AThanks. I think I will do that. Lol. If I get multiple people complaining, I'll have to take it to heart and look at the issue. But she's the first to ever get so angry.

OK...I am going to say this and I may get slammed, but if you are considering a opening a shop, please reconsider until you have honed your skills.  The bumble bee  cake is adorable with the exception of the board...and your writing is really nice!

You didn't ask for advice - and I hate unsolicited advice - but I am going to give it here.

I see many issues with your cakes that will keep you from being a top-notch decorator.  Undecorated, naked, single layer cake boards? Crumbs in your icing? Neatness of design and figures?   I am seeing a lot of cutting corners and rushed work.

I don't know what you mean by being in the process of getting a shop.  Like you have found a location and are doing the paper work.  Or it's your 5-year down-the-road plan.

I would suggest slowing down, taking some more classes, and upping your skill set.  I don't know what you are charging and I previously suggested to NOT lower your prices.  Until I saw your pictures.  If you are charging Walmart prices or a little higher, fine.  If you are charging what high-end cakers are charging in your area, please reconsider, for many reasons.  

Are you taking on so much work because you charge so little that you need to do 17 cakes to make a buck? Or are you charging too much and people are expecting top-notch cakes...and they are getting cakes that look like they have been made by woman with 17 cakes to do in one weekend?

Your pay should be in-line with your skill since people will want to get what they are paying for.  This woman who slammed you, maybe she feels entitled and is cheap and wanted something for nothing OR felt like she paid too much for what she was given.  OR she is a total wench, hard to determine.  Was she wrong for taking it public, yes.  If you are charging properly for your skill, she needs to be educated as to what is out there in your area (you can pay XX dollars for my cake and this is what you get OR you can pay XXXXX dollars for a cake from Frou-Frou Cake Shoppe that looks like this...the choice is yours, but don't complain about the quality if you choose me and expect Frou-Frou.)

For the benefit of you and others in the industry, please consider my advice.

I would like to see a picture of the cake.  You might consider joining the peer cake reviewing thread to get some feedback on your cakes.  BeesKnees gave you some great suggestions.

And yeah, WTF with 17 cakes in one day?  You couldn't pay me enough money to do that.  I like to enjoy my life, too.

And you have an in-home day care?  Recipe for Burnout Disaster!

Take care of you....I, like AnnieCahill, would have a complete mental breakdown.

SRS?  In home daycare AND cakes?  Do you do any heavy narcotics?  Would you like to start?
 

I just saw where you are deleting everything.  STOP STOP STOP.  What are you charging for these cakes?  Something is going on here...

ASomething is going on meaning what?

Meaning why are you doing 17 cakes in a day?  What do you charge per serving?  Are you undercharging and that's why you are doing so many at once?

AI guess I don't have what it takes. Didn't ask for advice on decorating. But it's appreciated. The last bakery I worked in we had anywhere from 60-70 cakes a weekend with just 2 of us. I did this while working another full time job. I'm not afraid to work. I will explain this only once. When I first posted on here about deleting my pics, I was very upset as some of u may be able relate to. I was just venting. I'm not in need of narcotics. I'm a hard working woman. I've always worked no less than 16 hours a day!! I grew up in the ghetto and you either worked or u didn't eat. So my work schedule does not need to be mentioned again. If I had a day to work on one cake, I guarantee my skill level wound be reflected in that. We charge 30-75 bucks for these cakes.

AOh btw, I don't have a bakery full of equipment. I have a spatula, $10 turn table and an oven that barely works. When I say in the process of getting a bakery, I mean I'm setting money back and busting my butt to get the things I need. I have no doubt in my mind that if I had the same set up as many on here, I would b a high end decorator. I think I do pretty darn good for what I have to work with. The lady that was complaining paid only $75 for a 3 tiered cake. That's the same price as other bakeries in town with far less skill.

AI'm not an idiot. I know all the prices if bakeries in the area. I charge within a few dollars of the bakery that I quit.

AI'm not under or over charging.

