Let me set the scenario up for you. Today after church, I and my family went out for lunch and everyone asked me how the business was going. I said everything was going fine. Then we started talking about prices and I handed them my pricing list. Everyone was shocked about my pricing, I explained to them about my competition only charging $.75/serving! They told me I still did not charge enough. I just love doing this and the fact I can do this at my home well close enough anyway just makes me happy. My poor husband though, he knows how hard I work on each cake I make and how much I stress over every cake I make. I also own my shop, my equipment, and am in no debt over opening. Every penny I make after the supplies are deducted I am happy with what I make. Do you think that I should charge more? I am thinking that I know that I have been blessed and if I get greedy then it all will be taken away. So if you would visit the following link to my pricing list and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!
http://www.countrysidecakes.com/cake%20prices.htm

oh honey you really need to up those prices, especially on the smaller cakes. Think of it this way: When Martha Stewart first started out selling pies she couldn't sell them at $9 a peice. She simply raised the price to $15 a pie and orders started rolling in...in less than a year that same pie that couldn't sell for $9 was going for $50 and she was turning orders away because of how busy she was. Just something to think about I know you are probly like me and think I just can't price that high, but I'm quickly learning in order to truely make it worth my while I have to price what is apropriate and closer to what others are pricing. You can always give a discount if your heart tells you too just like you do for your cake club, just make sure you are making enough $$$ to where you are not wasting time. Happy baking and congrats on the financial success of being debt free, that is something to be very proud of, especially in the cake business---Melissa

I think those prices are LOW. But that being said, you do have to take into consideration your competition. If you price yourself out of market that would be bad, too.

I wish I could be more help. If you are debt free and enjoying yourself, then keep it up. But I would raise my prices a little every year.

If you have your own little shop great but I just looked on you web site and your cakes look amazing. I do my cakes for a hobby but I can tell you every cake I make I charge more.....it is not worth the hassle. I look at people that charge me a fortune for an hours tuition. The way I look at it as time passes is it is not worth the stress. I am a hopeless business woman but realize especially as I look at other peoples cakes that my work is pretty good and most web sites her charge a fortune for there cakes when I think mine are better.....Do you have enough customers or do you need to build up..... I am a darn good baker before a decorator.......

Your cakes are gorgeous!!! I think you should be charging $2.00 per serving at a minimum, especially if you're using fondant. Your prices are the same as my local grocery store bakery charges for the cakes they've already decorated that are just sitting there, which is way too low for a custom cake like you're doing. I noticed you price wedding cakes separately, so I hope you're charging more for those. Your work deserves more money than you're charging.

mkolmar: Good to know about Martha. Hmmm...more $$ = better product. I guess the lesson here is if you don't attach a high value to your work, no one else will either.

LeeAnn: A hobby???!! Your cakes are totally flawless. You should be raking in the dough!

I think you have to do what you are comfortable with, but you are almost as low as grocery store pricing and your cakes are certainly worth more than that! Your sculpted cakes are so low, I hope you don't have many of those to do because knowing how long they take, you are losing money bigtime!! Most "regular" bakeries that I've seen START their prices at $5/serving for sculpted cakes-depending on degree of difficulty.

You do terrific work and if you feel you are compensated, then it's okay. You have to ask yourself if it's really worth your time, effort, expenses to charge what you are right now. Maybe raise prices slowly if that makes you feel better.

Looks like KENTUCKY Ladies think alike! I don't have an actual "business". I do a few cakes here and there for family and friends and have done some for actual paying customers! I charge even less than you do.

I agree with mkolmar, though. It's weird...I know. But, if you charge MORE people feel like they are getting more! Go figure.

By the way, visited your site and your cakes are amazing.