Entrepreneurial journeys: Sally Pierse

The Chai Bike/Y Beic Chai is a hot drinks delivery business specialising in masala chai.  Sally brews her warming tea from her home kitchen and strains the mixture into flasks which she then stores in her e-cargo bike. Sally then cycles around Aberystwyth stopping at various community hotspots to trade.

Her bike functions as a pop-up cafe as she can sell directly from its front box. Sally started her business in April of this year with support from Big Ideas Wales. Since then, The Chai Bike has gone from strength to strength. Sally is a regular face at festivals, university events, markets, and fetes. Sally’s business has recently been recognised by the Small Business Saturday team and Heno as well as numerous local publications. 

Sally's Journey

Sally graduated from the University of York in 2021 with a degree in Philosophy. During her undergraduate degree Sally went on a study trip to India as part of the Go Global programme. It was there where she was first introduced to masala chai, and it was love at first sip! 

After leaving the University of York Sally moved to Liverpool where she completed her MA and began her first full-time job. However, in September Sally gave everything up to move back to Wales and pursue self-employment. 

Speaking about this experience, Sally said: “This was a big step for me, I was filled with a lot of uncertainty, worries about money and the future. I was deeply unhappy in Liverpool, the pandemic made it difficult to make friends with my course mates as teaching ended up being entirely online. My neurodivergence also made working in a typical office environment extremely taxing and it wasn’t long before I began suffering with extreme ‘autistic burnout’."

“Pursuing self-employment was a massive risk but it was probably the kindest thing I could have done for myself. Returning home granted me the space and support I needed to recuperate. My business has been essential to my recovery; it has allowed me to embed myself in my community, allowing me to forge new connections and to reconnect with long-lost friends. It has also given me the excuse to start practising my Welsh again. I am very proud to say that after years of neglect, I can now hold a conversation in Welsh, and I have further committed myself to the Welsh language by running my business bilingually.”

Words of advice

Sally’s advice to budding entrepreneurs is to recognise “the importance of establishing your own work routine. One of the benefits of being self-employed is getting to pick your own work hours, this allows for flexibility and other life commitments but also has its drawbacks. Because you are your own boss there is no one to tell you to: "Go home!", and I often find myself working past the usual 5pm. My advice is to plan a schedule and set clear working hours (allowing for a lunch break); once you've done this, just stick to it!”

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