The Aroma Bakery was a favourite among the residents at George Town. As soon as one entered its doorstep, they could smell the aroma of fresh and delicious bakes. The chief baker, Chef Srinivas, was a magician. The delightful taste of his lovely treats filled every soul with joy.
In a bungalow nearby, there lived a rich businessman and his wife, Leela, who was a talented baker. She planned to start her bakery in George Town. She knew that the people always crowded around the Aroma Bakery, which was the only bakery in the area. She felt that the bakery had captured the market as it was the only bakery and it would be a good idea to venture in this space.
She opened her bakery, Daily Delights, right opposite to the Aroma Bakery. She used premium ingredients to give the customers the best taste yet she couldn’t make good sales in first few months. She took to advertising to promote her bakery. She filled the newspapers, billboards and walls with ads featuring her bakery. This helped her to gather a few customers but they never returned to the bakery after the first visit. She invested a huge sum of money in attracting customers but in vain. On the other hand, the Aroma Bakery continued to bustle with customers.
She thought discounts on the prices might be another option. So, while maintaining the luxury of her bakery, she reduced the prices. This made things worse as every sale furthered the losses as the ingredients were expensive but the selling price was much less. One day, on her aunt’s birthday, she was hopeful that the birthday cake would be ordered from her bakery but she was disappointed. During the birthday party, Leela discovered that her aunt too favoured the Aroma Bakery. Every guest in the party relished the cake and wanted to taste all the treats available at the bakery.
She was surprised by the magic of that bakery. She was curious to know what attracted the customers to it and sent one of her staff to get a slice of cake from that bakery. One bite of a delicious slice of Chocolate Truffle cake from the Aroma Bakery transported her to a world of melody and delight. Happiness poured into her heart and her mouth watered for more.
That night, one of her staff sneaked into the kitchen of Aroma Bakery and stole their list of ingredients. From the next day onwards, she too started making delicious treats just like Aroma Bakery yet she couldn’t match with their taste. Everything was same as theirs - the ingredients, the proportion, the colour, the shape but the joyful feeling of digging into the pastry still lacked. Despite all her efforts, she failed to compete with the Aroma Bakery. Disheartened, she shut her bakery without any success.
A few days later, she read an article in the newspaper featuring the Aroma Bakery. She got to know that the bakery had been running for five decades and it was run by Srinivas’ family for generations and generations. It was a well-established bakery and had a strong foundation among the customers of George Town. Moreover, most of the profits earned by the bakery were donated to the orphanages and old age homes. The article also featured a few words spoken by Srinivas – “I only work for the happiness of my customers, and the welfare of the poor in the orphanages and old age homes. I do not worry even if the sales of my bakery are low because life is full of twists and turns, but I put in every effort and leave no stone unturned to please my dear customers.” This changed the entire outlook of Leela and she understood that the secret ingredient that Srinivas used in every baked treat was his unconditional love for his customers.
When someone with no money was attracted by his treats, Srinivas would give it for credit. He placed great trust on his customers and all his customers respected him. Even those who bought something from his bakery for credit would never cheat him and would pay for the goods bought on time. He offered free baking classes and job training for the poor youth so they can start earning. This had helped many youths find job and earn a living.
Leela learnt an important lesson – When we take up any job in life, we should not do it just for personal gain, instead, we must show unconditional love and dedication to the job we’ve taken up. Our hard work, determination and dedication is the true secret to success!
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