What If They Don't Ask How Much You Charge?
Business By makeminepink Updated 26 Dec 2009 , 12:05am by Mike1394
This is great info, because I think we all know of another decorator or two in our towns that are super cheap, put out cheap products, and practice bad business. I know I do....several. Wouldn't it be great if they all read this forum and got their heads out of their butts and worked in harmony with the serious biz owners and quit underpricing and giving us all a bad name? Yeah.....I wish.
EXACTLY!!!! It's what I've been explaining to a few people who are considering this business.
All the successful business people have some very good advice to be sure. I think it was piled a bit heavily and bluntly onto someone who just asked an innocent question. And the 'tough love' argument of 'Well, she's going to have to put up with worse if she's going to run a successful business', doesn't really wash with me.
Phrasing something kindly and respectfully isn't 'sugar-coating' things. It's basic human decency, and what most people do in real life all the time.
Who are all you successful business owners going to help if people starting out are too afraid to ask questions because they'll be told they're 'pretending to run a business' and 'deserve to be kicked in the head'?
I would like to know if you own a storefront or if your a home based business? What are the things you do as far as discussing pricing?
LaBellaFlor--- I might have been unclear when I said I "work out of" my daughter's shop. I do all the baking and decorating at her shop. Otherwise it would be illegal in Texas and others have been reported doing so.
I emailed some people who ordered cookies for this week to be sure they knew what I charge and 1 cancelled--not a problem. They had both eaten my cookies at their place of employment and got my name from the woman who ordered them. I guess I was stupid to assume they had asked how much they were-- or maybe they thought I charged their company more than I would charge them! Wrong of me to assume that someone either has enough money that it doesn't matter the cost or that they know and it's fine. Thanks again for your input.
Bottom line you can't just turn on your home oven and wham you are a successful business. It just doesn't happen that way. First thing is you have to come up with a business plan. You have to make sure you can have a business legally. You have to jump through all the legal hoops the law requires, like food safety courses, licencing, business naming, recipe submissions, inspections and insurance before you can become a business. And you can not let people dictate that cake is cheep. A person who has been through the real end of business will not and can not let any customer dictate price. A person that has been through the real end of business has things stated out right and knows about the importance of protecting them selves and their client through contracts. The bad thing is many people just simply ignore all of that and turn on their oven and try to make something pretty, and hope they make a buck or two from something they like to do. That is running a pretend business, and it puts that person at great risk for breaking the law if they don't realize it or not.
Folks... It's ain't pretty after the show.
Oh, I'm sorry Makeminepink. I know your out of your daughter's shop. 
I was actually asking Mcaulir. I'm curious to her opinion and where her perspective is coming from.
I DID NOT grow up in a small town, but my husband did. So country and rural, I call his Grandma's house and church the Color Purple House & the Color Purple Church. Never saw anything like that in my life! But let me tell you, those rural people are a heck of a lot more money consience and money wise then a lot of the "Big City" folk I know. They definetly want to know their cost before they do ANYTHING!
My not to distant but not close relatives own that "Color Purple House" in North Carolina and promise you they aren't "know nothing hicks" either.
I DID NOT grow up in a small town, but my husband did. So country and rural, I call his Grandma's house and church the Color Purple House & the Color Purple Church. Never saw anything like that in my life! But let me tell you, those rural people are a heck of a lot more money consience and money wise then a lot of the "Big City" folk I know. They definetly want to know their cost before they do ANYTHING!
My not to distant but not close relatives own that "Color Purple House" in North Carolina and promise you they aren't "know nothing hicks" either. If I remember correctly there is a scene with blue (?) flowers in a field and "he" the relative was paid good $ to plant those flowers..lol
I would like to know if you own a storefront or if your a home based business? What are the things you do as far as discussing pricing?
I don't own a business at all. Feel free to ignore any business opinions I've expressed. My opinons about how the responses seem to have been rather unkind in places stands.
Ha! You don't have to be a business person, do you, to point out that someone could put things in a kinder way? Cakecentral is for everyone-- new to decorating, greatly experienced, business people and hobbyists. That's what's so great about it! I love this website and look at it everyday. Thank you again Mcaulir. Kindness is always the right thing.
