Many people are struggling financially...Whether here or in the US ....There are alot of members on this site who have had a hard time keeping there business afloat since the economy crashed...some have lost jobs..others their homes etc...I just think it is really tacky of you to come on here as a Newbie and start saying how easy it is Yadda Yadda Yadda especially since you aren't licensed which is a hot spot here anyway..

Yikes. Maybe it's just me, but I can understand being upset because someone is competing with you illegally, and actively poaching your customers. However, if you don't have a business, I don't really understand why it matters to you. It's not like you could be getting the business instead. Know what I mean?

I also don't understand keeping CC a secret. I've told everyone who has ever asked me a decorating question about this place, and they are always thankful. Some of them have become quite good decorators as a result. In those scenarios, I don't have to use my time to teach someone something, and they can feel good about learning on their own. Everyone wins. What's the harm there?

mrsc808, That is a rotten thing for someone to do to you. She really doesn't sound like a friend to me.

Babarooskie, I could not agree with you more.

As a community of (mostly) women, we should lift each other up rather than tear each other down. What's so hard about wishing someone well, and moving on?

The reason it is still considered a business is because you accepted money. As Indy once said (paraphrasing of course) "The government doesn't care if you are a good business person or a bad business person who loses money on a sale, if you accept even one penny for your cake you are making a sale, and your are doing business"

So basically just because you aren't profiting from your sale does not mean you are not a business. Lots of businesses lose money on each transaction they make, that doesn't make what they do a hobby it just makes them bad business people.

And why would anyone want to risk their families well being. The fines for some places are extremely rigid and some even come with jail time. Here it is a Class C misdemeanor so something like a traffic ticket BUT each occurance comes with a $500 fine, meaning every item you have ever "sold" whether for a profit or a loss will cost you $500. If you are making a cake a week and you have been doing so for a few years they can fine you for every single sale you made over that time frame. Once you hit a certain level the offense then is graduated up from a lessor charge to a repeat offender and a higher classification of charge. Why do that to yourself and your family. Why break the law? Just because you got away with it yesterday does not mean you will get away with it today!

I have lots of friends who fly under the radar, and I love them all dearly, and don't wish any of them any harm. I would never blow the whistle on an illegal caker ever! BUT, I worry all the time that they are going to get caught, so I am very active in trying to get the laws changed for our state so all cakers can be legal. And yes, eventhough I know if it does come to pass there will still be those out there that will do it illegally, that is never going to change. Some people really believe that the laws and rules don't apply to them.


Oh and about Binkie...Haven't y'all learned by now that the newbies that sound like flippant idiots are nothing but trolls trying to stir up drama. Ignore them!

Call me silly, but I don't see why you are so annoyed? Their cakes may not be up to your quality of cakes, but they think they are good enough to sell them. That's up to them. (I'm not even getting into the legal/illegal situation).

Locally, we have a TERRIBLE magazine. As a former journalist (and still one at heart), this magazine is everything a magazine should NOT be. Do I crack on it? Yes, but only to my family. Is it irriating seeing someone the beauty of journalism? Of course. BUT, she is doing something I haven't had the courage to do. She has found advertisers, printers, distributors, etc... all while I still sit here and dream about having my own magazine.

to the OP. i understand your frustation. i too know of at least a dozen, probably more, people who do this illegally. and they brag all the time.
its gets so annoying. and when im asked to make a cake for so-so's whatever occasion and i say no and explain why. they say oh- ok ill go to- whoever-.
and - ugh- i have this one, friend -well we are only friends through a mutual friend. and EVERYTIME i see her she brags and brags about how much money she is making from selling, cakes-cookies-pies etc.

i live in CT and as of now home bakery is illegal. unless sep. kitchen.
and i know for a fact none of these people do.
when i talked to our towns health inspector he said only 1 person (who i know of) was legally licensed in our town.
so the endless drama of legal vs illegal goes on.
just know you are not alone with your frustation.

troll....hehe. gosh i hope not because that is just crude!

anyways- i was thinking.....cant blame some people who think that it is ok to sell from home. maybe not doing the whole advertising and cake show thing, but if johnny applesead needs a cake some people dont know you cant do that if you are not legal. the ones that do know....thats not cool.

when i had my first wilton class, everyone in the class thought they could suppliment their income by selling a few cakes here and there. nothing big.
and out teacher said-just dont get caught. no other real information.
it wasnt until i came here that i truely understood the magnetude of being legal vs not legal. but when i was taking my course i thought-who cares if my friends friend or my daughters friends mother wanted me to make their occasion cake.

cake central has been a wealth of information. if newbies come here and ask if they can sell cakes (without being legal) i think most are asking because they really dont know. heck i didnt even know what being legal ment before CC. i thought being legal ment you had to have a name of your cake company.
wish i could wave my magic cake wand and laws in states like CT where i live would be easier.

