Ohmycake.in: Scaling Up by Scaling Back

In January 2017, the online cake company Ohmycake.in, which was started two years earlier by a young entrepreneur in Kerala, India, ran into trouble after a series of successful experiments. Adding to the company’s problems, customers were becoming more demanding and the competition was catching up. The entrepreneur had hired a new operations executive to help solve the company’s business strategy and scalability issues, including a current problem: whether to accept or reject demanding custom orders that were appearing in the company’s online order management system.

This case is suitable for entrepreneurship, marketing, and strategy courses at the graduate level. The case can also be used to facilitate discussion about the typical dilemmas faced by family-run businesses, or to complement a session on growth in a small entrepreneurial firm. After completion of this case, students will be able to<ul><li>highlight the role of a business model in ensuring scalability and competitive advantage, and discuss the processes involved in developing and refining a business model;</li><li>discuss business strategy, especially in discussions on the re-engineering of business processes, concepts of customization versus standardization, or the various models of online service delivery; and</li><li>identify and discuss both the attractive aspects and the uncertainties involved in running a start-up, including the speed and trajectory of growth, the impact of managerial skills and entrepreneurial decision-making, and financial management during various stages of entrepreneurial venture development.</li></ul>

• Business model, Start-up , Growth strategies