Oh yeah, feel free to give your opinion, always. I was just asking, cause I like to know where people are coming from. To other business owners, no one really sounded as harsh as described. They sounded like point blank buiness owners, which if you ask questions on the business forum, is the type of responses your going to get. It's cause they are coming from a business perspective, which is very different from a non-business owner's perspective. This is the business forum and every last business owner on here is very adamant about giving the best possible business advice. They are also not going to handle anyone with kid gloves, cause that does no one any favors. If they were all sugar drops & lollipops, they wouldn't be in business. And someone who wants to be treated as such, wouldn't be in business much longer as well.
Ha! You don't have to be a business person, do you, to point out that someone could put things in a kinder way? Cakecentral is for everyone-- new to decorating, greatly experienced, business people and hobbyists. That's what's so great about it! I love this website and look at it everyday. Thank you again Mcaulir. Kindness is always the right thing.
I don't own a cake business either, never will (made 2 cakes so far, to tired, etc) but I have/am been business. In fact own a small business right now (won't state it for fear of some trying to bash for some unknown reason,). Anyway I was just reading this thread and I thought it got a little testy. There are two ways of "helping", constructively and callously..you choose but I can promise that constructively is taken to heart when spoken to callously most people only hear/read the "tone" of what was said not the message. So makeminepink I think you are fine. I think there is a learning curve in everything we do and a terse "teacher" is hard to learn from for most people.
Often times when people are passionate about something they come off as terse but if they are going to lead and give advice that they want heard sometimes it would be beneficial to step back and tender the statements with a little gentleness. Most, not all, of the posters that seemed a bit rough I have read tons of their postings and they are helpful and kind (they've helped me). Personalities of course are different but I think for the most part they are upset for YOUR loss and trying to help you but they forget the kindness part. I much rather someone hug me when I'm sad and I've made a mistake (I learn my lessons just as well) than yell at me (then I'm just upset more), some people rather/need/want a stronger response, we are all different. I think it's better to err on the "nice" route first. I KNOW you'll never make that mistake again (not quoting the price) but I'll bet you that if you had spent tons of time and energy on that cake and then found out the person didn't want it because of the price you'd have learned your lesson also without a word from the wise/experienced in cake business ones here.
I also think you were very gracious in receiving the criticism and I think more people think that you are but are a bit scared to post it (just letting all you wonderful, and yes I mean wonderful/helpful/funny/witty pros that some of you can be intimidating at times to some people. Fortunately it's not me...lol..I'm too old to be itimidated...I appreciate all ya'll (yes we say that here).
Just know that most people here, I really do believe want to help you and others. I wish you well and I hope your cakes turn out great and you get business from the $45.00 cake you are making and if you don't...well think of it as a lesson learned for 100.00 that will save you tons in the future!
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One of my favorite quotes:
The lion knows he doesn't have to roar to be the king of jungle. (unknown)
Edited for tons of typos!
If someone orders something from you and they don't ask what you charge, do you tell them? I know I charge more than some in my area and would hate for customers to be shocked when they come to pick up their order. What do you do or what would you do?
I would let them know up front the cost of the cake before the deal is done so the customer is not shocked when the time comes to pickup or deliver the cake. Also, I tell my customers that I don't carry change at pickups and deliveries 
I used to work for someone who "played business" (not cakes) and it was so frustrating to show her that in some instances, it would be better to have less sales to certain places, because it was costing us money every time we sent something, but she only saw the increase in business, not the decrease in income. I would bang my head in the wall (almost) every time I showed it to her and it would not penetrate. Then her son came into the business and faught with her about it and straightened up the place, it is now a multi-million dollar a year business because it is run like a real business.
just_for_fun...is that a picture of a baby in an oven? (sorry for the OT post, CC)
Don't worry, the oven was off. I had opened it to adjust the racks, and he climbed on the door. I figured i can get a pic b4 I heat it up.(with him far away in the other room). It's almost time to change it, it's almost a year old.
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