An Isle of Wight baker’s business is booming after she was encouraged to launch her own business at an Isle of Wight Council backed course for entrepreneurs.

Jo Roberts founded “Crumb Pact” after taking part in the Go For Growth programme at Building 41, a free scheme designed to support and empower Island entrepreneurs by providing expert-led advice and training.

The programme offered tailored support to meet individual needs and helped Jo strengthen her skills, and in recent weeks she has delivered hundreds of sweet treats for afternoon teas and produced countless bespoke bakes.

Before joining Go For Growth, the patisserie‑trained baker was completing a cookery school course and looking to move into self‑employment full time.

Jo said: “Luckily at the same time they started the Go For Growth course at Building 41, and it all seemed to tie in together nicely.

“It helped me soft launch Crumb Pact in September 2025, and publish my website in November 2025.”

Go For Growth was a long-term program backed by the Isle of Wight Council that combines one‑to‑one advice with workshops, networking opportunities and specialist clinics delivered by a team of subject experts.

While the scheme is not currently running, the council is working to secure funding so that more entrepreneurs can be supported to build their business skills.

Jo said that she did not attend every session on the course, as she knew some of the things being taught, but she said sessions on finance and marketing helped her build new skills and see self-employment as sustainable.

Jo said: “Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I only started a few months ago, because it’s grown so much as a business already.

“Go For Growth really helps you to see what you’re doing as a business. Particularly when you’re doing something handmade or an arts and craft type business, you don’t always value your own worth.”

She also said the programme’s networking opportunities introduced her to other entrepreneurs who later became customers, and encouraged her to expand into catering for weddings and events.

Jo said: “Not only were there people who were in the same boat as you, starting off and not knowing where to go, but those networking sessions were amazing for making connections with people.

“That’s led on to a lot of business for me, which is an amazing by-product of the training.”

Word of mouth from happy customers has continued to spread, and at the start of April, Jo delivered 110 boxes of afternoon tea bakes and treats to a single event in Bembridge.

As her business goes from strength to strength after launching in November, she has now returned to Building 41 and runs a pop up shop each week.

She explained that coming back to the place where she completed the business course has given her a fresh perspective on her product offering.

Jo said: “As with most businesses, what you think you’re going to do changes with demand and what’s needed.

“When I started off, I started with postal bakes, which were brownies, blondies and cookies, delivered to your house.

“I then moved into doing afternoon teas, and now I cater lots of afternoon tea events, and I also offer those delivered to your home.”

Jo also said that the Go For Growth classes inspired her to keep her business true to her own personal values, and she said that she keeps sustainability at the heart of everything Crumb Pact does.

She said: “Sustainability was important to me when I was starting out and my packaging took forever to source.

“Sustainability of ingredients was really, really important for me as well. We’ve got some great ingredients on the Island, I balance locally produced where possible with organic ingredients and flour, butter, eggs and milk.

Crumb Pact’s packaging is recyclable, reusable and designed to be decorated, upcycled or re‑gifted, while its wraps and gift cards are made from plantable, biodegradable wildflower seed paper.

She explained: “Go For Growth really opened my eyes and showed me that I did have the foundations of what I needed for a successful business.

“Learning in workshops from subject experts boosted my skills and proved to me that I could do it and be successful, and it really encouraged me to just get started and stay true to who I was.

“If your workplace or organisation is interested in catering or hosting a Crumb Pact pop-up, please get in touch.”