I just completed the first wilton cake corses. I already have friends and family asking me about selling my cakes and cupcakes. Is it too soon to be thinking about selling my creations? If yes, what should I even charge for them? I am so excited about baking and decorating. I had no idea how wonderful it was.

Thanks!
Loretta

Hey, Loretta! Welcome to CC!

Whether or not it is too soon for you to be selling cakes and cupcakes depends on a few things -

**Your skill level. If your friends and family are willing to accept cakes which have Wilton 1 decorations on them, and you are proficient enough to perform those skills, then by all means, go for it.

**Your confidence level. We cannot tell you if you are ready to pursue this. You have to decide that for yourself.

**What you plan to charge. Are your friends and family willing to pay what your work is worth, or are they looking for a freebie or deep discount? You have to make it clear that your time is just as valuable as your ingredients, and that you should be paid accordingly. Some members have found that a family member or friend will opt for a Wal-Mart cake instead of paying us for our time and trouble.

Now, if I can make some suggestions to you, as I have found that there are some things a newbie should know.

First - learn how to use the search options for each heading. It will make things go so much more smoothly here.

Second - there are tons archives here. Recipes, articles, and threads with posts. Feel free to search in these tabs before asking questions. Most questions a newbie asks have already been discussed several times, and the information you seek is already there.

Third - use the title, description, and keywords fields in the galleries section, when you upload a picture. We want to know everything about your cakes, and would like to be able to find them again later on. And make sure that you check the box which allows for comments, or the computer won't allow us to tell you how great your work is.

Fourth - read all the stickys in each heading of the forum archives. There you will find things like CC Rules, an abbreviation glossary, and other important items.

Last, and most important, if you can't find what you're looking for in the archives, do not be afraid to ask. We have a strict policy among our members that the only stupid question is the one which is not asked.

These are all things which I wish someone had informed me about when I started here. I hope they help you.

We hope to hear from you often, and look forward to you posting pictures for us to see.

Theresa

Welcome to CC Loretta. It's one of the friendliest forums ever. The advice Theresa gave you is absolutely spot on. I echo her thoughts re your confidence level. I will also add that you should practice, practice, practice and it's ok to make mistakes as it's the best way to learn. Do post your pictures as you go along, so that when you look back, you can see how much progress you've made. I wish you the very best in your cake decorating journey!
PS: A couple of CCers have DVDs that will help improve your techniques and I highly recommend Sugarshack's which you can find by visiting(http://www.sugaredproductions.com/)

I'll second that playingwithsugar. I too am a newbie and while I agree with all of the above I must point out something that was missing. This site is completely and utterly addictive - forewarn your family and friends you will be unavailable for the forseeable future coz once you start here you just can't stop. Seriously everyone is soooooooooooooo helpful and just looking at the amazing creations that people come up with gives you so much inspiration and so many ideas. I have never seen a post where someone asks a question or for help and none is given. It is just lovely being among people who are just as passionate as you are about your cakes and understands the joy, frustration and time that goes into these things.

AnneMarie

So true AnneMarie, that's why some call this site 'crack central' LOL!

WELCOME! You couldn't have come to a better place (family) I agree with every thing said and would like to point out the boxes on the bottom of our coments here....
See the profile, PM ,www. things like that... Well the PM is huge helpful... if you would like more detail from a CC member (Cake Central) them PM means private message.... I have gotten so much help from others about a cake they did or how to do something....
I have also made a ton of friends.... as you will too. If I (or anyone I'm sure ) can help you along the way PLEASE feel free to ask....
And just know that a lot of the things I have learned along the way were not perfect the first time I tried them.......
BUT I still had a blast!!!