Alright so I have been coordinating with the only one from the hospital that has kept in touch with me since I was "let go" a year and a half ago, about the Change of Command cake for July.....anyway, the pic of the last COC cake I made was fwd to Michelle (the infamous "B") and I get a phone call from her a few days ago saying she can't open the file to view the pic and could I send it to her ago so she can fwd to the CO for design approval. Her message was soooooo sickening sweet I could just puke!!!!! Well, after I rinsed my mouth out I called her back and we had a cordial conversation about the cake and the upcoming one. All was well. WELL, the next day she emails me asking me to make ANOTHER cake for this coming Saturday for the Hospital Corps 110th Birthday!!! Who waits THAT long to secure a cake for a Ball????? I don't know if they are having a cake cutting. If so then I am not making that cake. I don't know who is. The problem is that I leave for San Diego that very evening. I"ll actually be at the airport at the time I am to deliver the cake. I accepted the order but requested to deliver a good 5 hours earlier.
Am I crazy for doing that? Should I have turned her down? I'd love this opportunity to stick it to her and say "quietly" shame on you for dismissing me a year and a half ago!!!!! Plus I can't resist an opportunity to make another cake for the hospital.
The orders are just rolling in for me right now. Just last night I had to turn down an order for a wedding cake for the same day as the COC cake. Darnit! I wish I could multi task!
Thanks for reading my rambling!!!
Amy
If they can get you the delivery time you need, and if you can make the time to do it, then definitely take the job.
Their money is green and American, and we all need as much of that as we can get lately.
And you're right about the opportunity. I know it will bring you more business.
Have a safe trip!
Theresa
Their money is green and American, and we all need as much of that as we can get lately.
As long as you're treated nicely and paid fairly; I see no reason why you shouldn't make the cake.
Have a good trip!
Gee, if you don't want their business, I'd be willing to take it off your hands (chuckle) Take what you can get, this business is usually feast or famine.
I would!
Thank you all!
After I posted this topic I received an email from "HER" and she was questioning my price which was cheap to begin with. They are paying my my asking price for this Saturday's cake but it's the cake to feed 150 next month that is in question. Hello, it's a cake for 150+ people. I charged her $120 for it which we all know is seriously seriously drastically cheap but she still questioned it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I originally was going to do the Change of Command cake for free because I got the Nurse Corps cakes. Free pending the cake was going to be the same size as the one I made 2 years ago...a 12x18. Now I'm told that the cake needs to feed over 150 ppl. I think that changes things a bit don't you? I told them that I can not soak up my losses like that. It just can not happen. We settled on a price. I am seriously underselling myself but will still come out pretty good.
People just don't realize that if you want quality and the detail that is required for what they want they have to pay for it.
SHEESH!!! So yes, I am making a cake for this Saturday AND I am packing myself and my two boys for a trip to California (which I leave for a few hours after they cake is picked up.) I must be out of my mind!
Amy
Its all about perceived value. The lower the price people don't expect much. They cannot understand that you are trying to help or are thinking in the long range. That's why its always good business practice to start a little higher.
Alright so I have been coordinating with the only one from the hospital that has kept in touch with me since I was "let go" a year and a half ago, about the Change of Command cake for July.....anyway, the pic of the last COC cake I made was fwd to Michelle (the infamous "B") and I get a phone call from her a few days ago saying she can't open the file to view the pic and could I send it to her ago so she can fwd to the CO for design approval. Her message was soooooo sickening sweet I could just puke!!!!! Well, after I rinsed my mouth out I called her back and we had a cordial conversation about the cake and the upcoming one. All was well. WELL, the next day she emails me asking me to make ANOTHER cake for this coming Saturday for the Hospital Corps 110th Birthday!!! Who waits THAT long to secure a cake for a Ball????? I don't know if they are having a cake cutting. If so then I am not making that cake. I don't know who is. The problem is that I leave for San Diego that very evening. I"ll actually be at the airport at the time I am to deliver the cake. I accepted the order but requested to deliver a good 5 hours earlier.
Am I crazy for doing that? Should I have turned her down? I'd love this opportunity to stick it to her and say "quietly" shame on you for dismissing me a year and a half ago!!!!! Plus I can't resist an opportunity to make another cake for the hospital.
The orders are just rolling in for me right now. Just last night I had to turn down an order for a wedding cake for the same day as the COC cake. Darnit! I wish I could multi task!
Thanks for reading my rambling!!!
Amy
Ok just to clarify, were you going to turn down a cake order just because the lady dismissed you from your position a year and a half ago? If that's the case, it seems to me that you are willing to cut off your nose to spite your face. Not to seem like I am lecturing you, however, don't take being dismissed personally. It's just business. If this lady dismissed you just to stick it to you I don't think she would be doing any type of business with you. Move on and focus on your cake business.
She's got a point, Amy.
You know the saying about when God closes one door, he opens another? Well, this way, you are now getting paid by them to do something that is passion-driven, creative, and can bring you other opportunities in the future.
But next time you undercharge yourself for them, please don't tell me. I cringed when I heard the price you charged for the other cake!
Theresa
Oh I had every intention of taking the cake order even if I had to lower the price. The price for the cake this Saturday isn't in question. It's just that the larger the cake the more the cost and that scared them apparently.
It was just a decision whether I was getting ahead of myself taking this order knowing I have packing to do for myself and my two boys all at the same time. I always second guess myself like that but it typically ends up just fine and I stressed about nothing.
