I have decided to close my business.  Things are just too busy, I have 4 kids and hate all the time that I am missing with them.  I am tired of telling them "Not now, I'm working on a cake."  I am tired of missing some of their activities because I have to work and I am stressed about the family responsibilities that I have started to let slide.  It had come to the point where I just dreaded having a busy week with the business because I am always worried about which child's needs will be pushed to the back burner as a result. 

I have worked hard to build up my business, but my kids will only be young once.  I consider myself blessed that I have the option to not work.  When my kids are all grown, I will never look back and say that I wish I'd spent more time working, but I could easily wind up looking back and wishing I'd taken all the moments I could to enjoy their childhood. 

My 3 oldest are thrilled that I am not going to be working, my little guy was actually always great about hanging out in the kitchen and playing play dough (in another area) while I work and keeping me company, he actually liked that time we spent, but I know we will spend it other ways.  Now if/when I make a cake it will be for my own kids and they can help rather than being told to stay away for food safety reasons.

I did my final wedding cake this past weekend, I have one more private lesson in a few weeks.

Now...what to do with all those cake boxes and cardboard circles :).

AGood on you!!! You are so right kids are only young once, and no amount of money can give you the precious moments you are going to be spending with them. I wish you the best for the future and lots of fun times :-D

Good for you!  I wish you the best of luck, and enjoy your children. :)  And just throw those cake circles and boxes on eBay - someone will want them!

Liz

AI'm in the same boat. I decided to stop taking new orders in May. I've taken a few since then for only very repeat customers, but I've really been ready to be done. I have still been busy almost every weekend because of orders I already had lined up for the year, but after October is over I only have about three things on my schedule.

The thought is freeing, actually. We homeschool and I've felt for a few years now that my attention on my kids, or cleaning my house, or, or, or, has suffered. But never the cakes. And I'm ready for cakes to not be my number one priority anymore. And also for it to be a joy to make my kids' birthday cakes instead of just another job that's keeping me from enjoying their birthday time.

I'm keeping my home bakery license, but I'm going into "extended sabbatical".

My business has actually been profitable, though, so it's hard leaving behind that income. It's been the only way we've been able to afford things like dance class and other extra curriculars for my kids.

All the best to you and your lucky family!

Thanks for the support and well wishes. 

Debby, I feel the exact same way.  Best of luck to you as well.  I am also keeping my corporation and license, and possibly the web page in case I want or need to start up again in the very distant future.  My youngest is 4, so it would be quite a while, but keeping the corporation is easy enough :).

Sending warmest wishes to you and your family. It's so hard to keep the work/family balance in check but you've made the right decision for your family so no-one can judge you on that. I have a 21 month old son and find it hard to get out just 1 or 2 cakes a week so I don't know how you did it. Best of luck to you :)

We have actually started taking less orders also.  We homeschool and I just can not balance both and be a mom/clean house etc.  I have gotten tired of my kids asking me "what are we doing this weekend?" and me stating..we have a wedding or we have three birthday cakes to do.  Our last our is December 7th and then we are taking a much needed month long break

Enjoy your time with your kids!  

You won't regret time spent with your kids; cakes can take a backseat for a few years.  Good luck and have fun with the kids!  Wishing you all the best.

i hear ya! and i commend you for choosing family over cake :) i love cake decorating and have been doing it for about 2 years now.  But it is true though,  a cake decorator's life is a very lonely one. I still like decorating, but as i work full time and create cakes on the side,  i do feel guilty about not spending enough time with my 2 year old and my husband.  and it does create friction between hubby and i :(  so i have stopped taking orders all summer and and have gone back to accepting only one cake per weekend.  that way i keep my sanity :) 

all the happiness in the world to you and your family!! :) 

Wish you the best of luck. That is nice that you have the option to stay at home with them.  Mine are half grown and I've always worked, now work full time and cake part time, plus involved with their sports.  It is very important to be home to capture those moments, because you can never get them back.  My daughter is now a freshman in high school, so I'm trying to get out of things I was committed to because I know in a blink of an eye she'll be a senior & then off to college. 

