#DunzoChronicles — Dream A Dozen
As you step-in, you catch a heady waft of the decadent brownies making their way out of the oven. The pastel walls, adorned beautifully with hopeful quotes, gleeful smiles, and colorful cakes leave you with that cheery feeling which only a happy place could. Running this cozy little unicorn factory in Bangalore is the equally wonderful Megna Jain. All of 23, she solely manages ‘Dream A Dozen’, offering the prettiest and tastiest customized cupcakes and cakes.
Now a quintessential Bangalorean, Megna finds her entrepreneurial roots tracing back to her grandma in Rajasthan. She recollects, “My grandma ran a garment business for 40 years. It was a cottage industry, where I used to go every summer, sit with the masterjis, and listen to them tell me all these wonderful stories. I suppose it’s because of my grandma, that my parents have always been supportive of women in business.”
Having always had a passion for baking, she initially taught herself the tips and tricks of the trade by studying YouTube videos. Her deep-rooted interest in the business of deliciousness led Megna to hone her craft and explore further. Recalling the early days she says, “During my grade 10 or 11, I took a baking workshop at my apartment. It was funny because all the participants were aunties, and I was the only kid. I went on to study commerce, but even there, I decided to do an accounts project about a girl who ran a bakery. I’m somehow drawn to cakes wherever I go. When I began college, I started baking and putting up pictures on my class Whatsapp group. I took orders on a whim, and ended up with 90 cupcake orders from a class of 80 people! This soon became a regular affair. I used to go to college by the local bus and traveled with these huge cartons between my legs, squeezing next to the flower-vendor aunties. A day came when my teacher caught me selling all these cakes, with my desk full of icing, and shut me down. Thankfully, another one of my supportive professors connected me to the Cafeteria and my classmates could buy from there. At 18, I put up a stall at my apartment, where I wrote my number on Post-its and gave it to every kid who bought my cakes. One of the dads carelessly threw it in the bin, and that didn’t feel good. That’s when I realized that if you are to be taken seriously, you need to create a name, and a brand.” Soon, Megna persuaded one of her college mates with a DSLR to click pictures of her cakes, set up a Facebook page, an email account, and was open for business!
By the end of her second year, she went on to take part in business plan competitions and even had an offer from an investor interested in incubating the business. Her learning continued as she worked at the Inner chef, for a year and a half. She recounts, “There were 90 blue-collar workers to manage and the job was tough because you’re the bad guy between the management and them. I really wanted to work at a large company with better processes. I’ve always been inspired by the Starbucks story and its business model, and badly wanted to work there. I got after them like nobody’s business and kept pursuing them a thousand times. Finally, I landed a meeting. Unfortunately, Starbucks doesn’t hire undergrads and I was only 20 at the time. It sort of broke my heart, but I managed to get a spot at a bakery called Cakewala and I trained there. I worked at the factory for 6 weeks. Most of my baking skills got polished during this stint of mine. Meanwhile, Starbucks called back and offered me a job in Mumbai. By this time, I had decided to start on my own and had even registered the name Dream a Dozen. So I was in a real dilemma. My parents were keen for me to take the job at Starbucks. But I made up my mind. I wanted to do this on my own, and prove to them that I can.”
Although she ran the business out of her own home, as the orders grew, and she felt the need for a dedicated place for the business. “It used to be a one-woman show where I was doing everything from buying things to baking, to selling. So I found a place and hired staff and got more comfortable. I had a few delivery boys from my previous network of employees doing my deliveries. But one day, we had this really important order and we needed the hamper to reach our customer and had no one to deliver it. That’s when I discovered Dunzo and it was like a blessing. I’ve now turned into one of those people who gets stuff Dunzoed even from across the road. It changed the game for me in terms of easing deliveries and bringing that element of surprise to my customers. It has enabled us to get to the customer so much more easily. “, she explains.
Likita, a young Dream A Dozen regular, swears by their Red Velvet Brownies. “Once I tasted them, I fell in love! My sister ordered a bunch of cupcakes on my birthday, and I just couldn’t get enough. Of course, the taste is so different from the other brands, and also it’s egg-less and that works perfectly well for a vegetarian like me. But what stands out most with Dream A Dozen, is how warm and personal the buying experience is. I can call Megna and have a 30-minute conversation with her about the exact customization I need for my cakes. She’s honestly is the sweetest person, and she takes so much care and effort in customizing the cakes and builds a great bond with her customers. I once ordered a customized cake for a friend with all her favorite TV shows on it. It was fantastic. It’s also inspiring for someone like me to see that at such a young age, she’s running a business on her own, getting featured in magazines and newspapers. I really look up to her, and plan to keep ordering her cakes forever!”
About her most memorable cake, Megna says, “There’s one particular cake which I baked on April 2 which said, ‘No mo Chemo’ in big, bold letters. I didn’t have grey food coloring for the grey ribbon, and I googled what it was, and found out that it was for brain cancer. My client was getting it for his sister who had just beaten the disease. She later called and told me that I was a big part of her celebration. That meant the world to me. I love that we are in the business of celebration.”
One day, she dreams to have stores all across the world. Her own Starbucks. “In today’s age, everyone is looking for someone to listen and care. We don’t realize how lucky we are, that we’re healthy and privileged and have the ability to work hard. I don’t ever want to be comfortable where I am. I want to work harder and reach further. Today, my Grandma is proud that I followed in her footsteps.”, she smiles.
Now, isn’t that sweet?