This woman is EXTREMELY difficult to work with. She questions EVERYTHING as she should I guess because it's her job to question the cost of things seeing as she's the secretary. She has to have the cost approved by a committee and if the committee says no then it's NO! She does have a huge influence though. My DH used to work with her so I know what she's capable of. She is the one though that got me started with all my earlier orders with the hospital but if there's something she doesn't like "BAM", you're gone!!!
I am sucking up my pride and "getting over it" I should say and doing this cake. LIke I said, I love making cakes for the hospital because it's more experience. I just have to fight back the urge to say "What the heck happened back then that you dropped me?" That I have to let go!
Thank you all for the encouragement and I know Theresa, I'm really scared to even tell her what I really wanted to charge. I just want to make sure I keep the order so I had to cut where I could. That's my biggest fear with doing this as a "hobby", my prices are too low!
Amy
Well, Girlfriend, remember that when you go pro, the prices go up, no matter who it is.
As long as you recoup your expenses, and put a little cash in your pocket with your "hobby", and you are content with that, then you know me, I'm cool with it. I just don't want to see you taking a loss of expenses, especially on orders this big. And that includes delivery costs.
Theresa
Thank you lady! I definately take a pretty penny but it would be nice to have a couple shiney pennies.
Amy
$120.00 for a cake to serve 150+
WOW--I want to order cakes from you. That's less than $1 a serving.
Amy,
Really you have to stop under-selling yourself. As Mac said "$120.00 for a cake to serve 150+, That's less than $1 a serving." Are you nuts. You have to stop being afraid of this lady. There are going to be times when you just have to stand up for yourself, and if that means not getting the order, so be it. You can not keep lowering your prices everytime someone cries. They are going to expect it everytime. Before I left this comment I looked at your photos maybe you should do the same. Your cakes are beautiful. This hospital has a budget for this event and I bet they are not trying to lower the pricing on the food or anything else. Is she just doing this because she knows she can get away with it? This is a business. I am not saying go crazy but less than $1 a slice is crazy.
Sorry, just my 2 cents.
I know!!!!! I have always had issue with the cost of my cakes with any event at the hospital.
The committee that is organizing the event has to approve the amount I ask for. If they don't approve it they go elsewhere. But you know what, I have made a lot of cakes for the hospital and someone somewhere likes them because they came back to me and even though I was on a year hiatus, a few individuals that don't go through Michelle seek my name out and call me or email me. I wonder what an actual bakery would charge for the identical cake I provide? Rope, pics and all.
Nah, you can lecture all you want! I apparently don't believe yet that I could actually charge more. If I did gumpaste flowers, modeling and such heck yeah I would charge more but this is just a basic ol' cake with nothing fancy but edible images.
Amy
What I would do is make up an invoice of the "ACTUAL" price you would've charged someone to make the cake for 150 people, and then put the amount you are charging them, so that they can see how much of a deal they really got!!
Have a great time in CA
Danielle
Sounds like you have settled on what you want to do. At this point you can tell her to pay you what she wants and you will still do the cake.
Not sure how you are going to make this into a full fledge business (if that's your intent), charging virtually no money for your work. You will never be able to compete with the big box stores and if you are pricing that way good luck. You are just doing it for the pure joy of it.
If word gets around it could be very damaging.
I wouldn't charge under $1.00 p/s for a cake I had bake and give to someone to ice and decorate.
Not only ingredients you have to account for but, electric, water, time etc.
Just sounds like it's not the best idea.
Not trying to be rude but it's something I wouldn't consider doing, different strokes for different folks I guess. And as long as you can live with it, that's all that matters.
Ladivacrj,
You said it best, "different strokes for different folks".
That's all it boils down to.
With the Nurse Corps cakes I definately decided I do not want to do this as a business. Those three cakes really wore me out and it is just too stressful for me to do that many in such a short amount of time. Of course if I did have a business I would hope I could afford to have some help but as it stands now, I am very content to do this as a hobby!
That is a good idea to actually show the actual cost of the cake down to the watts on my electricity to run the oven, mixer, etc.
I do believe I am better than the big box in the fact that I care about quality and detail rather than quantity. The gal who runs the supply shop used to work for a nationwide grocery giant and actually got reprimanded and eventually let go because she did not produce the quantity they demanded, just for one day!!!!!! I couldn't do it and I know some of my fellow CC'rs do and I applaud that!!!!
Duly noted everyone. It's all me being afraid of not getting the business if I charge what I firmly believe what the cake is worth. I love the experience and the ability to add to my portfolio, if you will. My DH is telling me the same thing, that I under charge. Hey, if he wants to sit and figure out the watts and kilowatts I use then I will definately present that to the client to justify what I charge.
I have actually considered giving up decorating all together. I have so much time and money invested in this hobby of mine that I don't think I would truly be happy to just give it up.
Oh ramble ramble!
Amy
You really don't have to clarify anything to the customer. That's your price and it is what it is.
Does Neiman-Marcus clarify why they are higher than Walmart? No, because everyone knows that you can't get what NM sells at WM. You sell art and QUALITY cake. Walmart sells quantity!
I use to worry about prices, too. Didn't even want to put them on my website. A fewer calls but when someone does call, they have an idea of what a cake from me costs.
Amy,
I just looked over your cake photos. You have some fantastic cakes. I love the stringwork on the purple cake. You must have a steady hand and a lot of talent.
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