Life is sweet for Amaya Knock. A business started on her home dining table three years ago, The Sweet Cake Fairy – which supplies and manufactures sweetie cakes, trees, candy carts and floss and ice-cream – began operating with just a few cakes and cones for friends.

After only three months of trading, Amaya knew she had found a way to success.

Not only that, but she still works full time in sales and marketing for a large organisation and has a family to organise.

Nudging gradually forward, the company first went online which brought about a great response and led to the firm opening a shop in The Orchard Shopping Centre, Dartford, in 2013.

She said: “I knew I was on to a winner so, with the extreme drive I have, I took the business further to create a sweet shop with a twist. We have supplied some well-known personalities and national magazines, elderly people and even a 100th birthday celebration.

“Our six staff are amazing and very loyal. Working full time, I have to rely on them completely. We also have a loyal customer base.”

The Sweet Cake Fairy also gets involved with local charities and offers a monthly item which can be given as a raffle prize.

Amaya said she wanted the shop to be the one everyone comes to “if they wake up to in the morning and need a gift”.

Plans are already in the pipeline for a second shop next year.

The Sweet Cake Fairy is one of the entrants in this year’s Dartford and Gravesham Business Awards, which are supported by the Messenger. Each entrant gets a free profile in the Messenger newspaper and online.

This year’s award sponsors are Dartford council, Gravesham council, Barnes Roffe, Kent Business School (University of Kent), the KM Group (Dartford Messenger and Gravesend Messenger), Lloyds Bank, Thomson Snell and Passmore, Edinburgh House and the University of Greenwich.

Entrants must have their main place of business in the Dartford or Gravesham council areas and have been trading for at least a year on the date of entry.

The entry deadline has been extended to August 8, 2014. Visit www.dgbawards.co.uk