AI have a home based business and when I started out, I was doing cookies, cakes and cupcakes. My husband asked me why I wouldn't just do decorated sugar cookies - a very popular item that is my specialty - and I just ignored him.

Well now I'm sorry to say that I'm tired of doing children's birthday cakes. I don't enjoy doing them, I don't find them challenging, and I'm really bored with them. I'm seriously considering dropping them altogether. Someone asked me for a 10-person cake recently and I didn't think it was worth turning my oven on for!

I can't help feeling a little guilty because it was a good part of my orders. But now my cookies have picked up tremendously and I haven't had a cupcake order in months. I feel like I'm trying to talk myself out of it so I was wondering if anyone else has any thoughts. How do you feel about specializing and/or having a particular producT not on the menu any more?

Thanks!

AI think it's only right to say no or take things out of your lust if you're tired of doing them. And good for you you are doing well now with the cookies. If that's what you love, what should be wrong about it. I'm talking here as a hobby baker, think things would look different if you rely on the money. But from what you say it sounds not a bad plan to specialize in a specific area...

If making cakes isn't making you happy, but cookies do, then you've found your answer. It's always good to have a unique selling point anyway, and you could specialize in cookies. Just learn to say no with confidence- don't be too apologetic, but be kind about it. Don't just turn away cake orders, refer them to someone you know who does them well and has a good reputation. That way they have an alternative. I for one don't like making cake pops, and would refuse to make them if anyone asked (thankfully, no one has yet). 

Also make sure your website and other internet profiles clearly reflect the change in your business direction, so best to take out photos of cakes and cupcakes etc and focus on just cookies. That will help inform anyone what you do as soon as they go on your website, facebook, etc. 

AWhen you're done, you're done, but it could also be that if you put it down for a while you may miss it later and want to pick it up again - that's the benefit of running your own business.

A ten-person cake ISN'T worth turning your oven on. One thing you could do is impose a minimum fee for all cakes, and make it the amount that would make it worthwhile for you to do the cake. If you're thinking to yourself "one million dollars" right now, then you should just stop doing cakes! I have a $150 minimum and I don't care if it's for ten people or 50, the serving count doesn't affect the minimum/

If you like the cookies and it pays well where you are, then just do those. There's no law that says you have to do cakes if you don't like them.

What costumeczar said - you need a minimum. If you feel the need, make the minimum cake order higher than your minimum cookie order.

AFace palm... Of course "having a minimum" is totally a simple solution I could consider for my own small cake cake orders...so simple. Sigh - sometimes the most obvious thing is completely out of reach for my normally totally awesome brain... no reason

AThank you all. Very good advice, especially the minimum. I never thought of that. But I will drop them for now and maybe come back to them later. I really appreciate it!

This thread was so helpful! I am also tired of doing children's cakes..but I always feel so bad saying no to a client. I referred a few clients to another baker but they just csme back begging me to do it one last time. :c  

i just want to make pretty girly cakes