Ok, so today I got to do a cake for a friend of ours who turned 40. It was a real pleasure to be able to design something for him and surprise him with it. At the party there were lots of compliments (which are always fun) but after cutting the cake and everyone's "yum" and "amazing" comments (also fun) people started asking for my cards. Well, I didn't bring any...on purpose. This cake was for our friend...not for business...not for drumming up business...for him. So I just kept smiling and asking if they were on facebook because I'd be posting a photo on the friends wifes page tomorrow. Well the wife comes to me and says "everyone wants cards...you should pass them out". I explain that I didn't bring them, that it was her husbands b'day and we just thought the cake was a nice gift for him. A few minutes later she comes at me with a bunch of her husbands business cards and says "they all want cards..can you just print some info on these?" and shoves a pen in my hands. My husband is looking at me like , oh that's so tacky, to be drumming up business at a birthday party...but I felt so stuck. I could tell she wasn't giving up and I wasn't going to get away without something and I didn't want her giving out my personal number so I filled out the cards with my biz name and website. But I'm still feeling tacky. What would you have done?

thanx!
Cat

I would have brought cards from the beginning. If people ask for your card, i don't see anything wrong with having a card available. In your case, I would be giving out my contact info. There is no better way to get business than from people who have tasted and seen your cake first hand. I am sure your friend understood you were not stealing his spotlight and the gift was really a gift and not a business tactic. He probably felt proud that he had such a special cake that everyone loved. don't feel bad at all.

Most professionals (in any field) carry business cards in their purse or wallet. If someone asks for one, it's not tacky or rude to say "oh! well, I think I have one, let me see..."

Putting business cards on the cake table - that would have been tacky. Giving them to people who ask - not tacky.

I'm sure the hostess appreciated you being abe to help her guests with something they wanted. It doesn't sound like you were 'drumming up business' to me.

I completely agree professionals always have business cards on hand to pass out to people who ask> i actually feel bad when i dont restock my business holder and i run out and cant give>>>> think of it this way,,, it is a compliment when someone approaches you to ask for your card and it is rude not to say thank you to someone who pays you a complement thats kind of what you did by refusing to give your card>>>> you could also think of it this way too! no, good deed goes unnoticed the kindness you showed your friend was being given back to you tenfold by everyone ewhing your work!!!!!! so< next time give your cards its not one bit tacky its being a good business person who is saying thank you call me))) plus your friends would felt like they contributed to your well being

totally off the hook for feeling guilty about bad manners:

a) because of all already said about professional behavior -- splurge: get yourself a fancy monogram biz card holder

and more importantly

b) Your friend insisted and you don't let a good friend down.

So... which flavor/recipe did you use that knocked everyone off their socks?

If you order your cards from VistaPrint they also offer a reasonably priced silver metal biz card holder. It's always in my purse. Doesn't hold a ton, but it looks nice and I always have at least some cards.

To walk around the room saying, "Here's my card ... I made the cake. Here's my card ... I made the cake" may have been 'tacky' (the definition of which is open to each person's interpretation), but when someone asks for it, that's a whole different story.

ALways carry the card .... always pass it out.

I'm picturing the scenario like this: there's all this buzz around the room about the cake. The birthday boy is beaming from ear to ear because everyone is at his party, everyone is happy, and he is just so darn smart to have a friend like you.

People start asking for your card and you don't have any. The buzz starts to change to "what kind of professional doesn't carry business cards?" Birthday boy is getting sad. People aren't talking about how great the cake is and how smart he is anymore.

You owe it to the birthday boy to make people happy and give them your card. Once they have your card they feel pleased because they now have a "secret weapon" to make happy parties of their own.

I would have discreetly handed them out, but I wouldn't have made a big dela about it. The wife made a big deal about it, which she shouldn't have done. You were put in an awkward position, but if she was shoving cards and a pen into your hands you didn't have much choice.

Thank you everyone...you have helped me with my feelings on it.

First of all, thanx to the person who validated how I felt when the wife shoved the cards into my hands...it did feel very awkward.

Secondly, I usually do have cards with me but because it was at a friends house and a party I didn't take my purse with me so no cards...seriously not in the "business mode" that night. I think what I'll do is shove some into my glove compartment so I always have some, purse or no purse<G>

OH! And the recipe I used was the Hershey Chocolate Cake recipe...dark chocolate and I add an extra egg to make it denser. Here is the link:

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=4608

This is the base of my Death By Chocolate cake...for that I add in chocolate chips into the batter and fill it with dark chocolate buttercream, top it with dark chocolate buttercream and two types (mild and dark) chocolate curls. It's a chocoholics dream cake! LOL!

Thank you all again SO much!

Cat

I always carry business cards and would definitely give one if they asked.

I know how you feel though. A couple of months, we delivered a large cake to a hotel for a 40th Birthday party. The best friend was setting everything up and wanted us to leave cards on the table and we refused, again, feeling that it was quite tacky. However, she did finally convince us to give cards to her so that she could give them out if anyone asked.

A month or so later, we delivered a wedding cake and groom's cake to a venue. A week or so later, we talked to the bride and she asked why we didn't leave cards, everyone was asking "who made the cake?". We said that we thought it was tacky and she said she even had a card holder there.

Even so, I think it's tacky to leave them out, but I will leave them with someone if they ask.