How This 24 YO Baker Started A Food Truck

When her parents insisted Rajini Bhargava pursue an MBA, she presented them the idea of investing in a food truck.

Two years ago self-taught baker Rajini Bhargava convinced her parents to help her set up a food truck in Bengaluru.

The 24-year-old entrepreneur tells us how she makes a 40 per cent profit and earns up to Rs 10,000 per day.

How often have you wondered about starting a small food truck in your city or hometown?

At 24, Rajini Bhargava is living a dream that several millennials are still chasing.

A first-generation entrepreneur from her family, Rajini, who graduated in travel and tourism, quit her 9-to-5 job in 2023 to turn her childhood passion into a business.

"I wanted to do something related to travel, but after Covid hit, things didn't really run well. I was doing an internship which wasn't doing well. I worked in a company for eight months, but quit because I didn't really feel like it was worth it," Rajini tells Divya Nair/Rediff.

Inspiration to start up

"Baking has been my hobby since I was in Class 9," says Rajini who has never attended a baking class in her life.

"When I was young, I used to watch a lot of baking videos on TLC. Growing up, it was mostly YouTube and Instagram. When I started to bake, people started loving my cakes. I used to sell them from home, and when I used to go to the office, my colleagues would love them too."

'My first cake was terrible'

Rajini confesses that being self-taught had its consequences.

"The first time I baked a cake, it was terrible. It was so dense, it was horrible. Next, I tried baking an upside-down pineapple cake. And that was a disaster as well," she admits.

"But it tasted really good," she adds, sharing the motivation that kept her going.

"I offered it to a few friends and they were like, 'Oh my God, the taste is so good.' But when I looked at my cake, I said, 'it doesn't even look like a cake.'

Rajini credits friends and well-wishers who nudged her to pursue her talent.

Today, Rajini earns up to Rs 10,000 a day delivering bulk orders of cheesy, melt-in-your-mouth cupcakes that sell out in no time.

Everyday learnings: Baking powder vs Baking soda

"On TV, they show like it's very easy to bake a cake. Because they have tools like a hand blender and other machines. Here, I was using a regular whisk and the results were obviously not the same.

"There was also a little discrepancy in the quantity of baking soda, baking powder. I was missing the chemistry behind baking, which nobody explains. Like why do you have to put this in order to become fluffy get this particular texture?"

Rajini discovered that "baking powder makes your cake and cookies fluffier, but baking soda makes it crispy."

Temperature too, Rajini says "makes a huge difference in the texture."

"Some people say that you have to bake at 180 or 190 degrees. When I tried baking a red velvet cookie at 190 degrees, it turned out to be really hard. So hard that you couldn't eat it. And once I tried it at 170 degrees, it turned out to be just perfect. It's the same dough, same chocolate, and same ingredients, but the temperature inside the oven makes a lot of difference," she adds.

Getting the first big order

From distributing free samples to getting her first big order

Rajini never had an industrial oven when she started taking orders from home.

"I was attending a function where I met this person from Ashirwad Caterers. My dad and I asked if we could supply something for him. He wasn't very keen, but he said, 'You can just give me whatever you bake.' I had a small oven so I just baked a few cheesecakes and gave them to him. He really loved it."

Next Rajini made 70 cupcakes and distributed them free of cost at a wedding in Bengaluru.

"We told the guests to give us their honest reviews. Everyone really liked how it was home-baked and there was nothing artificial in it." That's how Rajini started getting bulk orders through word-of-mouth marketing.

Rajini bought her first industrial oven with her savings from the previous job and the subsequent bulk orders.

Birth of Sweet Tooth Creations

When her parents (her dad is an accountant, and mom is a teacher) insisted Rajini to pursue an MBA, she presented them with the idea of investing in a food truck. "I told them to invest Rs 8 lakhs into my food truck."

Aware of their daughter's passion, her parents decided to support her in the journey.

With the help of a friend Ishir, a web site designer, Rajini was able to put everything together.

Next came the permissions and licenses.

