Why I'm Happier Now: A Lesson In Reality

Business By jenmat Updated 18 Jul 2011 , 1:32am by tokazodo

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indydebi Posted 14 Apr 2011 , 7:00pm
post #31 of 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by clmiller1206

"personal assertiveness development"


Is that why we say we PAD the bill?
Personal
Assertiveness
Development

icon_lol.gificon_lol.gif

Oh my sometimes i just crack me up! icon_biggrin.gif (Its the sleep deprivation ....that's my story and I'm sticking to i!)

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BellaRoca Posted 16 Apr 2011 , 1:22am
post #32 of 44

This post is great! This is jsut how I feel.... Ive been doign cakes for awhile but just for friends/family. I just started my own business and everytime I price a cake I always feel like im overcharging or i feel bad (for lack of a better word) when i quote the price. Almost like if its too high they wont buy it...then about half way into making the cake i get mad at myself for WAY underpricing. like i just made a 3D energy drink can, spilling out on its side, for a company bday party...it was a 20-30 serving and i charged $70. idk wat i was thinking! some of my friends say that sounds right or say oh u made alot of money.... but not really, since i took me 9 hours to make (including baking, coloring fondant, sculpting, etc, etc).... im better at pricing wedding cakes or basic shaped cakes (round, square) because i know how many servings it is and round about how long itll take....
but i have a huge issue for 3D cakes.... i think i know how long itll take when i quote the price, and im always WAY off. how do you all charge for these and even for more detailed wedding cakes? Also, can i ask what people in other areas like mine (i live in kansas) charge per serving?
any help would be awesome! icon_smile.gif

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imagenthatnj Posted 16 Apr 2011 , 1:55am
post #33 of 44

I don't sell cakes, but I would say that you should charge separately for the sculpting. I think way too many people undercharge for 3D cakes.

http://christophergarrens.com/pricing.php

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uniquecreations Posted 16 Apr 2011 , 10:49pm
post #34 of 44

I so needed to read this post today it has truly blessed me, I have been feeling the same way almost to the point that I didnt want to do cakes anymore because I was doing all these smaller cakes for $25-$40 and then I'm not happy the whole time I am doing them. It almost made me want to stop doing cakes and I love doing them. So I told my husband the other day I only want to do wedding and upper end birthday, party cakes, I'd rather get less and make more, than to keep doing as someone posted grocery store priced cakes and then loosing my love for caking THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS POST!!!!!!!

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betty88 Posted 11 Jul 2011 , 5:00pm
post #35 of 44

Thank you soo much for this I really needed to hear it. I always feel soo bad charging what I do but in the end it is soo much work to do a custom cake and we should all get paid for the time and work we put into them. Thanks again!

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Bluehue Posted 11 Jul 2011 , 6:06pm
post #36 of 44

jenmat - such a meaningful thread.

For some time now my thoughts and attitude has been...
"My prices aren't for everyone" and the day i realised that, i was so confident talking dollars and cents to my customers.

I have a minimum order and i adhere to it.
Should i loose a customer because of that fact - fine - but besides ingrediants, overheads and time i also get paid for my self worth and what goes into creating cakes.
Something that many forget i feel.

I would rather have the orders i have at the prices i charge than be doing twice the work for half the money - and i know that i do not have to accept every order -

Long story short...

Had a customer on Sunday asking me to make 100 detailed cupcakes for $XXX.XX

I said... "thankyou for your call - but No, my prices are My prices"

She said - "but i really want them"

I said - "my prices aren't for everybody - but they are My prices"

She went on and on

In the end i said - "Madam, for what you are willing to pay, i am sure the local supermarket will be able to fill your order"

She hung up.

Very early this morning i recieved an email from a lady with the exact same first name asking if she could come speak with me about 100 cupcakes -

I emailed her back giving her a date and a time - and quoted MY price.

I will be meeting with her Wednesday - i shall discuss HER design and tell her MY price......................... because i know what i am worth.




icon_rolleyes.gif that wasn't a very short story at all - was it - icon_lol.gif

Bluehue.

