Start Your Nan Made Kitchen in Three Cups of Tea
This is the fun part.
You’re not “starting a business” in some heavy, official way. You’re opening your own little baking empire — with guides that have been beautifully designed, clear steps, and a whole world of ideas at your fingertips.
And you can do the core of it in three cups of tea.
Three joyful sessions.
Three sets of actions.
One new world opening up.
Cup One: Play with ideas – and choose what excites you.
Pour your tea.
This first cup is about imagination and curiosity.
Ask yourself:
> “What would I love to see in my shop?”
Then start exploring:
– **Pinterest:**
– Search for “baby shower cakes”, “gender reveal desserts”, “birthday cake trends”, “high tea baking”, “dessert table ideas”.
– Notice what makes you think, “Oh, I could do my version of that.”
– Save ideas into a board: *My Nan Made Kitchen*.
– **YouTube:**
– Watch free tutorials on decorating techniques, flavour combinations, gluten‑free or dairy‑free baking, new trends.
– Pick up one or two new skills you’d enjoy adding.
– **Your local market:**
– What do people in your area struggle to find?
– Is there a gap for allergy‑friendly baking, classic cakes done properly, nostalgic slices, gorgeous high‑tea items?
Jot down products you’d be excited to offer:
– signature cakes (your lemon, chocolate, vanilla, fruit, carrot, etc.),
– slices and bars,
– biscuits and cookies,
– scones and high‑tea pieces,
– special occasion items (baby showers, gender reveals, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas).
Then, choose **whatever number feels exciting**:
– one or two if you like to go slowly,
– five if your brain is buzzing.
This isn’t “don’t worry about being clever or original.”
We want you to be *clever and original*.
We want you to look at:
– what people want to buy,
– what’s trending,
– what’s *untapped* in your area,
– what will set you apart.
Cup One is about dreaming and choosing, not shrinking.
Cup Two: Do your simple setup – ID, food safety, ABN
New tea.
Cup Two is where you put your crown on and say, “Yes, this is mine.”
Everything has been designed to be **online, straightforward, and quick**.
Three key steps:
1. **Upload your photo ID**
– Nan Made needs this to keep everyone safe and to know you are you.
– Take a clear photo or scan of your licence or accepted ID.
– Upload it where your Nan Made dashboard asks for it.
– Done.
2. **Complete your food safety training and upload your certificate**
– Most states and territories use **DoFoodSafely** (or the equivalent) — and the link is right there in your Nan Made guides.
– New South Wales has its own version; that link is in the guides too.
– These courses are **free** and online.
– You do the training, download your certificate, and upload it to your Nan Made account.
This is the bare minimum — and it’s already laid out for you.
3. **Get your ABN (Australian Business Number)**
– You apply online.
– For a small home‑based baking business, it’s a straightforward, free process.
– Your Nan Made guides walk you through what to click and what to write.
– Once you have your ABN, add it into your account.
ID, food safety, ABN — three online steps.
Each one says:
> “This is a real business.
> I am a real baker.
> My work is properly recognised.”
And yes, the quicker you get these done, the better:
– because you can move straight to listing,
– because your first orders can start coming in,
– because you get to feel that gorgeous thrill of “I’m set up.”
This has been designed to be enjoyable, not exhausting.
***
Cup Three: Build your first products – and step into your empire.
Third tea.
Now we’re playing in your Nan Made dashboard.
By this point you have:
– product ideas that excite you,
– ID, food safety and ABN handled or close,
– guides you can refer to any time.
Cup Three is about three things:
1. Use the pricing tool – and respect what it shows you
Open your dashboard.
Choose one of your products — say, your irresistible moist lemon cake.
Go into the pricing section and enter:
– each ingredient,
– what you pay for it,
– how much you use,
– a realistic estimate of your time (prep, baking, cooling, decorating, cleaning).
The pricing tool will calculate a **real price**:
– that reflects today’s costs,
– that respects your time,
– that keeps you sustainable.
Pricing is tough right now because everything costs more. That’s exactly why we use the tool:
– we don’t guess,
– we don’t slash our own value,
– we let the numbers be honest.
Set the price that the tool shows you as fair.
No rounding up drama.
No “this is too much, I’ll halve it.”
This is about being a **world‑class baker on a world‑class platform**, not about apologising.
2. Write irresistible descriptions – with help if you like
Your descriptions are part of what makes Nan Made special.
We want them to be:
– mouthwatering,
– inviting,
– clear about occasions.
If you love writing, go straight from your heart.
If you’re not sure where to start, use a free AI tool as a helper — **Gemini** or **Copilot**.
Here’s an example prompt:
> “Help me write a warm, inviting product description for my irresistible moist lemon cake. It should sound delicious, highlight how moist and flavourful it is, and suggest perfect occasions for it (birthdays, afternoon tea, bad days that need something lovely). Keep it simple and genuine.”
Let it give you a draft.
Then:
– change any words that don’t sound like you,
– tweak sentences so they feel natural,
– add your own touches.
You might end up with something like:
> “This is my signature moist lemon cake — bright, soft and full of flavour, with a velvety lemon icing that people scrape off the plate.
>
> Bake it into birthdays, baby showers, Sunday lunches or those mid‑week evenings when you want something beautiful with your cup of tea.
>
> Serves [X] people generously.”
That’s just one example; your voice will shape it.
Use AI as a starting point, not the author. You are the baker. You are the voice.
And remember: this is a world‑class platform. We *want* your descriptions to be great.
3. Make it look beautiful – and share it with the world
Upload a photo that does your baking justice:
– well‑lit,
– clear,
– true to how it looks,
– ideally on a simple background that lets the food shine.
You don’t have to be a professional photographer, but:
– a bit of YouTube watching on “food photography with a phone” can lift your images dramatically,
– a little attention to light and angle can make your shop feel high‑end and inviting.
Then:
– check your product listing;
– hit **publish**.
Your Nan Made shop now contains **real, beautiful products** at proper prices, with descriptions that match the quality of your baking.
Now share it.
Not only with women your age. With **everyone**:
– family, friends, neighbours, people on your street,
– the school community, local groups, workplaces,
– anyone who would be thrilled to know there is incredible baking available from a real person nearby.
You might say:
> “I’ve opened my baking shop on Nan Made. This is where you can order my cakes and slices now: [link].
>
> I’d love you to be among my first customers.”
The whole world is your marketplace.
And your local community is your first fan club.
***
This is a joyful revolution, not a quiet hobby.
The three cups of tea are not about soothing fear.
They’re about:
– **enjoying** the process,
– **playing** with ideas,
– **taking yourself seriously** in all the right ways.
You are:
– opening a bank account that belongs to your business,
– treating supermarket trips as stocking the shelves of your empire,
– designing a shop that looks and feels world‑class,
– stepping into a platform built to showcase the most incredible food women over 50 can offer.
We are not fuelling fear here.
We are nurturing:
– joy,
– excitement,
– imagination,
– anticipation.
We want every part of this to feel good for you:
– the dreaming,
– the learning,
– the paperwork,
– the pricing,
– the writing,
– the photography,
– the sharing.
One cup of tea.
One packet of flour.
One Nan Made listing at a time.
And suddenly you’re not “just baking.”
You’re building something bold, beautiful and entirely yours.