Me and my best friend started doing cakes - - separately but around the same time. I had previously taken a couple of classes at the local community college, but then I decided later to take the Wilton courses and I twisted her arm to go with me. I think she is better than I am (she disagrees), but I'm getting better and absolutely LOVE decorating cakes.
She has cake orders every week, and I MIGHT do a cake every 8 weeks. She thinks it is because I work full time and she doesn't.
I love her, and I am happy for her, but it is starting to hurt my feelings that no one ever calls me. It has brought me to tears.
Am I being over-sensitive, or overreacting to this?
Does she advertise? Do you? That makes a big difference I'm sure. Who is she doing cakes for? family and friends? What about prices? Are her prices much lower than yours?
It has nothing to do with you..The fact that she doesn't work full time frees up her time enormously...Maybe she is secretly advertising..more word of mouth to people etc and just not saying anything to you so not to hurt your feelings..She may even of had businesss cards printed and has handed them out..Who knows but I'm sure someone will spill the beans one day...If it is something you really want to do you have to work at it and get legal and then go for it!!
Does your friend have more orders than she wants? Maybe she can send some orders your way. Maybe people don't realize that you want to make more cakes? It's hard to say. I hope this isn't coming between you and your friend. That makes things tricky!
No, I'm not upset with her at all. It's ironic because I am the one that works hard to get my name out there by participating in a local "Taste", I donated a LOT of cakes to a charity and haven't gotten one call from it. I have distributed business cards and she hasn't.....she just knows everyone. We go to the same large church, and the only cakes I have done for anyone there have been cakes I donated.
This has been a very frustrating week for me because it makes me want to just quit all together.
Have you seen her making all these cakes or could she just be saying she has orders?
Dose she have a large family? Do you? Do you take practic cakes into work? Do your co-workers know you make cakes? What about church or other civic organizations? Is she or you involved in any? Do those people know you make cakes? Have you ever taken a small cake to the beauty shop, dentist, doctor, insurance office, bank when you go there?
Yes, working a full time job does limit orders. Not only getting them, but being able to make them!
It's hard when friends do an activity together and one floursihes..That is why I always do/did my cake decorating classes on my own and never really talk much about it to my friends...I am the only one who decorates...except my Mom and she is not competing with me...LOL
Just to add on to what's already been said, yes she has a lot more time to make cakes, but with every cake she's sold, people see it and order a cake, whereas I have found when I donate cakes people tend to see you as more of a hobbyist than a business and that then has a knock on effect. Especially as you are working full time, the people that know you both will think you do it as a hobby and she is the one who does it as a job, and that impression will get in deeper with every week. Maybe ask her if she could throw an order or 2 your way, or tell your friends and family you are doing it as a business too, make sure they know that actually you do have enough time to do them. It seems a shame that you have gone through it together and she does so well and you end up left out. Could you not go into cake business together?
Your cakes are beautiful! Include business cards with every order you do, give it a year, and you will be turning down orders.
Considering you already work full-time it's probably a blessing in disguise that you don't have much business, if you had cake orders every week plus a full-time job plus managing a business you will probably burn out pretty quickly.
whereas I have found when I donate cakes people tend to see you as more of a hobbyist than a business and that then has a knock on effect.
YES, this. Donating cakes rarely (if ever) results in paid orders. It just doesn't work.
Sometimes it really is all about how many people you know. If she just knows a lot of people, that's already a bigger pool of potential customers. It's nothing wrong with you or your cakes, I peeked at your photos and your cakes look great!
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