How many hours a week do you work? What amount of volume are you doing in that many hours?

I work full time, so I am also wondering how much of your time is dedicated to making cakes. I am looking to find out what I could reasonably do.

I carried a full time job up until last November. I have weddings (cake AND catering) every weekend. I have at least 3 samplings a week. I learned quickly to get by on 4, and if I was lucky, 5 hours sleep. Now that I don't have the day job, I look back and wonder how in the world I did it ..... I wouldn't be able to figure out how to go back to that schedule.

I would say I average about 4 cakes a week.... and spend probably about 3 hours from start to finish on each, depending on how much detail is required. I am a SAHM, and full-time student...

do it because I love it... licensing laws are way too strict here, so I don't advertise or anything.

I don't know how you did it either. I am a hobbiest and that keeps me busy enough - just doing cakes for friends and family - there is ALWAYS something going on that needs a cake (and it's amazing how many people you end up knowing through this hobby .

I work full-time (40-45 hours/week), have 2 toddlers, a roundtrip commute of close to 2 hours, so I really like to limit myself to 2 cakes per week. I'm still new at this so I have a tendency to take a little longer with my cakes. I usually start any cakes I might have after the girls go to bed and I work out, usually around 8:30-9:00. Sometimes I think I'm crazy. My DH thinks I should start doing it more but I'm the type of person that I think if I did it full-time that I wouldn't enjoy cake decorating as much. Plus, I can say no and it's really okay

For me is very variable. I have a cake shop, so I have cakes all the time, but seasons and different holidays makes a big difference. February is a low month with maybe 5 cakes a week, some times even less, then comes may with all the communions and is 15 cakes in a weekend, adding to the usual weddings, birthdays etc. Then is not so much how many cakes you have, because is the same to have 5 small cakes for 100 people, than to have a big cake for 500 only that the bigger one is much more stressing no matter that technically its only one cake.

I teach full time. I also do cakes & catering for weddings, special events. Last week, I had all of the catering, decorating, wedding cake & groom's cake for a wedding with 200 guests. I worked myself to death last week. There is only so much you can do in advance.

This week was light (thank goodness)! I had 2 dozen decorated cupcakes, and I have a small wedding cake and 100 finger sandwiches for Saturday.

However, the weekend of the 24th, I have another wedding for 200 - wedding cake, groom's cake, and all of the food. Thank goodness I don't have to teach Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, since we're off for Mardi Gras.

I too work a full time job, and only average maybe 3 baked items a month (unless I do things and just bring to the office for sale). For me this is a hobby but a skill I always wanted to learn and am anxious to learn more - but it is also a hobby that can pay for itself and then some.

deb

I also work full time and do cakes the rest of the time (notice I didn't say 'spare' time, cause there isn't any to spare anymore, LOL). My cake load varies so much from week to week. I just went back and looked, and for this year so far my slowest was 3 and busiest 33 cakes in a week. For really busy times and wedding cakes, I sometimes have to take off work. Pretty much all of my off time from work is taken up doing cake stuff or sleeping.

OMG, it was insane around here. 28 for valentines day and a wedding on saturday, a few other sprinkled in. Then DH says, "oh yeah, I told Gary you'd have his cake ready today". Well get to it there bud, cause I don't have time. LOL

I work full time, and average one decorated cake and maybe 4 cheesecakes per week. Holiday weeks---I get slammed. Like this past week, I've been in inservice training all week and had 6 orders. Two gourmet gift baskets, 2 decorated cakes, and 4 cheesecakes. It almost kills me on weeks like this. My feet swell up, my muscles ache and let's not even talk about my head. Or sleep--or the lack thereof!

I'm considering taking the drop plan they're offering in a few months. Then I can just do my thing anytime I want.

I've learned to multi-task, though. Pre-bake and freeze, mix while doing something else, blah...blah.

I do have a small advantage or two though: On days I go to court, they give me "comp time." That's equal time off with pay for time in court/travel/dep't business. Not to mention the fact the the DH and DS each have a list of their own things they need to do to keep things going smoothly every day!

I'm sooooo ready for all this to be over, though. Like yesterday!

--Knox--

I have a full time job, working 45 hours a week, and a busy teen. This week, I did one engagement cake (which I need to upload when I get a breather!) 2 dozen Valentine cookie pops, and I still have 3 dozen baby shower cookies and 2 cakes to do for Saturday.
Before I stopped advertising through my website, I was averaging at least 10-20 dozen cookies and at least 1-2 cakes a week, but I just could not do it.
I can't wait for the day when I can go full time into baking and open up a shop! I don't know how much more I can take!

This is my full-time job, no kids and I work at least 14 hours a day/7 days a week at it, 17 hours per day in the summer months.

It's not all baking though....there's all the packaging of cookies, paperwork, shopping for supplies, invoicing, sketches, replying to emails/phone calls, consultations, banking, taxes, etc. etc. etc. It's non-stop.

Let's put it this way....I read two books "for pleasure" in the whole of 2006!!! (Non-cookbooks! )