College Student Turns Down IIM MBA Admission To Grow Her Bakery Startup; Generates ₹2 Crore Revenue In The Last FY

In 2017, Megha Sarayan was an economics student at the prestigious University of Calcutta.

She was always a meritorious student, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her future lay in cakes rather than corporate offices.

It all started with a casual food workshop that sparked her interest in baking. What began as a hobby—making cakes for friends and family—quickly turned into something bigger.

A friend saw potential and suggested she should sell her delicious creations.

Around the same time, Zomato was expanding in Kolkata. Megha reached out, and to her surprise, Zomato accepted her listing—even without a proper business license.

With no prior business experience and just one product—her signature chocolate truffle cake—she started operating out of her mother’s kitchen.

In the first month, she made a mere ₹3,000. But as word spread, orders started trickling in.

“I was juggling between college and baking. I would attend lectures during the day and fulfil cake orders at night. It was exhausting, but the thrill of getting orders kept me going,” recounts Megha Sarayan, the founder & director of Land Of Cakes, during an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia.

TAKING THE BIG LEAP:

By mid-2018, Megha realised that her informal setup wasn’t sustainable.

She rented a tiny 100 sq. ft. space and officially launched Land Of Cakes with just ₹5,000. She had no investors, mentors, or financial backing—just an unwavering belief in her idea.

The business model was simple: bake only when an order came in to avoid wastage. Slowly but steadily, her sales grew, reaching 7-8 orders a day. But Megha knew she needed a game-changing strategy to scale.

Her breakthrough came when she struck an exclusive partnership with Zomato. In return for listing exclusively on their platform, Zomato promoted Land Of Cakes as a priority. This move skyrocketed her daily orders to 25.

“The exclusive partnership with Zomato was truly a turning point. I hired a bunch of employees, automated operations, and delegated tasks. This allowed me to balance my studies and business,” Megha shares with Startup Pedia.

By the end of the first year, her revenue had touched ₹3 lakh, and she had served over 500 customers. 

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE:

Just when things were looking up, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Like many other businesses, Land Of Cakes suffered. Megha had to let go of her employees as lockdown restrictions made operations impossible.

But something unexpected happened—while offline bakeries shut down, online orders surged due to reduced competition.

Megha found herself flooded with new orders. With no team to support her, she took on the challenge with the help of her father and brother.

“At one point during the pandemic, we were baking non-stop just to keep up with the orders. It was chaotic, but it showed me that Land Of Cakes had real demand and a loyal customer base,” Megha reflects.

At the same time, she was preparing for MBA entrance exams.

She aced them and got accepted into her dream institute—IIM Kozhikode. But this led to an agonising dilemma: should she pursue an MBA or scale her growing business?

“After deep introspection and multiple discussions with my family, I made the bold decision to turn down IIM. I had put in too much effort to let it all go. However, walking away from my business at that stage would have meant shutting it down,” Megha says with a smile.

Also Read: Meet This Gujarat-Based Cancer Survivor Who Built a Sustainable Health and Wellness Brand, Now Clocks ₹22 Lakh in Monthly Revenue

THE EXPANSION MODE:

With her full focus now on Land Of Cakes, Megha went all in.

In November 2021, she rented a much larger 1,500 sq. ft. facility and expanded her product range beyond cakes to include brownies and cheesecakes.

She also listed Land Of Cakes on Swiggy, tapping into a larger customer base. From operating one small kitchen, she grew to three more cloud kitchens across Kolkata. But Megha wasn’t done yet—she wanted a physical presence for her brand in the Indian startup ecosystem.

In 2024, she launched On D’ Go, a 15-seater café under the Land Of Cakes brand in the Salt Lake City area of Metro Kolkata. The café quickly became a go-to spot for young corporate professionals and students.

“Cloud kitchens are great, but I wanted a space where customers could experience our brand in person beyond just online orders,” Megha explains.

Today, Land Of Cakes boasts over 100 SKUs, with cheesecakes and brownies being the bestsellers.

Megha proudly notes that around 40% of orders come from repeat customers—an indicator of the brand’s strong foothold.

Their menu is entirely eggless, with some gluten-free options as well to cater to health-conscious consumers. Operating from 8 AM to midnight, Land Of Cakes has one of the longest service hours among bakeries in Kolkata. 

“We listen to our customers and evolve accordingly. The goal has always been to offer premium quality products at affordable prices,” Megha says.

After staying bootstrapped for over six years, Land Of Cakes raised its first funding in December 2024—a 72 lakh investment from private angel investors. The funds will fuel expansion into new cities, product development, and marketing.

Also Read: Starting With ₹5 Lakh Initial Investment, Jaipur-based Uncle-Nephew Duo Builds a ₹70 Crore Turnover Fashion Startup

THE ROAD AHEAD:

Financially, Land Of Cakes is thriving. The startup generated ₹2 crore in revenue last year and is targeting ₹3.5 crore this year, with an ambitious goal of ₹6 crore for the next year.

Megha’s next big move? Expanding beyond Kolkata.

Additionally, she’s working on launching Land Of Cakes’ own website to reduce dependency on food delivery platforms. She also plans to add more healthier options to the menu to attract fitness-conscious customers.

With India’s bakery products market projected to reach $29.40 billion by 2032, Megha believes Land Of Cakes is just getting started.

“Our ultimate goal is to make Land Of Cakes a legendary Indian bakery brand,” Megha says with determination.

From a college student baking in a tiny home kitchen to a founder leading a multi-crore food startup, Megha Sarayan’s story is nothing short of inspiring. 

She turned down a prestigious IIM MBA to chase her dream—and it’s paying off deliciously.

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