I have worked at big box stores and your cakes look a lot better than some of the cakes they pump out. In thirty minutes huh, try 15. The only good thing I can say about working in these types of places is that they help you increase your speed and basic decorating skills. As far as creative freedom, forget about it. 17 cakes in a week end was a cake walk. But when you need a job its a Godsend. It sure helped make ends meet when I was in school.

http://www.indeed.com/forum/job/Cake-Decorator/Cake-Decorating-big-box-store/t468162

You don't owe anybody on this site anything, you came here to vent which is understandable. You have accepted the advice offered like a champ. There is no need to be further humiliated because some people don't think your work is up to pare. Don't let this discourage you.

You have clientele and a business that's more than I can say, you just had a bad day. It's sad when you cant even vent on here without getting the third degree.

Me, well I'm pumping out cakes in the industry until I can get to where you are.

Good Luck, you are going to be okay.

Phobe Kay, If you did all these cakes by yourself in one day, you have no need to explain to us that you are a hard worker. 

I have no idea what the cake looked like that your customer was upset with, and to me it really doesn't matter.  You made a mistake, owned up to it....kick yourself in the rear and then let it go.  You have done all that you can to try and make amends to the customer.  You have deleted her post and blocked her.  Not much else you can do. 

Wow, not sure what the market is like for cakes in your area, but I would hate to think that all you can garner from a 3 tier cake is 75.00.  Hang in there.

No one is humiliating her.  There are some issues with the decorating but I think it's because she is doing so many in one day and she is rushed.  That is a real issue and one that customers could legitimately complain about.  I think the bumblebee cake is cute and that's why I asked her what she charged for it.  The dessert style cakes are pretty too.  In the OP I couldn't get a feel for what exactly the customer was complaining about, and since the pictures were deleted we don't know if it was the decorating or the taste or both. 

The narcotics thing was a joke.  You know, I always advocate illegal activity when possible. 

I think you have a lot on your plate with the childcare thing AND a cake business.  But if it works for you then great.

No one is saying you're an idiot, but I see a definite issue with your prices.  A three tiered cake for $75?  Just because someone else charges that doesn't mean that you should.  Do you know exactly what it costs you to make a cake, just in ingredients?  Many of my cakes cost half that amount just in the ingredients.  Even if you're baking from a box, that is still extremely low...dare I say under-priced?  I'm just trying to help here...

I agree with Annie & again, pls don't take anything personally. People are just trying to help. 

AI hear you enga. We worked so frickin fast that u wouldn't even have time for a drink. U go in at 4am and work non stop till the orders was completed. I'm sure u understand where I'm coming from. I've seen people work 4-5 hours on a cake. Great. I can do the same. I do get in a rush. I can always slow down. And I should. I will say this, these are only a few of the cakes that I did IN ONE DAY! My skill level is just fine. I was sick all week, took care of children for 12 hours and worked another 8 baking, making cheesecakes and breads, decorating and cleaning just before getting ready to go to church!! Now, I believe anyone that can do all that and still put out decent cakes is in the position to open a bakery or any business for that matter.

You DO have what it takes!!! Ok, so you called this one wrong, 30 min for a cake (and without proper equipment), is ridiculous! But this is what life is about, you live and learn right? I see massive potential, if this is what you can do spending 30min on a cake, imagine if you had spent 3 hours...

Your customers don't care if you have 1 or 100 cakes to make, they want theirs to perfect and that is what you should be giving them. The cake is a big part of any celebration, as you know, and if the cake is less than great than that might put a damper on the whole event. It is absolutely crazy to act the way your customer did but you need to put this behind you and focus on what´s ahead. Do not let this defeat you, learn from this and keep going!!

What I'm trying to say is that if you priced your cakes better then you wouldn't have to kill yourself making money.  You do have good skills as others have said.  I think you need to hone those skills and get paid what you deserve for them.  Does that make sense?

You go girl, I would be dead to the bed,lol. Like I said you had a rough day, pull your self up by the bootstraps and keep going. Half of the people on here wont even show their work but they sure are quick to find fault in others.

