My name is Mehreen but since I was a child I have been called by my nickname and what can I say, it stuck. Hardly anyone calls me by my actual name, it’s always Myne, so when I started my business, I knew what I wanted to name it. Though never a bookworm, I was a pretty gifted student all my life, topped B.Sc. and received a gold medal, before going on to get a Master’s Degree in Statistics.
Not in my wildest dreams, did I ever think that I’d be working, never mind running my own business. Following the norms of our society, I got married right after completing my studies and began life as a housewife. It would be wrong to say that I was content with that, I always felt there was more to my story.
“Some things in life are just beyond your control, so when I was faced with the biggest challenge on my life, childlessness, I didn’t know what to do with myself.”
This is probably the most major setback in a woman’s life, the pity is endless and people are unkind. You are expected to wallow in your sadness but I refused to do so. Rather than spending my life sulking, I decided to find my inner strength and purpose in life.
I always found baking very therapeutic, it was the best thing to calm me and it helped me forget my pain. I immersed myself in it, making treat after treat, which led to having a complete album of my goodies on Facebook. I would spend hours on researching about recipes and techniques, Pinterest and YouTube being my usual haunts. Whenever I tried something new, I’d share it with my circle through Facebook.
There was always a lot of praise and appreciation, which really motivated me. Everyone would ask me to start a business out of this, so with the support of my family, I finally took a leap of faith and started my own bakery in February 2016. I haven’t looked back since. What started as a hobby, has slowly taken over my life and I feel it is the purpose of my being.
“I think innovation and individuality is the key to any business, so instead of sticking to cakes and cupcakes, I added ice creams to my line of products and they were a huge hit!”
I have up more than 40 flavors available, most of which I have created myself via trial and error. I keep adding more to the list almost each month and also do custom flavors for my customers. My ice-creams have become so famous that I am often called “Ice-cream wali bandi” (Ice-cream lady).
We are all born with our own set of challenges and life hurls, one problem after the other. People who complain constantly and let the weight of their issues burden them, are less likely to succeed as compared to the people who take their challenges head on. Always be positive and stay assured that God has the very best in store for you. Eventually everything falls into place, let positivity and passion be your driving force! – Mehreen Umar, Founder at Myne’s Cakery.