When A Disaster Is Enough To Make You Quit
Decorating By DisneyDreamer Updated 9 Nov 2011 , 2:02am by cakelady2266
So todays disaster i have packed up all my stuff and quit after 6 years of doing cakes and more are disasters then not. todays disaster is i made a iphone cake and when my mom when to deliver it the eddible image pulled off. and my mom gave her the money back. i already had 100 invested into this cake. i was only going to make $50. so im DONE.
Sorry this happened, but try to remember....it's only cake. Put the stuff away for a few weeks, and when you're feeling better try again. This is supposed to be fun!
I say this with every cake I make because I am to self critical Like Jennifer1970 maybe have a little break. Then make a a cake you have always wanted to make but have never had time, so you can rediscover just how much fun cake decorating is without the stress of making it for clients.
Go to the customer, offer to make them another cake for another occasion for free even though you gave them their money back. Turn this into a positive experience for the customer so they will tell their friends how you fixed it. Then get back in the kitchen. This is no different than when you dent your car. You wish you didn't go out that day, why didn't you check your blind spot, etc. You feel bad for awhile, you fix it, and you go on. I have a full refund policy, even the delivery charge. The best opportunities for customer loyalty are when a problem happens and you fix it.
I'm still a novice cake decorator so take my thought with a grain of salt. If more are disasters than not, you may want to go back to basics and just re-learn some things and practice. Might help you remember why you love cake decorating in the first place to go back to the basics.
I am new to the cake decorating world and don't do it a whole lot. However, I have had a few disasters myself. Don't let it stop you if you really enjoy decorating. I thoroughly enjoy it so I won't let the disasters stop me. Take a few weeks off but don't get rid of your decorating equipment. After a few weeks go back in there and conquer your frustrations.
You should not quit for that reason. I know you will be upset for some time but you will get over it and learn from the experience. Hopefully it will never happen again.
Remember that without pain, we would forget the joy of pleasure.
It's hard to think about right now, but like everything else, caking comes with ups and downs. We can't always get it 100%. I think the best idea is to put your things away for a few weeks, re-energize and get your passion back.
This sounds more like you've lost your passion for caking and without your desire to actually do caking, it becomes stressful and not worth it.
Perspective is key...so apply a different life situation to your current one. Let's go with relationships.
How many relationships have you had that ended up being disasters? How much time and effort did you put into all those relationships? How many times did you feel like giving up on love? If you're like most people, probably after each one. But every relationship is a learning experience and makes you stronger and smarter, so you pick up and move on. But you don't give up on love, no matter how many times you try to.
Treat this situation as a failed relationship. Take the lessons it taught you, pick up, and move on. If you want, take scp1127's advice and maybe you'll feel a little bit better about the situation and your "relationship" with this cake won't end on such a sour note. Then on to the next love affair...with a newer, younger and more successful cake. ;o)
Perspective is key...so apply a different life situation to your current one. Let's go with relationships.
How many relationships have you had that ended up being disasters? How much time and effort did you put into all those relationships? How many times did you feel like giving up on love? If you're like most people, probably after each one. But every relationship is a learning experience and makes you stronger and smarter, so you pick up and move on. But you don't give up on love, no matter how many times you try to.
Treat this situation as a failed relationship. Take the lessons it taught you, pick up, and move on. If you want, take scp1127's advice and maybe you'll feel a little bit better about the situation and your "relationship" with this cake won't end on such a sour note. Then on to the next love affair...with a newer, younger and more successful cake. ;o)
I'm still a "new" cake maker in my opinion, but I too am about to throw in the towel after I just spent literally $500 or more on supplies & renovation! Up until this point I have so enjoyed cake making. I just decided a few weeks ago to make cakes for clients. So right away, my 1st week I have 5 cakes to do, 3 sheets cakes & 1 small 6" round. No biggy right!?Wrong!! I've done nothing but screw up! We've had storms all day so humidity is crazy right now. I have literally been working 12 hours on my 6" cake simply b/c the icing is giving me fits! I couldnt airbrush it so finally I threw fondant on it, & now it's worse b.c my fondant is meltin and has a ton of airbubboes. I even been working 1/2 way in my fridge just to keep it workable along w/turning on the air! Oh I've had it! I'm so gun shy now I'm scared to even think about trying the sheet cakes! I thought I was good at this but now I'm not so sure. This is the 2nd cake this week I've had such terrible time with!!!!
I hope that when the pain of this situation has numbed a little you will come back and read the thoughtful comments others have added here. They are all good advice. I believe that eventually it will hurt worse to think you gave up on something you enjoyed for so long.
No matter what any of us do in life, none of us succeed 100% of the time. Please pop back in and let us know that you are baking and decorating once more!
I also am just starting out but I think of it like my involvement with horses...