"Until two years ago, you would have needed a lot of permissions. All I had to do was visit the food street and ask someone. They directed me to a person who designated a spot for me. In some places, you pay for the spot. I didn't pay anything, but now you have to take permission from the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike). They will ask you for a vendor's license. Once you get a vendor's license, you can put up a stall/truck within that designated area."

There are different rules in different areas, Rajini adds. "I pay Rs 20-30 every day to the traffic police and Rs 500 a month as parking charges." Rajini's food truck operates between 5.30 and 9.30 pm in Sahakara Nagar.

"You are not allowed to operate in the mornings; they will come and tow your truck."

Rajini positioned her truck strategically knowing that customers would like to try a dessert after having a biryani or something savoury. Her bite-sized cheesecakes in different flavours are affordably priced between Rs 40 and Rs 90. A premium one, whose size is slightly bigger would cost Rs 140, she adds.

"I sell 15 to 16 cupcakes on weekdays and about 30 cupcakes on weekends. So I make approximately Rs 3,000 per day on weekdays and up to Rs 6,000 on weekends," Rajini tells us.

Along with her mother who assists her at the truck, Rajini has roped in a few college students to help with a stall in the same area.

"I get bulk order bookings too, which I handle during the day. My biggest delivery was 400 to 600 cupcakes," she says proudly.

A setback and learning experience

Rising above challenges

Rajini, who did not have any start-up experience, admits that budgeting and planning were a big challenge.

"I invested Rs 8 lakhs which now I feel was not required. I could have easily brought down the cost to Rs 4 lakhs by not buying some of the stuff. For example, I bought a generator as a backup, which was not necessary."

Freshly baked pastries and cookies have a shelf-life and cannot be stored so Rajini prepares them in batches depending on the time of sale and customer demand.

"Last year I met with an accident so my mom and fiance Nithin Sai took charge of the orders. Then it got saturated and people stopped coming. That was a setback and a huge learning experience for us.

"Now I ensure I experiment and change a few things in the menu for variety. A few items are bestsellers, the rest are experimental," she says.

The 40 per cent Profit Story

"We started two years ago. Currently, we operate two outlets -- one is a food truck; the other is a stall, both are in Sahakara Nagar, which has a busy food street. The highest we earn per day is Rs 10,000."

"I love baking so I can tell you that cakes and pastries have 50 per cent margin, which makes it a profitable business. Some of them use dalda, maida, loose sugar, and cheaper, bulk ingredients which brings down the overall production cost, so they can easily make more than 50 per cent profit. Since I use only butter and quality ingredients, my margin is 40 per cent, which I am okay with."

Rajini, who quit her 9 to 5 job, has no regrets or plans to go back to her routine.

"I usually start work at 10.30 am. But if I get a bulk order, I start around 9," she tells us about her routine.

There is a lot of hard work involved but it's also very satisfying, she admits while sharing her ambitious plans for the future.

"I want to expand by setting up franchises. The cost would be Rs 1.5 lakh for a stall and a little above Rs 3 lakh with training. My ultimate dream is to have a unique cafe, something people will always want to come back to."

'It's never too late to learn'

Advice for young entrepreneurs

As the first entrepreneur in her family, Ragini is hopeful that her journey will inspire young girls to pursue their dreams.

"Most people hesitate to start up because they feel what if it goes wrong. I'd like to tell them, what if it goes right?'

Her advice is based on her own mistakes and learnings.

"Do your research. Save some money. Start small with a minimum investment. But take that first step.

Spend at least two months studying the market and your customer. Find out if there is a market and demand for the product you intend to sell."

"If there is competition, you must try something different or unique in your product that no one else has. Try and get as many customer feedback and reviews as you can. This will help you build and rebuild your product to perfection.

"In my case, it was trying Babka -- a chocolate-stuffed bread/cake that was served along with tea/coffee at a boogie cafe in Pondicherry. I tried making a smaller size of Babka shaped like a ring to test it with my customers and they loved it."

In this age when people are choosing health and are consciously making food decisions, Rajini experimented with jaggery and date-based cupcakes, which were an instant hit.

"It's never too late to learn," Ragini insists. "Upskill and update yourself all the time," she urges aspiring entrepreneurs. "Always take feedback from customers if you really want to learn and improve."