Snarky, your business acumen is as great as your talent as a decorator. It's one thing to be great at what you do but a different ball game to be a business woman too!
All Hail Snarky!
There are a number of people on CC that when I read their posts, I just sit here saying I LOVE THEM. I havent even met them, but I love them!! LOL! Great thread, Snarky!
I paid more for my wedding cake than I did for my wedding dress (everyone thought we were nuts). It was worth every penny. Makes more sense to me to pay more for the cake, but then I am a cake girl!
We send a lot of cake to very modest venues. There is a decent sized subset of the population who will pay premium dollars for premium cake... and they are not all Richie Rich's from Richistan.
Those are your customers, to heck with the rest.
snarkybaker...I think I love you!!!
OMG! I was thinking the same thing! LOL!
Snark you hit it dead on.
I keep telling people that If THEY don't believe in their own product then nobody will. You need to believe in it to sell it.
Spoken by a licensed home baker that is higher in price then all storefront bakeries within a 15 mile radius of me.
(I live in a small state so 15 miles is far.....people don't drive 20 miles for anything around here.) 
Snarky - if you don't mind me asking, where are you located?
We are in Chapel Hill, NC.
We are right in the 100 block of Franklin Street, literally on campus, so we make a little bit of money on UNC themed cakes.
Snarky, are you familiar with Mad Hatter's over in Durham? We used to go there for sweet tooth attacks back when I was in college at the very big rival of where you are. I think they've moved location since I graduated, though. Sigh. I miss living up there, btwn Durham and Chapel Hill LOTS of good restaurants! Not that we don't have a lot of good ones here in Atlanta...I just hate driving in Atlanta! 
Snarky, are you familiar with Mad Hatter's over in Durham? We used to go there for sweet tooth attacks back when I was in college at the very big rival of where you are. I think they've moved location since I graduated, though. Sigh. I miss living up there, btwn Durham and Chapel Hill LOTS of good restaurants! Not that we don't have a lot of good ones here in Atlanta...I just hate driving in Atlanta!
My husband and I LOVE to go to Atlanta, and are always looking for an excuse to go, largely because of the great restaurants.So I guess the restaurant is always greener on the other side 
Sadly, Mad Hatter has been sold to guys who own a chain of sandwich shops, and so they fired all the good decorators ( one of them has started his own shop called Swank) and have gone to 50lb pilsbury mixes. The reason I know is that so many of their bakers cam to me to try to get a job when the change happened.
So know, I get Duke's money too...bwaahaahaaa!!!! ( that was evil laugh, for those who can't spell)
Words to live by.
I had a repeat customer ask how much would I charge for a cake to feed 100 ppl for a baptismal. She sent over a couple of pictures of what she wanted. I gave her a quote. When she replied she was only wanting to spent $75-$80 since another decorator quoted her $85. I told her I would not be able to do that cake. Didnt hear back from her. About two wks ago she emailed me again. Said she had thought it over and WANTED/HAD TO HAVE one of my cakes because she knew they tasted so good. She choice another designer, simpler, but still very nice. She took the new price which was way higher then what she had budgeted for.
People will pay. I have a hard time selling myself, I really do.
Snarky, you hit it right on. These are words to quote your cakes on!!!
Wow Iam having a hard time pricing my cakes, I have started baking cakes recently and I have 3 kids to take care off so I do this because I need the money it is time consuming and very stressfull sometime, I do love it but I live in a small town in Puerto Rico where the competition is alot there's many people that bake around me even Sam"s and Wal-mart not to mention that the economy is very bad at the moment so Iam afraid if i give a high price that the person would rather go some place els. 
Hey Snark!
I always enjoy your posts, as they are down to earth and no nonsense! (as is why I love talking to you in person) You have fer sure built yourself a great business and it shows in your work!
I too have a constant struggle with my prices..not because I dont think I am not worth it, but because what the market will bear. I keep playing with my prices, seeing how far I can push it and I am blown away how I am now getting 300-400 dollars for baby shower cakes. (have you noticed its always a group of people doing the cake together. I am actualy charging more for these cakes then weddings cakes because they just take more time to do! Does that make sense?
Cupcakes is my hardest thing...right now I am selling them for about 2.30 each, (that is a filled cupcake) and I keep wondering if I should raise the price a little, as they are so popular right now!! I wish there was like a list somewhere on how much everyone charges! hahaha! Remember at the RBA last year when Buddy said we need a Bakery Union? he was so right! hahaha!
Anyway, I do agree with you, get what you think you are worth. I have found with many good advice from you and others on here, that I get less cake orders, but I am actualy making more money. Odd how that works, huh?
We charge the most we possibly can . That may sound a little odd as a consumer, but it is better for business overall.
1- If I charge more, I don't have to try to cram the schedule to pay the bills. That leaves us time to make every cake a little more special.
2- If I charge more, I don't need to worry about having lean weeks or months. They are going to come regardless of what I charge, so I may as well have money in the bank.
3- This is a big one. Because I charge more,I have extra help on staff. That means that if someone gets pneumonia , my cakes all still get done and delivered on time. What is that worth to a customer?
We charge the most we possibly can . That may sound a little odd as a consumer, but it is better for business overall.
1- If I charge more, I don't have to try to cram the schedule to pay the bills. That leaves us time to make every cake a little more special.
2- If I charge more, I don't need to worry about having lean weeks or months. They are going to come regardless of what I charge, so I may as well have money in the bank.
3- This is a big one. Because I charge more,I have extra help on staff. That means that if someone gets pneumonia , my cakes all still get done and delivered on time. What is that worth to a customer?
Brilliant!
a most helpful pricing thread! Glad to read it!!!
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