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solascakes Posted 11 Jul 2011 , 6:22pm
post #37 of 44

The day I did a 3tier wedding cake(14,12,9),finished at 2.30am and cried till 3am just thinking about what I was going to get paid for the amount of work I just did......that was it. I promised myself NEVER to allow anybody treat me like that and I raised my prices. We all have to pay our dues initially, but once you're sure you've done that, THAT'S IT.

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Bluehue Posted 11 Jul 2011 , 6:31pm
post #38 of 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by solascakes

The day I did a 3tier wedding cake(14,12,9),finished at 2.30am and cried till 3am just thinking about what I was going to get paid for the amount of work I just did..
icon_sad.gif oh that was so sad to read

....that was it. I promised myself NEVER to allow anybody treat me like that and I raised my prices.
icon_smile.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gif - that was much better reading


We all have to pay our dues initially, but once you're sure you've done that, THAT'S IT.
Brillante. icon_smile.gif

Blue


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The_Sugar_Fairy Posted 11 Jul 2011 , 6:58pm
post #39 of 44

Thank you so so much for sharing that with us!

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LKing12 Posted 11 Jul 2011 , 7:00pm
post #40 of 44

This has been a wonderful read for a person about to launch their commercial kitchen. It is 100 degrees outside today, with a heat index of 110. We have sweated and worked for two months on this building. Working after we get home from our "regular jobs" and on Saturdays and it will probably be another 6 weeks until we are finished. I keep telling myself the first cake out of that oven is going to cost over $30,000.00. Then I think of the sweat equity and the price doubles! I am going to print of the OPs words and read them every morning. When I take the first phone call for a paid order I will breathe deeply, smile and know that the price will be right for me!

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solascakes Posted 11 Jul 2011 , 9:54pm
post #41 of 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluehue

Quote:
Originally Posted by solascakes

The day I did a 3tier wedding cake(14,12,9),finished at 2.30am and cried till 3am just thinking about what I was going to get paid for the amount of work I just did..
icon_sad.gif oh that was so sad to read

....that was it. I promised myself NEVER to allow anybody treat me like that and I raised my prices.
icon_smile.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gif - that was much better reading


We all have to pay our dues initially, but once you're sure you've done that, THAT'S IT.
Brillante. icon_smile.gif

Blue




Lol,oh Blue you make me laugh,but thats my story.I kept trying to talk to people that attended the wedding asking them how much they thought the cake was worth and indirectly slagging off the customer.Then I remembered it was I that allowed it,and then I shut up and tried to grow up.

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cocoanna Posted 17 Jul 2011 , 8:36pm
post #42 of 44

Awesome. I'm so guilty of under pricing. Sometimes I think it's okay because I want to do it anyway, but sometimes I also can't help feeling like I'm letting others take advantage. And yes, it is tiring!

Thanks for sharing. This post made my day!

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caymancake Posted 17 Jul 2011 , 9:10pm
post #43 of 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by uniquecreations

I so needed to read this post today it has truly blessed me, I have been feeling the same way almost to the point that I didnt want to do cakes anymore because I was doing all these smaller cakes for $25-$40 and then I'm not happy the whole time I am doing them. It almost made me want to stop doing cakes and I love doing them. So I told my husband the other day I only want to do wedding and upper end birthday, party cakes, I'd rather get less and make more, than to keep doing as someone posted grocery store priced cakes and then loosing my love for caking THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS POST!!!!!!!




Same thing happened to me this week! I have so many people calling me for $25-40 cakes and it's so much work that vie been feeling like it's not worth it! So This week, I went back through and revised my prices. I no longer offer 6" cakes on their own, and the minimum order for custom cakes works out to $40. I also switched out to a starting per serving rate (it used to be a flat price before). I know it will mean less customers, but I'd rather have less orders that bring in an actual profit then doing a bunch of cheaper cakes where I am "paying" the customer. Thanks so much for posting a great, encouraging piece Jen!

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tokazodo Posted 18 Jul 2011 , 1:32am
post #44 of 44

Thank you Jenmat for posting, and for all who contributed. A worthy read for sure.

I appreciate you all for sharing.

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