My Story
Low Point
May 2023
My wife (Narinder) was rushed into hospital; the years of her relationship with alcohol sadly resulted in her knocking on death’s door. Thankfully, the doctors were able to pull her back from the clutches of the Grim Reaper and give her a fighting chance to pull through. She was in a stable but serious condition for a month, and just as we were anticipating her return home, the Grim Reaper had the last laugh. This turned my life upside down. Her departure sent shockwaves through the wider community, known by many for the great work she did as a Teacher’s Assistant at the local school. The turnout at the funeral was a testament to her value in society, regrettably, something I didn’t fully appreciate when she was alive.
Whilst this was going on, Virtual1 had merged with TalkTalk. I returned to work in June, and it was not easy to fulfil my obligations as Service Manager whilst carrying the weight of family issues that were now on my plate instead of Narinder’s.
Two Years Later
Onwards or Upwards? – When you get pushed into a corner, the only way is up!
7th March 2025 – after just over 12 years of service, was my last day working for PXC, along with 100s of others facing redundancy.
It was difficult as no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get another Service Management job. It turns out that destiny had other plans. The time for BIG CHANGES had come to ensure future financial survivability. This meant I had to put the house up for sale and re-evaluate my monthly expenditure to make my redundancy payout last longer. I did try jobseekers allowance for a while, but that is a farce.
Reinvented – New Horizons
This new journey started in May, when I was asked to bake a vegan cake for a very good friend. The feedback I got was amazing and gave me a boost, along with the suggestion that I seriously consider starting my own business. I identified a gap in the market and launched Bittu’s Bakes. Bittu was my childhood nickname. Having qualified as a vegan chef during lockdown, I decided that I would start a bakery business selling food prepared with Sucham (a physical and spiritual cleanliness) so that it could be consumed by everyone, irrespective of religious limitations, but specifically appealing to fully practising Sikhs. Coming from an Indian Panjabi heritage, I decided to add Panjabi Street food to my portfolio.
Since August, I have been selling Samosas, Bhajees, curries and more in Peterborough City Centre at artisan markets, so far the food has been a hit, and I am always sold out at the end of the day. I am continuously looking at ways to increase profitability whilst increasing my product portfolio and putting customer service at the forefront. I’ve also been baking cakes, and recently I fulfilled my first corporate order for Addisson Lee Peterborough call centre, providing food for Diwali celebrations.