Confectionsofahousewife, don't feel bad about how you feel, it is how you feel and you have the right to vent if you want, that is all it is venting.

I too wish I could have home based cake business but found out it is not possible with current laws. I also don't want to break the law, so no selling cakes, but that means I don't cake as often as I like. There are many parts of these laws I don't get.

I agree with whoever posted about having a dinner party and people chipping in, and I personally don't get how someone buying ingredients and bringing them to my house or me buying them and them reimbursing me is any diffferent, or makes me suddenly an illegal business, but if the government can see the distinction than so be it.

And honestly people can get sick from a free cake just as easily cake you charge for, and it seems to me people normally get sick from meat or bad produce/dairy, not so much cakes, but it is enough to scare me from selling to anyone. But I don't think the government cares about people getting sick from cake, I think they don't like that people don't pay fees and taxes.

But people should not chastize you from being upset that you can't do more with your skills. It seems to me that money begets money, not that having a legal cake business guarantees you profit, but if you don't have the money to even try, you never know.

I also agree with whowever posted about women lifting women up, but I do notice, while lurking, that some veteran posters tend to look down on newbies and the less experienced. And it weirds me out how some can't resist the snide comments.

This post was of course going to degrade to an illegal/versus legal arguement. Some poeple simply cannot pass up the opportunity to dig right in! I guess in the end, we take it all into consideration and do what is best for us.

"In my town, everyone thinks I'm the bees-knees. If they find CC they'll know that I really am just average. I'd rather they stroke my ego"



LOL! I just love that!

Thanks for (most of you) being supportive. I knew there would be people who understood on here.

Its not about someone poaching business from me (as I stated I am NOT a business, nor do I market myself as one). Its about the frustration of not being able to produce (which in my mind equates to practice as well) what I like to do as often as I want to do it because I'm not getting reimbursement while others, who in my opinion are not as good as I am, are charging for their work.

I realize that its not nice to say that my stuff is better than theirs but no one can tell me that you haven't thought that about other peoples cakes (or something else, for that matter). No one is that nice! However, I do not wish anything bad upon them. I don't wish for them to fail or get fined by the health department or anything like that. And its not like they are asking for help and I am declining!

But I also feel like if I don't think my product/skill is better than other peoples, why would I market it? I have to believe that my stuff is top notch so, when the time comes, I can sell it.

Okay, i retract my previous statement..LOL... My first posting ever-didn't think of the backlash... i should have explained myself better

I think it's fair to say, I'm split down the middle. Technically, if money is exchanged, its a business, yes.

If i really wanted to turn my hobby into a business, then I should go about it the proper way-for sure. Just because someone takes a couple of classes doesn't mean they also know about safety regulations. that's why all these new laws are coming into affect.

However, on the flip side of things, if it's not my immediate family or really close friend, then spending ?? hours doing a cake for nothing seems outrageous to me. i guess i could just say no, but at the same time, making a few bucks nowadays doesnt seem all that bad to me....

Perhaps, I'll just stick with reading the forums.....LOL...

confectionsofahousewife- I can see how it's a frustrating situation to be in.
We can't control other people and there will always be people who will make choices we don't understand or agree with. Not just about cakes but for example unlicensed vs licensed home daycare centers.

My FIL always takes his cars to this person two houses down because "he is so nice and only charges half of anyone else." (And my husband has always been bothered because they end up needing more repairs and costing more in the long run...). And none of them would be doing it unless people would pay them for it.

If this person only charges $1.50/slice I don't think those are the clients you would ever be interested in anyway. I'm sure your time will come.

I normally avoid these types of topics but I want to have a little vent to.

I've done cakes for years, never advertised, never asked to make someone's cake unless it was a gift, never made a cake for someone that wasn't a friend or family. Yes, I accepted money from them but as I said, all friends or family and they wanted a cake specifically from me and wanted to compensate. I made TONS of cakes for people as gifts or because I just wanted to.

Now, I am completely legal and rent space in a legal kitchen. I didn't give out a brochure or business card or do ANY type of advertising at all until I was completely legal.

Now, I find all of these people advertising that I've never heard of and find out "they just work from home". This is from the people I am buying advertising from. Or when people ask me if I rent space or work from home, I tell them that I work in a commercial kitchen, that it isn't legal to work from home here unless you have a separate licensed kitchen.

I just wanted to get my little vent in also. sorry for hijacking.