Naina Soni was born in Uganda to a Gujarati family. She spent her childhood in Leicester and after getting married, she settled in London. She worked in retail for over 26 years and then decided to do something for herself. Naina has been married for 38 years and loves travelling, yoga and cooking. She’s now the founder of ‘Pendora Sweets’ in London. Asian Voice exclusively spoke to Naina Soni to know more about the challenges of running a business in the pandemic, catering to festive demands and being a woman entrepreneur.
When and how did you come up with Pendora sweets?
Pendora began in early August. After taking an early retirement I decided I wanted to try something new and different and came up with concept of pendas with fusion flavours, My family tried some of the products and encouraged me to set up Pendora sweets and I decided to take the plunge and launch Pendora Sweets just in time for the auspicious occasion of Raksha bandhan giving me a great excuse to launch and share my product.
What kind of support did you require to start it and how did your friends and family help out with it?
I initially was quite nervous to set up this business as it was totally new to me. However I always knew I wanted to get my products out there and this is when my family came in. They gave me the encouragement and the push to launch Pendora sweets and my friends and family have been very supportive. They have also been very supportive in giving me feedback which is extremely important as at Pendora Sweets taste plays a huge factor and this has helped in perfecting the recipes and has encouraged me to be more adventurous.
How does it feel to be a woman entrepreneur?
I believe that it is hard work dedication and motivation that drives both men and women equally to achieve their goals and the feeling of your work being appreciated and to be seen as an entrepreneur is exciting, although I believe I still have a lot to achieve and lots of work to do until I get Pendora sweets to where I want it to be. I always knew I wanted to have my own business and I feel so empowered that I am able to start this journey … and this is only the beginning!
What are the challenges of starting a new business?
The main difficulty was the initial launch, I was very excited but nervous as I had no idea how everyone would react to my products but I feel the main challenge is competition. However I do believe a little competition is always good as it allows us to continue to thrive and push us further to achieve our goals. Another challenge is getting Pendora out to those who are not on social media.
What is your vision and mission for Pendora Sweets?
Pendora sweets has come a long way from its initial launch and I continue to take it to even greater heights, we have invested in luxury bespoke packaging and now have a wider variety of flavours to add to the collection such as; Lotus Biscoff, Tutti Fruiti, Carrot cake and Blueberry. My vision is for Pendora Sweets to be a household name when it comes to mithai and I would love for everyone to try them. Our key focus as present is preparing for Diwali and making sure our customers are able to enjoy these festive treats. Over the next few months I aim to increase awareness of the business and expand marketing. I would love to take part in exhibitions; however this has been difficult with the pandemic situation. We are also looking to launch a festive new flavour for Christmas.
