakes. I don't like a lot of long talk – if that makes any sense – so whenever I am doing anything, I like to be very straightforward with it. We decided to call it "Bakeshop" but there was already a bakeshop somewhere else in the world. We had to put something else in front of it so it became W's Bakeshop.

Well, I wanted money. But if we are going to cut deeper than that, I guess I'd give another answer. So, I co-own the bakery with my sister, Ella Obi, and I started baking when I was like, 8 years old. I was baking for a very long time before we began [the bakeshop]. She thought that it'd bring us some money. I agreed and said she should handle the money while I handled everything else. The rest is history.

I'm a very religious person. Because I believe in God a lot, I believe that everything I need in my life, and everything I need moving forward in my life has already been given to me like some sort of divine gift. With baking and the culinary arts – it's been something that I didn't really learn or I wasn't really trained for. It just happened; almost like it was already inbuilt when I was born. So, I sort of approach my life the way I approach my craft, in the sense that I'm never in lack or in a hurry when it comes to anything, because everything I'll need for my life is around me or inside me, like in my hands or in my head. It's that kind of intuition and straightforwardness that sort of guides me everywhere I go. I go around just thinking anything is possible.

Well, I'm very fortunate because I have a partner so challenges are shared. And a challenge shared is better than a challenge just lying on your back like that. But, I would say the most challenging thing about running a bakery, especially in Lagos, is the logistics of everything. I'm talking electricity, fuel – just simple, basic things that should be straightforward, right? Due to where we live, it's unnecessarily convoluted. Just off the top of my head this week: the filling station that we usually get our fuel from wasn't selling for some reason. We went to the next filling station—same thing. We spent half the day looking for fuel, which doesn't make any sense. And because of that, the drivers couldn't come early. That meant the deliveries were delayed. It's random stuff that dominoes in your day, but it's all solvable—it's just unnecessarily stressful. I would say the most exciting part of the day-to-day operations, for me personally, is the community in the bakery. We're very blessed to have a very cohesive team and staff. Just going there in the morning at the crack of dawn and opening all the ovens and then measuring out the cinnamon and the flour and the smells and the noise and the chatter… it just wakes me up for the day in a very beautiful way.

I actually really love that question. Yes, I do feel like this is what I'm meant to do because it's what I've been blessed with. As a human being, sometimes there are moments in your life where you feel like you're not as well-versed in what your craft is; or you're not on the right track; or you're doing things in a very slow manner. Conclusively, imposter syndrome, right? But, I will say that because this is something that's out of my control, and it's a gift that's been very naturally given, this is what I think I'm meant to do – at least for the time being until God reveals another path to me.

I would have probably been an artist, like a painter. Or a primary school teacher. And I think they have some similarities with baking. With baking and painting, it's very to the touch. You feel a lot with your hands. It's intuitive. I do paint in my free time, but nothing I'll ever show the general public. With being a primary school teacher, I'd say it's a thing of patience. You have to be really patient to bake and to deal with kids. I speak on the second one from experience.

It changes from time to time, I guess, with the concept. The last two things I baked – which is something I'm posting on my Instagram this year – it started with a flavor profile. For example, I just posted something about a chocolate cake and that day I was, you know, on my bed and I was thinking, "I want something deep and chocolatey, a little salty, some espresso and something dark; what is everything I could make that matches that?" I started with a chocolate cake and I wanted something salty and a little caramel-y. Like a Biscoff. But if I toast it a bit, it'll be a little sweet and a tad bitter – I'm going to add a little salt to that and I'm going to make a pastry. Essentially, I start with flavors and I try to build on that, most times. But if it's something I'm presenting to people, usually, I start with something aesthetic, like I'm trying to recreate something that's in my head.

Whenever we're trying to sell something in Lagos, it's heavily dependent on what we think people would buy. Personally, if I was ever going to put anything in the menu, it would have to be introduced very slowly with small units. It'll be a pop-up of some sorts, which is usually how we introduce new flavors, so when people buy something from that pop-up it becomes a permanent placement – maybe the next year or in the next menu revision. It's gradual, but it's there.

I'm not the best in social situations, but I try my best. Like, hanging out with friends as much as I can; going to raves; things with music I like; or drinking parties. Anything with a lot of human interaction is what I enjoy, so I can soak it all up. I [just] try to balance it all.

I really love Chef Olivia [from Livvy's Twist] and Chef Fregz. He's a mentor of mine and he's helped me a lot with knowledge over the years.

Be sure of yourself, because the thing that you're looking for outside doesn't exist. Or – this is a very good one – nobody is coming to save you, so just be. That would have solved a lot of problems for younger me.

Oh, we have a bunch! Since the bakeshop started with just me and my sister, we used to do most of the deliveries ourselves so we'd meet our customers. There was this one housewife – I do not remember her name now – but I'll just call her Mrs. M. She tasted our cake for the first time and she said it was the best thing she'd ever had. And I automatically thought she was lying because, wow, that can't be true, you know? But she called us back and told us to make another one and when we delivered it, all her friends were in the room. She cut it and shared it with all her friends and they were all raving, while I was just standing there. They told me, "You have to keep going at this. You have to keep doing this. This is really, really good. I think you really have something here." And I got a little emotional, I won't lie, but it was one of those things that stuck with me for life. And I'm glad they told me that.

Cinnamon rolls. Just cinnamon rolls.

Because it's a labor of love and the result is always delicious. Plus, it makes your entire house smell amazing. It takes at least three hours to make a good batch of cinnamon rolls. In that time you can read a book, smoke a J, walk around the house, clean and everywhere just smells beautiful. And it reminds me of Christmas because I always make them on Christmas.

I don't want to give anything corny, but having a really good support system is really nice. Make sure your validation comes from you or your support system and never from, you know, people outside that because nobody else can see your vision as clearly as you can. You have to really believe in yourself to do things. If you do things and you don't believe in them, you're using 50% of what could have been your hundred, right? You have to really believe in yourself and whatever it is you want to do. Just do it without thinking of how embarrassing; or how cringy; or how it's perceived by other people. I learned that a lot later in my life and I wish I learned that earlier. It would have saved me some time.

Yeah, unfortunately a lot of them are TBD but I will say one thing though: in five or ten years, it would just be a lot bigger. That's all I can say. A lot bigger, God willing.

Yeah, I would love to shout-out and especially thank my sister, Ella Obi, and the rest of my family for being the best possible people I could ever look around and see in the morning. Also, all my friends that believed in me along the way. It's not easy to look back sometimes because you don't really think you've done anything with your life. It's been a lot [of stuff], so I'd like to thank them. Wow, I've never ended something with a shout-out before. That felt nice.