Persistent Systems techie quit her job and gave herself one year to set up a cake business in Goa. And she succeeded

Leaving a well-paying corporate job often needs courage and along with that, passion and determination. Namrata Khandeparkar did something similar. She left her stable IT career as a coder to start a business from scratch. The computer engineer from Goa found love in baking cakes, in which she did not get immediate success. It tested her patience, and after giving herself one year, she finally succeeded with her cake business and has found more satisfaction in entrepreneurship than her 9-5 job as a techie.

An ex-employee of Persistent Systems, Namrata realised that coding no longer offered her the satisfaction she wanted. She found it in baking, which started off as a hobby and eventually became her career. A year before joining National Institute of Oceanography, she worked at the IT firm and held the position of Module Lead. But the repetitive corporate life did not work for her anymore.

Bored of 9-6 routine

In an interview with Usha Naik of Akashvani Panaji, she explained that much of the work involved copy-paste tasks, leaving little room for creativity. She also found it increasingly difficult to continue with the typical 9-to-6 routine.


She started baking at home out of frustration with her job. Although she loved cooking and considered herself a foodie, baking was something she had never explored seriously. Television shows featuring different kinds of cakes inspired her to experiment.

Her initial attempts were not successful, but she did not get disheartened and instead persisted. As she began understanding the science behind baking, her cakes improved. She eventually realised that baking gave her far greater happiness and work satisfaction than programming.

As she started making cakes for different occasions, she became convinced that she wanted to pursue it professionally.

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A post shared by Namrata | Cake Artist | Goa (@cakebitesgoa)

Gave herself a year to build baking business

Entering an unfamiliar business and starting from scratch was a big challenge. However, her father supported her choice. From learning baking at home to later attending a three-day course in Bengaluru to become familiar with fondant techniques, she gradually found her footing and perfected the techniques.

Started with baking workshops in a rented flat

Namrata did not begin with a full-fledged cake shop. Instead, she rented a small flat and started conducting baking and cooking workshops. The classes covered cakes, bread, cookies, starters such as chicken kebabs, and desserts including chocolate mousse and panna cotta. The workshops became surprisingly popular.

She used the revenue generated through these classes to reinvest in her business. However, her primary ambition remained making customised cakes.

From school buses to barrel-shaped cakes

A quick scroll through her Instagram will instantly show Namrata's creativity in the variety of cakes she makes. From school-bus-shaped cakes to barrel-shaped creations, she has experimented with different designs. Her work can be seen on her Instagram profile, Cake Bites Goa, where she showcases her customised cake creations.