Warsan’s story of going from a stressful office job to a full-time, self-taught baker is inspiring because it’s a truly uplifting example of how following a passion can change a person’s life.

It was back in 2019 when Warsan first started to use baking as a way to cope with anxiety. As her bakes got better and recipes more creative, friends and family encouraged her to turn this part of her life into something bigger. It was when the pandemic hit, though, and Warsan’s low mood returned that she found the strength to really go for it and started selling her brownies online.

Warsan means ‘good news’ in Somali which, along with her passion for being positive and making the most out of any situation, is the inspiration behind the brand’s name. It’s an ethos which is certainly reflecting in the joyful, colourful packaging and the brand’s personality on social media. None of which, of course, is as impressive as the bakes themselves.

The Good News Baker specialises in letterbox brownies, which we know from experience are deliciously gooey and thick with all the good stuff like cookie dough, salted caramel or, for Valentine’s Day, red velvet and black forest (wow, right?).

For Warsan, the hardest part of starting her own business was learning how to grow and nurture a start-up with zero business experience.

“I’ve wasted time, product and money on making bad decisions or not making decisions quickly enough. At the start, I wanted everything to be perfect and I quickly learnt that it was impossible.”

Her advice is to just throw yourself in headfirst and realise that your brand won’t look exactly how you want it to from the word go. In fact, if you refuse to put yourself out there because you’re worried about attaining perfection before you start, you’ll just lose out.

She says: “I’ve adopted a fail-fast approach. I follow my instincts, take opportunities and essentially throw myself into the mix so that I learn as many hard lessons as fast as possible. From forecasting sales to inventory management, the more tears the better oddly enough!”

Shop letterbox brownies at The Good News Baker, £14

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