Congratulations on your decision!!

good luck to you ladies, maybe one day when kids are all grown up and taken are off you can come back to your passion and get back to caking :) I was reading through the posts/replies here and a though came to me: we should have "for sale" thread here, where you can sell your left over boxes, boards, cutters and etc to us, who are still in business. Just a though :)

You made the right choice.  Family comes first.  You can still makes if you wish for family celebrations.  After the kids are older, you can still get back into it.  Maybe not as a business but as a hobby.  Cake decorating is very time consuming.  Only other decorators can appreciate that.

i think the sacrifice is worth it. when my son was born, i quit my teaching job and we seriously changed our lifestyle. We had only one car for 15 years and we didn't spend money on a lot of things we could have, but I've never regretted it. My son is lovely and i'm so glad I spent that time with him. 

I too closed my business this past year. While I miss the income, I no longer miss my kids special events. I now home school 2 of my 5 children. Never thought I would add teacher in my list of careers. =) My kid love the fact that we use baking a math class. lol

Hi!

I Just wanted to wish you good luck and all the very very best! I think you've made a really wise decision and given me definitely something to think about.

I'm thinking of opening my own cake business but my kids are 5 and almost 3. Maybe I should go back to sitting in front of a computer and have a regular 8-17 job and have the weekends free until the kids grow up. As you say this time is so precious and we will never get it back.

Warm wishes and all the very best again!

Thanks, again to the continued support.  Rohini, I found that because my busiest days were Fri & Sat, it cut way too much into family time.  Friday nights is when my husband is home by a decent time and we like to just kick back and relax together.  Doing cakes meant, he had to juggle the kids evening routines and dinner.  Saturdays meant sometimes missing their games and always meant no last minute day or overnight trips.  For me, it just isn't worth the extra income.  But, I really think it could work for some, it just depends on your schedule and lifestyle.  Good luck, whatever you decide.

AWow! I am right there with you ladies. The same thing has happend to me. Ihave built such a great bakery in my home and yet I am regretting all the time lost with my kids. I too homeschool and I know their schoolwork has suffered because of the cakes. Next weekend is my last and one of my biggest wedding cakes. I am excited yet relieved. I hope it is my best yet. My buisness had become rather lucrative for the family and it is very hard not to want to put my website back up. I know it is always there when I need it I suppose, but it sure will be nice to not have to say, " I cant help you. I am making a cake!"

Good for you. I homeschool as well (I saw several posted they homeschool) I was so busy over the summer and so overwhelmed. I had to cut back big time on orders for awhile. I felt so bad because I was booked last week and this weekend, so hubby had to go alone to visit his family for the weekend. :( I had no choice but to stay home. I am swamped until after Thanksgiving. We really need the extra money but I wish at times I didn't have to do so much. I am thankful that I don't have to depend on it as much though. Thankfully I don't have much that is stressful, just time baking and making icing for the most part, so that won't take to much away because I can still do things with my kids while my cakes are baking.

Best wishes to you and your family.  You make such beautiful colorful cakes, your nice website will also be missed by those who enjoy it.

FullHouse: It was Your website that I was referring to. Very nice. Inspirational. A teacher & coach never really stops teaching - you are just taking a sabbatical. albeit a long one

Baking is like riding a bike....yes?

You take a little time off.......suddenly your baking again.......and you discover a whole world of new inventions and techniques....wonderful.

As a former homeschooling, full-time SAHM mom who is now a new (and sad) empty nester (our kids are 19, 21, and 22 years old), I commend you for putting your children first!  Trust me, the time will come when you have plenty of time to dedicate yourself full-time to your business.  The time spent with your kids is priceless and irreplaceable.  

Blessings to you all!

Good for you!  I have always loved to bake, yet put off going into business for the reasons you all have mentioned.  Now that I have retired, I have started my own business, and I'm not too busy to still enjoy time off.  However, I've begun to get more business as the word has gotten out.  So keep your foot in the door and remember you can always do an occasional order, and then you'll know when the time is right to get back into business.

Good luck with everything. I think you're making a wise decision. I'm a hobby baker now, and I could not imagine being so busy that I miss out on my kids' lives. They're only young once!

Your cakes are very beautiful, by the way.