I've ridden since I was 2 and shown Arabian and Half Arabians Nationally for oh...14 years. I couldn't TELL you how many bad experiences I've had with that (how many times I've fallen off, had a horse flip over on me, been thrown through fences etc etc...). I've always had a soft spot for the underdog so I've had more than a few horses that most people wouldn't ride on their best day but when you have success that makes it all the more meaningful. If you get thrown, you HAVE to get back on, if you're doing it because you love it, you can't let one traumatic experience (or 50 for that matter! haha) steer you away from what your passionate about. My boyfriend always tells me "with no risk there is no reward" so I'm sure things will get better for you!
DisneyDreamer, you said that more of your cakes have been disasters than haven't...What other kinds of things have happened?
I'm going to go against the "keep your chin up" crowd and say that only you can decide whether the aggravation of what YOU'VE experienced is enough to make you quit. Personally, if I kept doing something that gave me aggravation more often than not, I'd probably quit too. You have to decide whether the things that have happened to you are things that you can correct in future cakes and learn from, or whether you're just not interested in dealing with it anymore. Totally your call.
A week ago I went to make a graduation cake. The cake turned out beautifully. I have know clue WTH I was thinking putting cream cheese under fondant. Having a total brain fart deliver the cake all is well about 20mins later I get a text with a picture of the cake the entire side of the cake slid off.
I had issues with fondant coming out just right and no matter what I did it continued to crack on me.
I had to take a break. I love making cakes and when I decided to throw in the towel after a few days I was ready to jump back in I missed it so much. I have a cake due this weekend for an old classmate and I am determined to make it turn out better then the last. I ripped up the check from the customer. Don't give up just yet.
I agree with costumeczar.
I can't sing, so if I constantly got up on stage and was boo'ed off I would quit.
I know we all love cake and want to encourage others to keep with it, but at the end of the day it's a personal choice .
If not doing cakes professionally anymore makes you a happier person then go for it.
Only you know what's best for you.
Im no expert, But i never had a problem with fondant until, I used cream chese frosting under it, Started to slid off, What a mess, Never again will i use cream cheese under fondant, I think it will be ganache all the way, THE BEST. Best of luck, Dont give up.
I agree with some of the other in that you may indeed need to quit if things are constantly screwing up. Doesn't mean it needs to be forever. Evaluate every disaster and see if there's a connection between all of them. Are you doing things the same way as when you first started, or have you changed anything? Are you still using the same recipes, or have you branched-out with other flavors? Perhaps some of the ingredients that you've always used have changed their formulas...To me it sounds like you need to investigate more first. Or perhaps you're just suffering from burn-out and just need to chill for a while. Either way, you'll do what's right for you.
well after many months of not doing cakes i finley made a cake today for a client. i charged 40 for a 8in cake and the lady loved it so much she payed me 50. im getting back into it very slow[/img]
well after many months of not doing cakes i finley made a cake today for a client. i charged 40 for a 8in cake and the lady loved it so much she payed me 50. im getting back into it very slow
hello i am also a new cake decorator and new to this site. I have a question. I often use rolled fondant to decorate my cakes and they turn out pretty nice but when it comes to eating them ther are good but the fondant is so sweet that it takes all the goodness away from the cake.. if anyone has an answer for me please do so..
I have made all these elaborate cakes in the past year and I have always managed to deliver in time and without any issues (the road to getting there was never smooth but it always worked out in the end). So I get this last minute order for petit fours from a customer I had previously made my best creation for. I'm thinking, 24 petit fours it couldn't be too difficult .... it's the smallest things sometimes that will get us. They turned out like little blobs of crumbs with icing poured on top. Awful! So I ended up having to do the unthinkable ..... going to Publix 30 mins before closing so that I can deliver SOMETHING .... so ... so .... SO ashamed!!!!
I am a novice decorator, and....I almost quit 2 summers ago. It was my 3rd wedding cake ever, and it was hot............and humid and...... it sank and broke and......... I cried and I cried AND I cried some more. I refunded the money and payed for a very expensive, not-iced cake from a nearby bakery that I decorated.
I was soo discouraged and I did quit for a couple of months until it my daughters birthday. She wanted a certain cake so bad and I had too.......then I fell in love again. I have learned to keep extra stock always in my freezer Just in case
The way I see it, this is just like any other customer service business. You can't please everyone, everyone "f's" up sometimes and the best you can do is make it up to them. You ARE only human!
Cheer up lady I hope you continue..
Disasters come and go... in life and caking. I'm ready to quit all the time, usually every weekend. But when I think about entering the work force after being my on boss for over 17 years, ain't no way I'm punching a clock again. I like being my own boss. So after whatever goes wrong, design won't come together easy, cake icing not cooperating, somebody shows up 4 hours early and cake is not done, etc....after I get all the cakes out I take a nice long hot shower and chill.
Burn out is very common, so take some time off and relax. If or when you start back up don't take on too many cakes at once. Being overloaded is a recipe for disaster. If you have someone to help you delegate some jobs to them and don't try to do everything yourself. If your still struggling and are unhappy it may be time to pack it in. But only you can decide.
I hope it all works out for the best for you.
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