I feel so depressed. Bakers around my home, all over my city are a dime a dozen! I live in the country and the road is pretty bad. Few clients want to come to my house and when I offer to go to theirs, then they back off. I'll even meet a prospective customer anywhere they want.
I advertize in the local paper and most of my calls are from bakers trying to find out my prices and techniques (that's when you just know it's another baker!)
My clients even challenge my prices. I am a perfectionist and I also bake from scratch. My prices are fair to my clients and to me. But most of the people seem to think I have a bakery in my house! In case you all wonder, a bakery where I live is not the same as I hear most of you describe. Bakeries here cover a frozen cake with meringue and pipe a few flowers on with a message. In some, you don't even get flowers. What I mean is , they're cheap!
Today someone called and ordered a cake for this Sunday. Since I have no orders, I accepted. She wanted a baby cot for a baby shower for 50 people and she also wanted the cake delivered to her house, which is in another town. She asked for details alusive to a boy. When I told her that it was $65.00, she exclaimed and said that she would rather order the cake in Costco!
This is not the first time this happens to me. I need the orders because I'm a stay-at home mom. And maybe I'm a masochist, but night after night, I sit at my computer looking at everyone's wonderful cakes. And I see that most of you have steady work. My husband tells me that's what I get for baking from scratch. He says I should do cakes from prepared mixes but I don't want to.
These last few months have been terrible for me. I've had cancellations and all around bad luck. Oh and two different ladies did come over to see my portfolio. They seemed impressed and even chose models for their cakes and left me photos and instructions(in one case) for how to get to the hall. But neither of them had money at the moment to separate their dates. Then I just kept waiting for them. I called one of them and she said that my price was too CHEAP ($450.00 for a wedding) and that she decided to order the cake at a hotel because she wanted her cake to be "like heaven"! The other one had come for a quinceañera cake this November. She wanted a really fancy cake and I priced it at $500.00.-which she accepted. But she didn't come to bring the deposit at the proposed date. My sister-in-law, who knows this lady, told me that she went and ordered the cake at a place where they charged her $900.00 - for the same cake!
This is really getting me down. Should I just give up and quit? Thanks for "hearing" out my ranting.
Marie 
I'm really sorry to hear how people are treating you. I liked the cake that you posted with your message.
I live in the middle of nowhere and my cake business dried up quite a bit from the busy town I lived in before. What has helped me is being seen on TV and my husband made my web site very accessible and nice.
You might want to consider doing small sample cakes and taking them to local businesses (especially banks or other offices) along with your business card.
Please stay with the scratch cakes. It's not really cheaper to make them from box. Most bakers have to add quite a few things to get rid of the taste of the preservatives and the mix doesn't make very much batter. It really doesn't take any more time to bake from scratch than it does from a box. Eventually, people will realize how much better your cakes taste.
As for what you charge, remind people that the price is more for the time than it is for the ingredients. You could also ask them if they would be willing to work for $2 to $3 per hour. When they say of course not, then you can tell them you wouldn't either. I have people complain about my prices as well. I tell them that my cakes are usually larger than the grocery store cakes and that I can design to their specifications. Grocery stores can't. They are (usually) only allowed to follow very strict designs in a book.
I am also a stay-at-home mom and try to bring in a little extra cash to help with the family and to buy my toys for cake and flower making. I have lost orders to others after I have designed the cake. It's infuriating. Later, most of them come back to me and tell me they wish they had ordered from me.
One way to get yourself noticed is to enter competitions. When you enter a competition let the local media know about the show (if the show director has not). Let them spend the money on showcasing your work. I tried newspaper advertising at first also. It was a waste of money for me. The competition circuit has worked out quite well. I don't do as many cakes as other bakers, but I'm finally getting paid decently for my work. There are all kinds of competitions available, not just cake shows. many festivals have food art competitions or you could talk to a local mall about doing demonstrations in the mall. You might have to check about Health Department requirements first.
Talk to florists, tuxedo and wedding gown shops, photographers, etc. about putting a display cake in their shops along with some cards and possibly a brochure. I make my brochures on my computer using nice paper. If they won't take a display, offer to provide a notebook of copies of your pictures. This works great for places where people have to wait on others.
All this is time consuming, but it does work. I also suggest that you not give prices over the phone. Tell them that each cake is designed especially for the client and prices vary by size and design.
I've wanted to quit many times for the same reasons you mentioned, then I start getting orders for high dollar cakes. It's very strange. You should do what is comfortable for you. If you enjoy decorating, keep at it. If you need to have extra income, try something like being a secret shopper until things improve.
Sorry this is so long. I guess I had to rant too. I've been in the same position.
Best of luck to you.
Michele
Don't give up. I almost did and now I am doing more cakes this year already thatn the last 6 years combined. I teach and that is what kept my hand in sugar. I am reaising my youngest son's son (grandson to me) who is 3 1/2 now. And I am now happy with my stay at home time. 
It will get better I know it will. If the cake picture you posted is any comparison of cakes you do they will come. You do awesome work. And scratch is where its at. 
From what I have read by many members of this group, and other groups, is that most decorators go through a dry spell from time to time. Just stick with it. I am sure things will turn around when people get tired of chemically-altered cakes from Costco, and being overcharged by venues.
Theresa 
I say let them have their Costco cake! It doesn't even come close to comparing to yours! That is one beautiful cake and I would be willing to pay for it! I shake my head at all the people that would rather pay for a cheaper cake, I really don't understand it! As for the ladies that said your cake is too cheap and she wants it to taste like heaven? What's up with that? She thinks because your cheaper your cake is cheap? I'm shaking my head! It just seems like you can't win at all!
I wouldn't give up though! Keep on keeping on and things will happen.....I agree maybe donate some cakes, give them to local business's let the world see your beautiful creations! Then they'll come a running!
I really want to thank all of you for your words of encouragement. It's comforting to know that out there, others have experienced the same thing and overcome it. So many things have happened to me. Yesterday, before the baby shower lady called, another client stood me up. I was really upset, cause I wasted time, plus the meeting was downtown. I had to drive around until I could find space in a parking lot. She called and said she was coming but she didn't. Then she called back, pretending to be somebody else and said that the cake had already been ordered elsewhere! So you all know why I was so down .
I'm glad all of you liked my cake.
Sugarflowers - A lot of people don't like it if I don't give them a price. So, I figure that a price could be given if the cake is simple.Then, if they want something fancier, an estimate would be appropiate. There's no competitions where I live, but if there were, I would certainly want to participate! By the way, your cakes are outstanding! I love the different bases you use!
gibson - The lady who wanted the cake to taste like heaven was buying the cake for her daughter's wedding. She came to me in the first place because her daughter-in-law is a regular customer of mine. She had already eaten of my cakes many times.
Thank you all. I will try to follow up on all your advice!
Marie
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