If I could make 6 figures a year to stay at home with my 2 kids and bake cakes, I would quit my day job in a heart beat. Not that I make 6 figures now but even if I could justify staying home and try to make at least $40 or even $50K I really wish I could because cakes are my passion and so are my kids. I'm a single mom and now having this on the side cake business boom makes me wonder.

Well, that is a lot of cake. $100,000 + self employment taxes is roughly
$115,300. You would need to sell 65 cakes a month of at least 50 servings at $3 a serving. One person, working at home most likely couldn't produce 3 large cakes a day, every day.

And that is just straight dollars. You would have overhead, insurance, materials, supplies, on and on.

Unless you are good enough and in a high-end market to charge $10 a serving, it may be a bit out of reach.

Okay so I won't quit my day job!!!

People ask me all the time if I am going to quit and start doing cakes full time, HA, like I could make that much cake. I figure with benefits and retirement and my salary and guaranteed raises over the next few years I'd have to MAKE (after overhead) $100k which I just laughed at myself about, yea right. I think I work hard now, I'd have to kill myself baking to make that much...... So it is my hobby and that way I still enjoy it. Making multiple large cakes in a day would probably make me not like it after awhile.

not from home--more than likely. I think about it for years down the road and always chuckle at myself. No way I could ever afford it. However, if you work your buns off at your own shop that may be another story.....

Well, if you are able to I am moving in with you!

You'd have to be selling $2300 worth of cake in one week. I've done the math.

That's:

Wedding Cakes

$460- wedding for the Jacksons
$230- small wedding for the Millers
$450- wedding for the Schmidts

Celebration Cakes:

$100- Nana's 50th Birthday
$60- Timmy's 8th Birthday
$60- Other party

Anniversary:

$150- Gomez's 25th anniverary
$120- Mark's 50th

Just cakes:

$50- get-together
$60- small party
$45- family get-together
$100- any other cake

That's $1885 worth of cake plus more stuff. . .and that's a lot of cake and stress.

You'd have to charge a lot and be willing to work your butt off and make really good cake.

BTW, at the rate above you'd make ALMOST 100K, but not quite. Minus expenses and all. . .you'd end up w/ like $76K. Not bad. . .but not "there" yet.

Lol . welcome to MY world! I was so tired yesterday that even my BONES were hurting. I had to stay home and go in today..

You can work taxes to your advantage and many things become "business expenses" when you own your own company. You could also hire a decorator to help and probably pull it off. I'm in the middle of doing my taxes now and my total sales for 2006 were very good....with all of the write off's I think we'll even get a refund this year!

Just food for thought.

nglez09 that's A LOT of cakes for one week. I'd definitely would have to give up my day job and probably my kids too. oh and sleep too.

This is for everyone---How many cakes do u average doing a day/week now?

I bake 2-5 cakes per week plus work a full time job - this is only supposed to be a fun side hobby on the side that I can make a few $$$ from but luckily have a passion for.

it varies wildly for me...

i'd say i average 40-50....less on off season...more in the summer.

but i'm trying to cut back on the party cakes and do more wedding cakes

Given that I'm having a rough start at being in business... My only thought was... It all depends on where that decimal point is located...

don't be too impressed....90% are party cakes.

plus some of the designs i use alot i've gotten down to a science....i can whoop em out in like 10 minutes.

I work full time and do the cakes, too. MOST weeks I do around 2 cakes/cheesecakes, etc. Cheesecakes aren't a big deal because they're not decorated. BUT--I have to do (most) cheesecakes at the diner's kitchen, because they're for the general public. So I run back & forth.

Now, the OTHER cakes--mostly I do at the house, because they're for family and friends/neighbors, etc. Not too awful bad. It gives me some extra running money, etc.

Sometimes I turn orders DOWN ( ) because I just can't find the energy or time in my day to do it, and bearing in mind--MOST people don't want to pay what a cake is really worth, so....

At Christmas this past year, I literally did 46 different items in one week. Liked to have killed me--seriously. I think I actually slept for like 9 hours one day after Christmas. Which is pretty amazing, considering I NEVER sleep more than about 4 hours at a time. Evaaar.

And Risque' is right--When you're in your own shop, no one is there to take anything off of you---BUT you! And you would probably find yourself taking every single order that comes in the door, instead of being able to turn down the orders you hated!

NGLEZ--You sure did do the math, dude! Thanks for that!

--Knox--

so question to those of you who sell cakes.. So how do you profit with cakes i feel you never profit enough it takes more work than supplies and we don't buy stuff from wholesalers. I started this as a hobby for my kids and my husband wants me to quickly turn it into a business I only just sold my first cake a small baby shower cake only cause she asked and he thinks I can supplement our income now!!! How do you make money selling cakes?

my "wholesaler" was more expensive than sams or walmart.

there is profit to be made....you build up speed over time.