I need some advice please. I've been cakeing for family and friends for about 5 years now and would desparately love to earn some money from selling my cakes to 'real customers', but I'm too nervous. I keep getting thoughts of 'what if they don't like my cakes' or that my cakes won't be good enough. Everyone who sees my cakes say that they are excellent. My husband says I'm a perfectionist and I must admit that I am very critical of what I do (only of the stuff I do, not everyone elses).

Sometimes I am so pessimistic that I will not even start a cake because I'm so afraid of failure. How can I get my butt into gear and just get on with it? Do I need to see a doctor about this? I feel like I'm the only one out there like this.

If I can overcome this where do I even start with making a business out of it?

Would like to hear your comments, don't be too easy on me, tell the truth on your thoughts.

Ta
Laura

I think it is normal to be scared of failing. If you truly want to do this then go for it. We all fail sometimes and trust me when i had my first disaster, i wanted to quit but i didn't and since then i just make sure that i do the best that i can do and we learn from our mistakes. Try to get your first order from someone that you know so that if all goes well, you will be more confidant the next. Just make sure that you are abel to do what you say you can do and you should be fine. Practice makes perfect and you can only get better with each cake. We all have our bad days but we get back up and do even better as we go on. If you ever have an unsatisfied client, try to deal with it the best way that you can. Everything will work out and you will never know if you don't even give it a try. Hope this helps. I have four kids(under 5) and every day is an what if, but i'm still keeping with it. Rosita

" If it turns out that my best wasn't good enough, at least I won't look back and say that I was afraid to try; failure makes me work even harder."
--- Michael Jordan

" Heroes don't ask us to believe in them,
They teach us to believe in ourselves."
--- Author Unknown

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do ... Explore. Dream. Discover."
----Mark Twain

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to the end, requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs."
------Ralph Waldo Emerson

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.      
---Sydney J. Harris

Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
---Abraham Lincoln

Thanx so much for your encouragement, I've decided that I'm going to do a couple of dummy cakes, polish some skills and go for it. Maybe read some books on being more positive and of course keep on this wonderful website. Its such a inspiration - I love it.
Laura xxx