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‘Honest feedback helps me improve’: Aisha, a young entrepreneur 

10 Apr 2022

  By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna PHOTOS ESHAN DASANAYAKA Ten-year-old Aisha is a young entrepreneur who runs a small business, Whip it up by Aisha. She makes various desserts including chocolate biscuit pudding and many kinds of tarts and muffins. She recently participated in a pop-up store organised by the Young Entrepreneurs’ Club. Ten percent of her earnings go to charity and Aisha takes pleasure in helping out the children in need with the money she makes on her own.  Speaking to Little Stars, Aisha said she valued the honest feedback that came from her customers and that it helped her improve her baking.    Could you tell us about yourself, Aisha? My full name is Aisha Siddique Admani. I go to Colombo International School and I am in Grade 4. I am 10 years old. I like to play tennis, read books, swim, do yoga, paint, and do DIY activities. I like to do tie-and-dye activities. I make my own T-shirts. I like doing glass painting as well. I live in Colombo 7. I am very passionate about cooking and baking. I have two younger sisters – one is seven and the other is three. It’s a lot of responsibility to be the eldest sister in the family.    Let’s start with the pop-up store you recently participated in. How was your experience?  It was very interesting and I learnt a lot of new things – most importantly, how to persuade people to buy my products. I also learnt a lot about business, profit, and calculating prices. It was a practical learning experience for me.    Was this your first pop-up store experience? Yes, it was my first. I have been waiting to do one and I finally got the opportunity. It was really exciting and fun.   What do you usually bake? I make chocolate biscuit pudding, tarts, muffins, and chocolate puff pastries. I also came up with something called chocolate clusters which are made out of cornflakes and chocolate.   Do you do savoury items as well?  Well, what I like to make is desserts.    Can you tell us more about your business, Whip it up by Aisha? I started this little business because I love to bake. I give 10% of my earnings to charity and that makes me very happy and proud. I also love to see people enjoying the food I make.   What is the response you receive from those who enjoy your food? Some of them are good. I always ask for honest feedback so that I can improve my work. Even at the pop-store, I asked my customers to give me honest feedback.   Where did you learn how to make all these items? My grandma used to make chocolate biscuit pudding and we enjoyed it so much. That’s how I got inspired to try it out and make it on my own. Then I started trying out new recipes. I do online cooking lessons and I watch a lot of YouTube videos on cooking.    Have you come up with recipes on your own? I made chocolate puffs and strawberry sorbet. They were quite good.   Who helped you with setting up the pop-up store? My aunt Sajida helped me a lot and also my parents.    You told us you read a lot. Is it your main hobby? Yes. My favourite author is Enid Blyton and I like the series ‘The Naughtiest Girl’. I started reading Harry Potter recently. It’s really interesting too.    Why is that your favourite book series? I really like the setting of that school – Whyteleafe. It is a boarding school and it’s really fun to read about all the tricks they play. I like the main character – Elizebeth Allen – and how her character has transformed. It’s also a great book about how friends can influence us to get better.    Since when have you been doing yoga? I have been doing it for some time. I practice it every day before I go to sleep. I have seen my mom doing it and how much it helps her, so I wanted to try it out. It helps me calm down and get a good night’s sleep.   You do several sports too, right? Yes. I do tennis and swimming at school. I couldn’t participate in any competitions recently due to the pandemic, although I really hoped to. I enjoy cycling too. It’s a good physical activity.   How do you feel about being an entrepreneur at the age of 10? I am happy and proud of the work I do and that I tried this out. I am really proud of helping children who need help. I help them out with school supplies and things they need.   What’s your ambition, Aisha? I want to become a professional baker and own a bakery. I would like to study culinary arts in the future.    How can one get in touch with you if they want to order from Whip it up by Aisha? You can get in touch with me through the Instagram page my mom is managing for me – @whipitupbyaisha. You can see all the products that I make on that page.    Is there anyone you want to thank? My parents, for always helping me out when I need them and my aunt Sajida who is a chef for giving me advice and courage.   


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