Thank you all for your advice.

And indydebi you are amazing.

I do order my shortening and fondant from countrykitchensa . I also sometimes have to order cake drums. I buy everything else from our local grocery (Kroger).

I usually deal with "customers / friends/ family" online, and I always send them my portfolio online. I also have it on Facebook. Now the one time I've come up against a problem - someone wants me to make a "pug" cake based on the two dog cakes I've done....not sure if I can! LOL. The dog cakes used the lamb pan as a base and I don't know if that will work...

Anyway, it still seems people aren't all that creative.... or they are just have much smaller budgets. I try to work within their budgets, but sometimes I feel so constrained by that.

I was making free cakes and bringing them in to work - but man that's a lot of money and a lot of time for free! Plus, I can't eat them now (I think I have a wheat allergy), so it's not as much fun for me (I still eat all the icing I want though!).

Thanks everyone for your comments. At least I'm not the only one!