my first paying order. I have made a few cakes for functions at church and a lady that owns one of the largest child care facilities in town ask me if I made cakes for a living. I dont..Im learning. She saw a cake I made for a graduation party at church but she wanted a large sheet cake for her child care. I dont even own a sheet cake pan. How each of you get the courage up to accept your first paid job? I got nervous thinking about it!
I just did it...................It was scarry and still is. Each time you do one it's a learning experience, at least for me it is. Don't worry, just do it. Don't worry about pans either use the 9x13 everyone has one. Two of those side by side is a half and so on. I like using those it's easier when someone wants half white half chocolate. I have a half sheet pan but it's a pain trying to divide for two flavors. Enjoy what your doing we all started somewhere. 
Ibteana, I just looked at your photos and your work is very nice and most certainly saleable. Please reconsider the offer, call her back and say yes, you can do it. Your graduation cake is so cute and your work on it is excellent!
I know how you feel about the courage as I have just started selling cakes very recently and it was nail biting with the first couple of cakes. After those first couple of cakes I quickly began to look forward to any and all orders and having lots of fun creating them. Sometimes it is all I can do to keep from running down the the corner waving a sign saying "I MAKE CAKES, DO YOU NEED ME TO MAKE YOU ONE"!!! 
Egads! I never thought I would love doing something as much as I love baking and decorating cakes!
GO FOR IT!!
i agree your cakes are great and you should call her back. Just tell her you've reconsidered and if she'd still like a cake you'd be happy to do it. You'll be nervous, but everyone is right you will get through it. And don't forget to post the finished product.
Ibteana - I started like you not very long ago. I took cakes to my DD's daycare and to some neighborhood functions and people started asking me to do theirs.
I always told them I was new at it and I don't charge much yet, but it's giving me experience and I love making cakes.
Know that if you're being asked by folks that have seen your work, then you've got the skills. Have faith & do what feels right to you 
I haven't gotten a request for a paid cake yet. I make tons of cakes all volunteer. I wish someone would offer me a real cake order. I think I would be consumed with excitement and overwelmed with pride. Then I would most certainly panic and drive myself up the wall, stay up for nights thinking maybe I wasn't doing a good job. I would probably bake ten cakes and decide none of them was exactly perfect enough. And I would do it all with a great big smile on my face. Because I love CAKE!! I think you should take the request as a compliment and let that give you the confidence to accept the order.
I agree with everyone else - your cakes are super cute!!
I would rethink the offer on the cake and just do it! I am still pretty new at the cake thing to, but you have to say yes when you are ready! I have only done a few cakes that I charged a min price, but I was happy as it gave me practice. Good Luck and your cakes are great! GO FOR IT!!!
Definitely call them back and accept the offer.
Like mentioned ~ accept then panic, (that will be my new motto ~ thanks cocorum21 for that phrase ) as after 3 years that's exactly what I do everytime I accept an order.
On the other hand I get rave reviews by those that have ordered from me so I continue to say yes. I'm not always happy with the cake I've made but my customers don't bat an eyelash and love em!
Go for it!!!
I didn't sleep for a week the first time I was paid for a cake I was so nervous. Then I used the wrong pan and it burned everything. Thankfully my mother was in town and she came to my rescue with a new pan, then rolled and cut fondant for me until 2 am. It all came out great, and I'm sure yours will too! Go for it, you'll never know unless you try!
Definitely call them back and accept the offer.
Like mentioned ~ accept then panic, (that will be my new motto ~
thanks cocorum21 for that phrase ) as after 3 years that's exactly what I do everytime I accept an order.On the other hand I get rave reviews by those that have ordered from me so I continue to say yes. I'm not always happy with the cake I've made but my customers don't bat an eyelash and love em!
Go for it!!!
You took the words right out of my mouth! That's me exactly. And yes I'm adopting that motto now as well Accept then Panic. I really thought I was the only one that did that. I mean I'm confident in my skills but every time I accept an order in knocks my confidence down 10 points....then I deliver the cake and it boosts it like 50 points. So I guess the 30 points knocked down keeps me from getting a big head. 
the first is always the scariest you have that happy queesy feeling that it is done but is it good enough have you charged them the right price will they like it and so on blah blah blah just enjoy what you do and give it 100% and everything will be fine make the best out of the failures because even the failures turn out to be a success because you have learnt from it...we are all learning ou never stop learning just say yes and do the happy cake dance....
I just offered to make my step daughter's cakes and then took a major loss on it by only charging $35.~ for 4!!!!!!! cakes lol...
The price you charge her will pay for the pan and supplies needed for the cake... then you have the pan for future orders 
I got my sheet pans at walmart in the crafting section where they sell all the wilton stuff, they weren't that expencive 9x13 was $9.~ 11x15 sheet I got on ebay was $5.~ plus shipping and the 12x18 I got on ebay for $7.~ plus shipping ebay is great for pans!!!!!
YES!!!! i get nervous all the time. i have never gotten a paid order. this week, my boyfriends sister who also has a baby the same age as our son, asked me if i could bake her daughter a cake, and she would pay me. her mom ( my bf's mom) wanted to order it from a bakery (grrr!) but she insisted she wanted mine. and i didnt want to charge her because for about 2 months she has been taking care of my son for 3 hours out of the day. so i felt bad. and i also got VERY SCARED!!!! this has been the 3rd time i have turned down a paid order. i'm also afraid of the health department coming after me! AHHH! =)
my first paying order. I have made a few cakes for functions at church and a lady that owns one of the largest child care facilities in town ask me if I made cakes for a living. I dont..Im learning. She saw a cake I made for a graduation party at church but she wanted a large sheet cake for her child care. I dont even own a sheet cake pan. How each of you get the courage up to accept your first paid job? I got nervous thinking about it!
The courage...have you seen your work??? You are good! No wonder she wanted to order from you. You squished the poor woman's dreams!!! Lol...
Seriously, know your worth. Your cakes are good. I'm being honest. If I didn't think they were good I wouldn't say anything!
I do think you should call her. Be honest and let her know that you weren't prepared to be accepting orders but that you would be happy to provide an order for her. Like someone else here said, you'll make back the money for the pan when she pays you...
Also, make sure you don't underprice yourself!
Good luck!
I hope you went back and accepted that order; I just saw all of your cakes! They are great. Your icing is so smooth and your cakes are so level. All of your decorating is very good and creative! I get nervous before all the cakes I do- free or paid. lol Sometimes I think that is part of the "high" of making cakes; that and the feeling you get after you've finished and you hear all the oohs and ahhs. When you add getting paid for them along w/ the praise you are hooked. The nervousness never goes away IMO. You should do it; you're wonderful
If you decide to do the cake after all, use the 9x13 pan but remember to cut the edge off of the long sides of each one before you butt them together, that way the people who get the slice from the middle don't end up with two edges 
I say go for it, be bold.
mommachris
Thanks for all the support from everyone. The cakes in my photo's are the only ones I have ever made. Im taking the second Wilton class next month. Ihope to have more confidence after it. Im way to nervous to accept this first challenge right now..especially with the humidity we are having. Everyone was so nice, I really appreciate it.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%