From Trucking to Treats
At just 19 years old, Sophie from Telford achieved what many spend years working towards, passing her Class 2 HGV licence. After leaving school and spending time working in warehouses, she knew she wanted something different. With a natural love for driving, she decided it made sense to build a career doing something enjoyed.
Like many young drivers starting out, breaking into the industry wasn’t easy. Finding that first opportunity proved difficult, but Sophie was determined to get her foot in the door. Over the next four years, she took on mainly multi-drop work, a physically demanding role involving plenty of hand-balling, but it gave her invaluable experience and a deeper understanding of the industry.
At 23, Sophie returned to Dulson Training to take the next step and complete her Class 1 licence. Passing opened up even more doors. Although she initially started in smaller trucks, it wasn’t long before she progressed onto artic work, something she quickly fell in love with.
Over her seven years behind the wheel, Sophie says the job was mostly enjoyable, though not without its challenges. She remembers moments where, instead of support she faced criticism, including occasions where grown men reduced her to tears when she struggled reversing onto a bay, rather than offering guidance. Like many women in transport, Sophie found herself having to work harder to prove herself in what remains a male-dominated industry.
But trucking wasn’t her only passion.
Alongside her driving career, Sophie had always loved baking. At 18, she briefly launched a baking business, but admits that while her baking skills were strong, her business knowledge wasn’t there yet, and the venture didn’t last. Still, she continued creating sweet treats in her spare time, never losing that passion.
Earlier this year, she decided to give it another go.
What started as a side hustle alongside her driving job quickly gained momentum, growing into something much bigger than she’d imagined. Faced with a difficult choice about her future, Sophie approached her employer about reducing her driving hours, but when part-time wasn’t an option, she took a leap of faith and committed fully to her baking business.
Now, Sophie runs Geeky Bakehouse, a self serve dessert fridge offering freshly made, affordable treats to her local community. Restocked daily, her selection includes cakes, cheesecakes and other desserts, with prices starting at just £1, making them accessible for everyone to enjoy. She also offers postal cake deliveries, helping her reach customers further afield.
With recent negative media attention around pop-up cake sheds, Sophie’s business has found itself part of a growing trend; but this time around, armed with more life experience and a stronger understanding of business, she’s building something sustainable. She’s made sure everything is done properly, with all the relevant legal requirements in place, including hygiene ratings, insurance, allergy information and a street trading licence from the local council.
Of course, like any honesty-box business, there have been challenges. Sophie has experienced a few incidents of theft, but even those setbacks have brought unexpected positives. One early theft led to an interview with a local radio station, which helped shine a spotlight on her business and brought a wave of support from the community.
Running her own business is far from easy. The days are long, and Sophie laughs that “the biggest lie about self-employment is that you pick your own hours.” But despite the hard work, she says it’s incredibly rewarding, especially when local children leave handwritten notes at the fridge thanking her for their treats.
Looking ahead, Sophie dreams of one day running a chain of dessert businesses. But she hasn’t ruled out getting back behind the wheel either, perhaps even taking on European driving while she’s still young.
Whatever path she chooses next, Sophie’s journey is proof that passion, resilience and hard work can open doors in the most unexpected ways and that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is take the leap.
