For those of you who have full-time jobs and your own cake business and a family, how do you manage it all? I have a licensed home based cake decorating business, two part time jobs, a 5 year old and am a single parent. I know that I can make my business work. But when I get my child in the bed 8:30 I'm so tired. Then have to prepare for the next day (clothes, lunch, laundry, work out -for stress relief (smile) I get up at 5 each morning. I know I can do it just need a little direction. Seems like staying up past midnight might be the only option.
How do you do it? Any suggestions are appreciated. Anyone with any suggestion please chime in.
Freeze cakes! Between my 2 jobs, I work 50-60 hours a week. Don't have kids at home, but all the other duties. When I started baking and freezing my cakes ahead of time, life became better. I also mix up and color my icing and freeze it. I also don't do a ton of cakes at home...maybe one a week. I go to bed everynight by 10. Are you taking on a lot of orders?
When I was in a similar position, I got by on 4 hours sleep a night. Every night. For at least 2 years. There are things you just let slide. Laundry? Did it. Folded and put away? Forget it! If it's not in the Clean-Basket, then I don't know where it is!
Freezing is a GREAT suggestion! Having the icing already made ahead of time is also great (even today, with a comm'l kitchen, it's wonderful when the icing is already made!)
No ddaigle,
I don't have any orders. I don't have time or should I say haven't made the time to advertise like I should. I have an opportunity to be a vendor at a play next month. My goal is to create 3 fabulous fake cakes and sell cupcakes.
No sleep it is, cause i gotta do this.
I was a high risk OB nurse for 20 years worked 4-5 12 hour shifts every week...at nite. This left me with all those daylite hours to help my husband farm cotton. Yes it sucked. Especially when he ran all over town while I was gone every nite. What a dog. Booted his a** out the door, met a great guy that turned me into a "housewife" and today I am the happiest gal in the world. My story has nothing to do with yours...it just made me feel great to share my "Cinderella" story!
Love your Cinderella story Minicuppies. But Indy's right. 4 hours of sleep it is. I was a single mother with 3 kids, working fulltime, having to work lots of overtime, AND going to school with 15 units! I got by with 4 hours of sleep for about 3 years. As women, we do what we have to do, period. Just tell yourself, it WILL NOT be like this forever. Boy, did I use to have to tell myself that a lot. And if your doing what your doing now, then I'm sure you know you can handle it. What other choice do we have as single parents?
What helped get me thru it was a show I saw on the food network once. It was about people who start a business and one of them said "Just expect NOT to get any sleep." So when I was feeling like I was "a failure" because I had such long days and couldn't "do it all" in an 8-5 time slot, I'd remember this show and reassure myself that I was normal, not a failure! 
I was just thinking the same thing, duchess1120. How am I going to do this? I'm putting a kitchen in my basement to start my cake business. I have a job that requires my full concentration and going out of town. I am married with 2 very young kids , 3 and 1 years old.
I'm beginning to forget how to relax. It's not a great way to live because we all know the toll a lack of sleep takes on a body. I just want to tell you that you're not alone. But, I will not allow myself to suffer ALL the time because I'm a "mature" mother and I need to be there for my kids when they're older. When I figure out how to do it all, I'll tell you. But for now, it's one day at a time.
Yikes. I've read the responses, and although having your own business does require you to sacrifice, the reality is that you just can't do EVERYTHING. If you try to do that, you'll end up like Walmart- selling everything, really good at nothing. (Don't get me wrong, I love Walmart...)
Sacrificing sleep is not good for your health, nor is it good for your little one. I'm not telling you what to do- but you have to give yourself permission to let something in your life go! Your to do list makes me exhausted just reading it, and I thought I was overbooked.
My hubby works 4 days straight and I am a single mom for those days with a 2 year old. I just get a taste of what you deal with every day. I can't imagine having to do it all the time, and then have 2 jobs AND a cake business. Something's gotta give!
One order at a time...and choose your orders wisely. If you aren't comfortable with it, then turn it down. If it's something that is going to take you more time than you think you have, turn it down. Don't sacrifice sleep and family time for a few dollars.
I currently have two part-time jobs with an application in for another part-time along with my cookies, and I was a single mom for the first four years, so I know where you are coming from. You can do it!
What I am starting to do is make sure I taking orders that count... Not a cheap order that is going to waste my time and not be worth any money to me in the end. That way, although I do have less orders, Im not doing four cakes a week. I too am a single mom of a 2 year old with no help from anyone, I go to school full time and have a laundry list of daily/weekly responsibities including running a playgroup and watching my cousin & siblings everyweek. But since I suffer from servere insomnia I often spend long nights doing what i need to do... Although everyday is very very stressful I thrive on over filling my plate and I guess wouldn't have it any other way! Good luck to you! And maybe if your cake orders pick up you could quite the second job???
Back to the freezing comment, I only do 4 or 5 cakes from home a month. I find some free time at the begining of each month and bake all of the cake orders I have for that month. Then I wrap, label and freeze. There may be a random order come up later, but I have my "bulk" orders ready and waiting.
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