I Need Help, I'm In Over My Head!
Business By CakeMommyTX Updated 19 Aug 2007 , 1:20am by MaryAllison
Ok to make a long story short, Ive been doing cakes for years (9 years) but I never put too much effort into advertising or getting word out there. So I just did cakes for friends and family and the occasional friend of a friend, nothing too serious, more of a hobby. So a couple of days ago I posted an add on craigslist and a bulletin on myspace and my sister told a few people at work about my cakes,and so did my husband and mother, all of a sudden my inbox is overflowing with orders and inquires! Im thrilled but I was a little un prepared for the amount of orders Im getting. So far this week Ive done 4 cakes and Im working on an order of mini cakes right now, and I have 3 cakes going out this weekend. My hobby has turned into a full time job! I was up until 2am the other night working on a cheeseburger cake. Had I known it would be such a success I would have planned more and organized a little better, I was just looking to make a couple extra bucks but damn Im busy! I don't want to start turning people down because I can't handle the work load. I'm starting to get worried about whether or not I can live up to the expectations some of these people have of me, they all want perfect cakes and I don't know what I would do if anyone ever did'nt like a cake I made for them, I would be crushed. I am still learning new techniques ,I have had no formal training so I kind of wing a lot of my stuff. I'm just having a mini melt down, I don't want to fail, this is something I've always wanted to do, and now its my oppurtunity to do it, I just know nothing about business, I hate numbers and I suck at asking people to pay a 120$ for a cake, I've already qouted people outraegously low prices on cakes that would take me 10+ hours to do,because I fell bad about charging so much.I'm lost, I 've gotton in over my head.Anyone else out there have a at home business? I need advice on where to go from here?
The very same thing happened to me this past year when I starting advertising a little bit. But, now things are rolling well and I'm not feeling as bombarded. I guess I just thought it would take longer to get started. So I was a bit surprised to find how quickly I was booking up. I've even got some dates filled into 2009 and some weekends where I have a couple of Wedding Cakes to do. It's exciting. You fall into it when you get use to it.
I definitely suggest not under cutting yourself. I offered a lower starting price for any brides booking before a certain date. The date is fast approaching and I'm so glad I will get to raise my prices. Maybe I won't do as many cakes (though the new price is very reasonable). But, I gave myself a starting point and now it has progressed enough that I feel confident enough to make my prices a little more in line to some of the other area bakers.
Go for it ~ jump in with both feet and enjoy the ride! Congratulations!
You'll learn lots of little orgz tools along the way, so it will get better.
Turning down business is NEVER a bad thing! It tells people you are good, you are talented, you are in demand and if they want your product, they need to plan early and make their reservation way in advance!
It gets better! Really! I remember my first weekend that I had 2 caterings .... thought I'd pull my hair out. Now, since I've learned better organization techniques, I can do 3 on the same DAY with hardly any stress at all. (hardly....still some, but not as bad!)
I just saw your hamburger cake, no wonder you are so busy. you do great work. Take some time and make a price list. You don't have to show it to anybody, just have it handy by the phone so you don't pop a number out of your head. When I first started out, I felt I needed to give people a price right on the spot and always undercharged. With the list you know you're going to get into the ballpark of a decent price. The pricing matrix is a huge help. I just figured out that is costs me 5 dollars to make my chocolate scratch cake recipe. After you figure out your basic ingredients, you can just punch in some numbers and have that figured out. Another quick thing to setup is a sheet to tell you what you are spending and what you are making. Nothing will make you tell people a correct price when you realize you've made 10 dollars on that cake that took you ten hours!
Pricing and stress seem to be directly related. I've seen this advice many many times on this forum:
If you price your cakes higher, you will have the same income for less work & less stress. Make sure you're making enough that it's still enjoyable for you. If you burn out from too many hours and not enough return you're not doing anybody any good.
Good luck!!!
1. There is nothing shameful about being booked. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with. You're not obligated to make someone a cake just because they called!
2. Price out all your recipes and supplies so you know exactly how much these cakes are costing YOU to make.
3. Raise your prices. Charge what you're worth, and work less. Your product is a custom premium product, charge accordingly.
I posted something similar a few weeks ago. I have recovered from my mini breakdown 
I totally agree with what everyone else has said. Get your prices set and written down. Don't waiver!! You will get into the swing of things. I had to turn down a wedding the other day. UGH!! DH about died but I already had a big one booked and I just don't feel ready to do 2 in one day yet. It is strange how some days I will go without any contacts and then today I had 5 people call or email. This running your own business thing can be tricky sometimes. Hang in there and congrats on the success!!
Kristin
Congratulations on your success! However, I'm a little confused. Isn't it illegal to have a home-based bakery in Texas?
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