AI read it as "you've seen the best, now try the rest".
By the way, my competitors consist of ONE single bakery who's bulk business is high end wedding cakes, and home bakers who aren't even legal who charge $60 for a cake.
For customers who didn't know the real value of my cakes and thought my cheap prices were expensive
Who cares about them? If I were you, I'd double my pricing immediately and do what you can to live up to that part of your name that says couture. $2 and couture don't really go together. Neither does bespoke and star tipping, which I saw on someone's site recently.
I can't get orders at $2 a serving, how would I get any at $4 a serving?
Oh, I just realized I already chimed in here earlier. Ok, it's already been established that there are decorators in your area with pricing way above that, and they have business. So whoever buys from them, you need to go after those types of clients. Can't say the market isn't there, cause I know it is. Your work is too pretty to be attracting cheapies, or wasting time explaining quality to them when they don't even care anyways. I call those the yard sale buyers: price is the ONLY thing that matters.
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Original message sent by NSuojhayer
I can't get orders at $2 a serving, how would I get any at $4 a serving?
When you price too low you are inviting comparison shopping to Walmart and grocery stores, and you can't beat them on price. By aiming higher (which will require a new marketing strategy and targeted ads) you will reach customers who focus more on quality than on price.
I'm not meaning to offend anyone. I'm just a god damned 18 year old girl trying to make some money. ("You're not making any"). I've made $300, which I've used to fix my dad's wheelchair ramp. It's enough for me that I'm able to do a little. I seriously can't find anybody willing to pay a good price for my cakes yet. Until then, i'm sticking to what people are willing to pay.
AI would rather go decorate cakes at Walmart than pour my time and energy into beautiful cakes for people who want Walmart prices anyway. I don't say that sarcastically or to knock anyone, I really mean it. If I couldn't get a fair price for my cakes, if people thought that Walmart level pricing was the only thing that was fair, I would quit doing this and just get a job with an hourly wage where I didn't have to defend my pricing to cheapskates.
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Original message sent by NSuojhayer
If I could afford to buy cake dummies....
If you can't afford cake dummies, it might be prudent to put the business on hold and focus on building up your startup fund until you have enough saved up to finance a comprehensive launch that includes a fully executed marketing strategy.
I can't get a part time job, therefore no way to save
I shoot down suggestions because they are things that I have already thought of and am unable to do. I've tried just about everything. Charging high, charging low, charging in between, doing this, doing that, buying this making that. I appreciate EVERYONES advice. That is after all what I asked for, advice. I get that professionals like you get frustrated with beginners like me. I do. But I'm doing everything that I can and apparently I can't do anything differently to help myself. So, my business will suffer and you can all be right.
I'm not meaning to offend anyone. I'm just an 18 year old girl trying to make some money. ("You're not making any"). I've made $300, which I've used to fix my dad's wheelchair ramp. It's enough for me that I'm able to do a little. I seriously can't find anybody willing to pay a good price for my cakes yet. Until then, i'm sticking to what people are willing to pay.
I altered your quote so as to not requote something a moderator might have to delete.
Where are you looking for customers? Maybe look into how to optimize your website -- that's something someone with extra time on their hands can do for free. The point is to push your website's ranking as high as possible.
Since you're so young, it probably hasn't been long since you had American history. Do you remember when they talked about stuff like the Sherman Anti-trust Act? One of the things I remember from history was something called predatory pricing - I remember it so well because it was just so evil. A big company could come into town, charge under market and put their competitors out of business. As soon as they did, of course the price would go back up. And even go higher because they'd have a monopoly.
I looked up the definition: Predatory pricing is the practice of selling a product or service at a very low price, intending to drive competitors out of the market.
While you are not intentionally trying to drive anyone out of business, that's the still the effect of charging such low prices.
You say your local competition consists of illegal home bakers that charge $60 for a cake...DO you mean an 8" 2 layer round like in your comparison?
ANo i meant for a big 3 tier cake with a sculpted cake topper.
It seems to me that raising your prices is not going to hurt you anyway. I mean, you aren't getting any business anyway so why not try it. At least if you do, then your clientele will not balk at a price change after you get open. I agree that when you undercut pricing ( like $2.00 a slice) that people consider that your price is 10.00 higher than the stores like Sam's or Walmart so why not go with one of them. After all, it is cheaper, in more ways than one, even though yours will certainly be better. As far as dummy cakes go, get a set of round ones, cover them and do different decorations on the. You can stack like a wedding cake, do some of the flowers you like and put them on there, take a couple of photos and take the flowers off. If you want to change the fondant color then just soak it off or set them in the dishwasher. That hot water will take it all of, you can use maybe the top layer and the bottom one to do a birthday cake, use the bottom layer to make a children's cake. There are so many options that you can do with just one set of dummies. Just put your mind to it, don't say you have tried everything or thought of all this previously, you probably have. Be determine that you need to make it work and get going on finding the answer to the problem. You have been given many ideas ans at a young age you are brave enough to start an venture this large, then be brave enough to listen to some ideas and try them. Lower price, lower profit or higher price and higher profit, either way you still need the customers and someone seeing a higher price will figure you have some great ideas and can execute them very well.
I forgot to add that the prices you charge now really do not help cover costs as you advertise using heavy cream and butter. Making those luscious fillings has to cut into your profit margin and they do sounds great, my mouth was watering.
Thank you for that ...... I have an order pending right now, I will take in everyone's recommendations and see how things work out.
For $60? Then what was the reference to $6 to $10 a serving earlier? I'm confused. Are you saying that your $2 serving is providing the same quality as someone who is charging $6 to $10? Or? Sorry, just trying to understand.
If you're charging too low, you're probably scaring people off. Most brides will be hesitant to go with someone who charges ridiculously low prices, in case they get a hot mess delivered on their wedding day.
AI think the $6-10 a serving is the only high end bakery in the area that was mentioned.
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