I'm wanting to eventually start my own business and would loooove to open a shop someday (in a pretty far future more than likely). Anyway, I wondered how those of you that do this as a business or all the time not as a business got started?

Did you just make cakes and more cakes until they were coming out your ears and take pictures of them? Did you wait patiently for people to call you with a special event? Or what?

I'm having a hard time being patient, but I also don't have tons of money to make cakes everyday that I'm not being paid for. (I hope that doesn't sound rude or anything like that). I really really really want to practice and really really want to learn, but also want to start making things for people, too.

Sorry this is so long. I've been wanting to ask since I found this site.

Any and all help is soooo appreciated!!!

Thank you!!!

My career path was actually a wedding/ event planner and I worked at a large resort as their planner. I hated that...and they hated me too, and when I left I started selling cakes. I have a a regular day job and am in the transition phase of my business. Right now I'm in the process of getting my kitchen constructed at my facility.

I built up my skills by practicing on small 6" cakes. Once I was comfortable enough with the basics and they looked good...I started showcasing at bridal shows.

I made up 2 very nice dummy cakes that were very different. One was a modern/ abstract design, but still very "wedding" (think Ace of Cakes.....although he was not known back then) and then a very romantic, all pink wedding cake with silk flowers. They were not complicated at all...but they got a lot of attention because they were not white like most of the others at the bridal show. From there I booked several consults that turned into business and grew from there. I'm still a very tiny operation, but I make enough to where my cakes cover most of my operating costs and rent for my facility.

Welcome! A good way to practice is to buy cake dummies, get them from your local cake store or online and get playing!

I started making stuff for church functions....then I had moms wanting their kids birthday cakes done, so I'd charge $20 or so (enough to cover expenses)...soon I was doing them for the mom's friends, etc. Took pix of all of them. Experimented on "cooler" cakes when it was for a friend or something I really wanted to do a good job on.

Then moved out of state and knew I wanted to head towards doing a business so posted my pix on a website and just slowly started building back up word of mouth. Took a good three years to get a slow but steady schedule. This year I got licensed, and its been my best year yet, but I've also had more expenses. I'm hoping next year will see more weddings and more profit...but I can actually call it a "part time business" now I think. I did it about 3 years in SC and now about 6 years here in PA so you can see unless you purposely market yourself aggressively, it does take time.

It just takes time...like Indy says...photograph everything and get your name out there, give flyers or business cards with every cake order so that they can pass it out to their guests. I have gotten so many emails "I was at so and so's party and LOVED their cake and now I want one, too."

Good luck!

i started with the wilton class about 7 years ago. I had very bad post partum depression and needed an outlet. I fell in love with cake deocrating (always love food and love to cook). Now i teach wilton classes and am trying my hardest to open a shop.

I started doing cakes for friends, family, then word of mouth spread. I struggling in that limbo between my friends still expecting cakes for free, and trying to make money. With customers I take what they can afford and the style they want, but if its something more complicated that I've been really wanting to try, I let them know I'm doing more because its a learning experience for me but I'll charge them what we talked about. This week I'm having to tell all of my freeloaders I can't do free cakes for them...some lack manners, some just don't think about what it costs me. I had offered the wedding cake as a gift to very close friends...when it was 150 people....now its 300 people and she wants fondant too, and no offer to cover the difference...

Thank you all for your help!! I really enjoyed reading all of your starting out stories!! I can't wait to be successful at this, but am really not patient when it comes to getting calls (aiting for them to start coming in anyway). I do have a business card that's going around and I have a little website (I chose blogger and I think I'm regretting it now because I don't have much to "blog" about my cakes.)

Last night after posting this I thought I could practice cakes/cupcakes and take them to my mom's work with cards.

I'm itching to do a baby shower or bridal shower or something like that so I can make a cupcake tower.

Anyway, thank you all very much for your responses!! You all really helped a lot!!!

Do an online search for cake dummies. I buy mine at www.taylorfoam.com but I've seen others use Dallas Foam too.

