To do the paperwork and such. I am just researching what can be done with this kind of thing - and I am not advertising just researching - but if you could hire an assistant that could use your cake boss software, or that could do paperwork, scheduling, follow up calls, etc. would you? Keep in mind, this would be done virtually, not out of your home. Thoughts?

I work on my cakes during wedding season mostly, and I know a lot of this stuff falls thru the cracks, or piles up...just wondering what other people's thoughts are.

I do have an assistant...my husband! Lol...

However he works a full time job so it's not really the same. But he does most of my dishes.

I would be a little leary about a virtual assistant unless you knew the person and knew you could trust them. I think if you do actually take that route I would hire someone you know if you could. There is just too much that someone working at home (not under your supervision) could mess with or mess up.

Also, another thing to consider. Are you at the stage of needing an assistant? Will hiring an assistant make it so you can actually handle more business?

Someday down the line once I'm constantly busy with cakes I will consider actually hiring an assitant, once it means that hiring an assistant will bring in more money by freeing up my time so that I can take on more cakes. Basically I will only hire an assistant when they will "pay for themselves" in a sense.

That is my opinion.

I would prefer an assistant to do the "menial" things in the kitchen that would free me up to keep up with my paperwork, which is what controls the business. Doing paperwork, scheduling and fol-up calls falls into the sales category for me and sales is our #1 job .... if we aren't wearing our sales hat, then we have no reason to bake. I also would find it difficult to have someone 'virtual' schedule my sampling appts, sales appts, without being on site and knowing if I'm going to be out buying supplies that day, involved in a meeting that day, etc., etc.

I'd rather have someone help with mixing dough and batter, washing/prepping pans, mixing icing, running errands such as picking up the order that I called into Sam's or Walmart or GFS, putting away stock, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

My time is better spent managing the business, which is what generates the business.