Don't let um get you down

AI charge by the serving. Same as the bakeries in this area. Yes my community isn't as sophisticated as other places that are represented here. Like I said, of course I know the formula for pricing my product. I know and have every ingredient priced including the cost of electricity and clean up. This is just the way it is here. I never asked anyone to tell me what was wrong with the cake in question. I was venting. U see things wrong with my cakes. Again, the cakes that took no longer than 20-30 minutes to make. Give me an hour and I can do wonders. The bumble bee cake cost me $9 to make. I also know to include your wages into the price. Took exactly 32 minutes to make that. Took 1 hour to bake..of course from scratch, cooling and clean up. You learn how to work as fast and efficient as possible. My cheesecakes and breads take more time. My cost is $30 for the cheesecake. I have $11 dollars in it.

i'm sure poplar bluff mo is a beautiful area, i go through charleston on my way to chi-town all the time--love me some boomland--

poplar bluff has a population of about 17,000--i dare say Phoebe is doing a bang up job with her bakery

ASure AnnieCahill it makes sense. Preaching to the choir. I have people asking to pay with food stamps! They did the same thing at the bakery I worked at.

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3191832/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

AThis last cake I did took all of 1hr and a half to make. It was $475. They priced it with 3 different decorators in the area and I actually was only $25 less than the well known cake lady.

I was just giving you things to consider not knowing what your situation is - which is why I hesitated giving you advice that you weren't asking for.  I wasn't saying you are an idiot, either.   Clearly you are a woman on a mission to open a cake shop!

My point is, would you rather take your time and produce the BEST possible cakes for much less than 17 people per week and have those customers be the loyal ones that follow you to your bakery and be willing to pay more (hopefully) as they SEE your improvements.  

OR literally work yourself to the bone and flip out cakes that people pay next to nothing for and may be able to complain about rather than brag about?  So when you open your bakery and HAVE to raise your prices to cover your overhead, they may say "oh, well, it was nice knowing you....I can get the same cake at Walmart for a cheaper price."

Take your time to make those better cakes for your better paying customers.

Good news travels fast and bad news travels faster.  If you want to build a strong customer following, you MUST be able to make something special that people in your area aren't making.  Otherwise, they will go where it's most convenient for their next cake.  

I get that you are a hard worker and are more than willing to work, that is FABULOUS.  What I am saying is, as your skills build you can work less for better money, have more time for your life outside of work.  The time isn't going to come to you (since you said "I have no doubt in my mind that if I had the same set up as many on here, I would b a high end decorator. I think I do pretty darn good for what I have to work with.") you have to MAKE and TAKE the time to practice being a high-end baker.

If you really want to make a go of it, you may want to try marketing outside of your area if people aren't willing to pay a higher price in the area you are in. 

I didn't say you don't have what it takes to make it EVER.  

If you have a lot of mass-production bakeries in your area, I would lose the mentality of "more is better" that you seem to have from working in said type of bakery. These are bakeries of convenience, not necessarily quality.  If your goal is to be a high-end custom cake decorator, mass-production should not be in your vocabulary. I get that you are busting your hump to get what you need to open, but slow down...otherwise you will not be able to garner the type of client that you are truly looking for.  And you will die of exhaustion!

I sense your frustration in your answers back to me up thread.  If I was doing that much, I would feel like I was drowning and couldn't breathe.  Put pen to paper, write out a business plan (I have yet to do one formally but don't plan on opening a bakery) identifying your dream customer, bakery offerings, financial stuff.  It's overwhelming, for sure, but maybe it will help you see some light at the end of the tunnel and help you focus on what it is that you really want.

I ABSOLUTELY do not mean to sound condescending and I apologize in advance if I do.  I am only trying to help.

ATrying to help me do what?

Your cakes look beautiful!!!! I would activate the fb acct again and just delete that person sure you lost 1 client but you will get more from the other cake. we learn from our mistakes.I  wouldn't change the prices unless you want to do like a month with the fee less and just like it was mentioned above offer her a free cake but nothing to big or that will take to much time she might not take the offer but if she does don't it be something that takes advantage of you losing profit