I started out taking the Wilton 1 course in Oct 2006. DH wanted me to get a hobby and suggested I take the class. I really enjoyed it and decided to make a couple for my work guinea pigs. I work in an office of about 50 and some of them started asking me to make their family birthday cakes and such. Still now, most of my orders come from coworkers and/or their friends. I have relied on word of mouth for my advertisement up until about a month ago. I have been working diligently to legally operate my home-based cake shop and am almost there. I have been inspected, rec'd my sales and use taxID# and business license, and put together my website. I still work full time and do cakes on the side, but someday soon am hoping to go part time at my job. I currently do about 5 cakes per week and have had probably 6 wedding cakes this year. Pretty good for word of mouth, I think.

The other place I was referring to was D allas F oam. I haven't used them, but I know others have.

www.**********.com is great. For my OSSAS cake, there was some issue with the shipping, so I drove out there to pick up my dummies. They were super nice anf friendly. I've ordered from them about 4 times-great prices, easy to work with!

Oh wonderful thank you!!! I was wondering what the blocked part was. Why is it blocked?

I'm looking them up now, I love how many different shapes they offer!! Do I just cover them with fondant and start decorating or cover them with icing? Are they reusable?

I started out with a Wilton pan for Pikachu (Pokemon) for my son's birthday. I will never forget that cake!! I had skimmed over the instructions and bought everything I thought I'd need. One coupler, one #16 star tip, one #2 outline tip.... Then as I got started I realized this cake had at least 8 different colors of icing and 6 of them used the #16 tip!!! It took me about 6 hours to decorate that first cake and all the way through I kept thinking there's no way this cake is going to look anything like the picture . In the end it turned out pretty good . I took the cake to my son's school on his birthday. Everyone loved it. But....I turned around to get my camera and when I turned back around the teacher had already made several cuts in it !! I took a photo anyway .

After that I just made cakes for whatever occassion came up and friends and family started asking for cakes. Now I average 3-5 cakes a week, sometimes I do a dozen in one week and other times I do just 2. I love baking and decorating and I hope someday to do it for a living. I have a space for my shop, I have a double oven, a large refrigerator/freezer, a stainless steel sink and counter/table top, and lots of other things. My DH is putting the finishing touches on my Mom's new house, then he's going to concentrate on my shop (tile, paint, plumbing, ceiling tiles). I'm hoping to be open by next fall .

Good luck . I totally understand your desire and obsession !!

Oh I can't even imagine!!!

I'm so happy for you and your new shop!!! That's so exciting! I sit and daydream about a future shop of my own and even find places around town that I want. Is yours in your home or somewhere else?

I never imagined what an addicting obsession this would become, but I loooove it!!!

It started for me with the Wilton 1 course, taken so I could make a fabulous cake for my daughter's first birthday - that was in 2003.

Having been bitten by the cake bug, I offered my services to church for celebrations - hs graduates, confirmation...stuff like that. Knowing I needed more practice, I donated birthday cakes to a local pregnant women's shelter for 2 years. The director would send me a list monthly if any of her girls would be having a birthday. They got free cakes, and design / flavor combos were completely up to me.

It was by early 2007 that people were wanting to pay me for cakes, which legally I could not do. I investigated and discovered that the state of NH is extremely easy-going in allowing home-baked cottage industries. So I got my kitchen licensed, registered for a business name, and there it was!

90% of my business comes from church and people at my FT office job. That's fine with me for now.

We learned how to make cakes with our mothers. Several Christmas's ago, Pete asked for the Wilton Cake Decorating kit. I not only got him the kit, but paid for the Wilton classes.

Our instructor told us of a place where she gets her supplies in Orlando. We met a woman who taught chocolate courses. We took all of her classes.

Then we were bit by the bug. We began making cakes and chocolates for friends, family, and local functions.

Another friend suggested we talk to the owner of the bistro we frequented. We brought him some samples and we've been making cheesecakes on a bi-weekly to weekly basis. Recently, we've added chocolates and cookies for customers to choose from.

We've joined a local networking group and they're meeting with newly fianced couples to introduce them to our trades.

Currently, we use the kitchen of the bistro where we sell our cheesecakes, but either hope to convert our garage into a wholesale location or to rent space for a retail location.

After the economy picks up, we will begin to explore options.