Well, I finally made some cake balls!! I work in a factory, and my co-workers are my guinea pigs 
Needless to say, they are in love! I made a few varieties, but the one they LOVE is marble cake with toffee nut creamer dipped in milk chocolate. I had one lady want 2 dozen then asked for a dozen for her neighbor! I just made another lady 3 dozen to go on vacation with her over the holiday!! How much do I charge them? The first ones, she gave me $2.50 a dozen. I don't know if that price is worth my time hand rolling them, and then hand dipping them! I have had to make cakes just to make them. However, I can't really set a price, I live in Michigan and I am not allowed to charge if I am not licensed (as far as what I have been told) So the $2.50 came about when the first lady asked my how much. I just told her I don't know, what do you think. She asked me what I had into them, but I got as far as how much the chocolate cost and she said she would give me $5.00 for the 2 dozen. (about what I have into the chocolate per dozen) Long story, sorry! Anyway, how much should I be charging for them? FYI, I make them to be about the size of a truffle you would get from Godiva.
Needless to say, they are in love! I made a few varieties, but the one they LOVE is marble cake with toffee nut creamer dipped in milk chocolate. I had one lady want 2 dozen then asked for a dozen for her neighbor! I just made another lady 3 dozen to go on vacation with her over the holiday!! How much do I charge them? The first ones, she gave me $2.50 a dozen. I don't know if that price is worth my time hand rolling them, and then hand dipping them! I have had to make cakes just to make them. However, I can't really set a price, I live in Michigan and I am not allowed to charge if I am not licensed (as far as what I have been told) So the $2.50 came about when the first lady asked my how much. I just told her I don't know, what do you think. She asked me what I had into them, but I got as far as how much the chocolate cost and she said she would give me $5.00 for the 2 dozen. (about what I have into the chocolate per dozen) Long story, sorry! Anyway, how much should I be charging for them? FYI, I make them to be about the size of a truffle you would get from Godiva.I will have my cake and eat it too!! Unless my kids get to it first.
I will have my cake and eat it too!! Unless my kids get to it first.
I wish my computer hadn't taken a poo on me, I would upload a pic so you could see what I get $20.00 for! I feel horrible when I say I usually get $20 and they look at me like I'm nutso! My own mother says there is no way in the world she would pay that much for a cake! Who knows? I guess I am just afraid that if I tell them a "PRICE" they won't want anymore. I am in an area with a lot of grocery store bakeries, and I hear a lot of, Well I only pay 15 at Sam's or Costco....or I only pay 1/2 that when I get one from Family Fare!
I do know that I need to charge more, I really enjoy making the cakes and the "truffles" as I will now call them!!! Sounds so much better! I guess if I don't get the orders it is their loss. I have become pretty well know around the company as the "cake lady" and the "sweets lady". I do have to say one thing though that made me smile really big. One of the girls kept going on and on about a cake she purchased from Costco. How cheap it was, and that it was sooo yummy. Well, not too long after, I brought in a cake for one of my co-workers birthday, and I made quite a large cake just because I know a lot of people there have a sweet tooth. Someone brought her a piece, and she came to me after eating it and wanted to know why in the world I never told her that I could make cakes that tasted like that! 
The thing is, she basically had blown me off a few months before when a friend of mine suggested she get her wedding cake from me! She has been a loyal customer ever since! I have been letting a lot of people (that I do cakes for regularly) know that my price is going to have to go up. I let them all know that I am actually losing no less than $12.00 per cake that I do for them and that does not include gas, electric, my time etc... I guess I am going to have to just bite the bullet and charge more! I just know that I always run the risk of getting in trouble because I am not licensed. I don't know any way around that one!
