#VoicesOfOurTime: Hannah Thee Baker on her COVID ‘baby’ & how social media is vital to businesses

I am Wambui Kiritu, a travel consultant and recently a baker.

When did you get into baking?

My banana business is a COVID baby. I started it in 2020 around June and I'd say it has been steady since.

Which social platform speaks to you?

I'm mostly active on Twitter as it is an expressive platform with a lot of engagement. Twitter also allows you to communicate freely and also what you feel is right by you.

And how has Twitter impacted your business?

Whenever I tweet or basically market on Twitter, what sells most is the pictures I put out. So that gets people interested in the product.

Challenges you face in the digital space?

Some people try to get to you through your business. Which, well, as long as you see and buy from my business, that's a plus. Also, since it's a perishable good, I always insist on paying before delivery because I will bake depending on that order. Some people don't understand that aspect about my business and want to pay after delivery but I always advocate for payment before.

Hannah Thee Baker Hannah Thee Baker Pulse Live Kenya

The secret to your signature banana bread...

It's made with love. Love and wholesome ingredients. I also focus on good marketing. I started by sending my bread to influencers on Twitter and Instagram. Through word of mouth, they started talking about it and put me out there. So I do attribute my growth to them.

Speaking of influencers...who do you think an influencer is?

A person who can convince you to buy a product.

Do you consider yourself one?

Well, so far I have convinced people to buy my goods so along those lines, yes.

What social media hack do you use that you'd want people to know?

I try to take very good pictures of my product. This helps to show people how exactly the product looks like and they are all raw pictures. I prefer not to edit because that shows the customer that this is how the product looks like and this is what you'll get. I also get customers who send me pictures when they receive the bread when they tell me it's delicious, I find that very encouraging. There are also those who upload the product on their social media pages and I really appreciate that.

Hannah Thee Baker Hannah Thee Baker Pulse Live Kenya

With that, are there any personal rules in your content creation?

Lately, I try not to be controversial with my views. I also associate my brand with family because well, banana bread...

How was life before?

Very freestyle. I'm not saying that I’m a celebrity now but I'd go somewhere and people would recognize me. Before, it was quite easy to be whoever I wanted to be on social but right now I watch that because of the business. So I have to sieve what I say or not tweet at all.

How do you strike the balance between your 8-5 and your business?

Plan ahead. That's what I do. I usually plan my day in that I know what time to give my job and what time to give Bobo Cakes. So I’d advise everyone to plan ahead.

On Twitter, one should be prepared for...

Whatever. Twitter is that place where one day you can be dragged and the next day you are a favorite. So you should be prepared for whatever because any day can be your day.