I have been baking and decorating for friends and family for a bit over a year now. A colleauge of mine just inquired about hiring me to make several hundred cupcakes, or a very large cake for a retirement party she is throwing.
The idea of this is overwhelming, as I just bake out of my home. She is getting back to me with a head count and I told her I would think about it.
I have no idea what to charge, and how much cake to bake! I prefer cupcakes, but would need to invest in some more muffin tins!
Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

From what I've read, the cost should be 2 or 3 times the actual cost of the cake, depending on how much work is involved.......hope this helps!

You need to figure out your cost, how long it will take you to bake, how much electricity it will take, etc, etc and add that up.

Figure out how much you want to make per hour and multiply that by the hours it will take you. This will be your labor charge.

Ingredients + Labor + Supplies (boxes, etc) + Overhead (electricity, etc) = Subtotal
Figure 10-20% profit on top of the subtotal to get your price.

Unfortunately in California you can't legally sell cakes or cupcakes made out of your home kitchen unless it is licensed and inspected by the health dept, I would tell your colleague this and refer them to a licensed bakery.