I have been doing cakes for a year now and I would really like more paying business. This summer, I've only done 6 paying cakes. The rest have been practice cakes for family and birthday cakes for co-workers for work. I am not legal so I can't really advertise. I do have a website though. I work full-time so I really need to limit to about 1 cake/week.

I know that a couple of people at work have asked about pricing and decided to go Wal-Mart because they think I'm too high. (I'm in line with other bakeries in town.)

Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Samples, samples, samples. Just walk into a place and shout "Who wants free cake?"

Get free business cards from vistaprint.

list your web site with yahoo and google. Include keywords for your area.

Hand out your cards everywhere. Leave them at local businesses. Offer to do free cakes for businesses in your area that have regular functions (also for your kids' day care, school, etc.). ALWAYS send cards with your cakes.

Don't worry...business will come!

Thank you both for your suggestions. Since I am not legal, I really don't want to hand out business cards. I have been giving out my website address though. The school idea sounds great but I don't have children and I work full-time so I really don't know what goes on at the school. Sorry to be so negative.


Puppylove confections--That has started me to think that I could start giving 6" or 8" cakes as "Thank You's", "Just Because", or practice cakes to friends and family and to some selected people at work. The size would depend on if they have a family or not. I could also take a cake to a place that I frequent. I would make sure to put a label on the cake box with my name, phone number, and website address.

Thanks again!

At the ICES convention 2 years ago I went to a seminar on this, and one of the things that really worked for her was making a small dummy cake, and putting it in a box, then going to the local bookstore, hairdresser, nail place, anyplace that doesn't have much to look at on the counters and asking if you can leave the cake and cards (if you have them) in exchange for a free cake or two a year for them, or doing ones for book signings, etc. Her business has gotten so good she's quitting her other job!