Advice on convincing family to give me a chance!

We support you on this! I personally would pm Indydebi for advice. She caters as well as does cakes. She would most likely have some useful insight and tips for you.
Best of luck to you.
Amy

I totally agree.

We are behind you. I have 3 kids, 5, 3 and 3 months. I was in the IT business before staying home with my boys. I would love to open up a shop or join someone in one. I'll probably never make as much as I did, but I would be so happy baking and decorating!

PM Indydebi, she is great, she has lot of knowledge and might provide other names for you to contact.

Good Luck.

I think you've got it pretty well laid out. Take in samples and suggestions based on what you believe will benefit THEM. Make it all about THEM! The best salesman is the one who can show you all the reasons you need what he's got!

Have ready what you believe will be their profit margin. I don' t know if you plan to sell them what you do or come in and let them pay you by the hour for what you do. That would have to be something the two parties negociate, after you've proved yourself to be a valuable asset.

Have a plan. Go for it!!

I've learned the hard way...family, especially parents, don't want to see their kids take chances. They would rather see you unhappy at a steady paying job, than to risk the paycheck for a shot at a happier life. I had to break away from the extended family this summer. I got SO SICk of hearing all the comments. My husband and I have been so much happier and wonder why we didn't do it sooner.

Take the cakes over. I'm sure they'll love them. Good luck to you!!

First, always remember that family members are the last ones who encourage and push us to pursue our dreams. Most are stuck in the "get a job, work 40 years, collect your gold watch, die" kind of thinking.

And what is this noise about "should have switched careers before you had kids"? Just like I said above .... they think you get a job and work there 40 years. well I got news for ya, babe! That law firm decides to shut their doors 15 years from now, you are then a middle aged women with kids in high school looking to switch careers!!!!!! there are no guarantees, so I've NO idea what the heck they are thinking!

I have (let's just say "a relative") who is Negative Nancy all the way, on all things. We are working on a new venture and he of course had nothing but gloom and doom advice. My attitude is "If I had let other people make my decisions for me, then I'd be bankrupt instead of being blessed with this kind of success."

In the words of George Bernard Shaw: Those who say it cannot be done, should stop interrupting those of us who are doing it!

You have lots of options, really. (btw, I really like your grad cake!). I think the samples are a very good idea. It's the first thing they would want to know, can you bake?, if they are going to put your stuff in their shop.

You need to come up with a reasons of why this idea is a good thing for THEM. They could care less about giving you a space to enhance your skills. What's in it for THEM? What's the benefit for THEM?
- fresh baked desserts instead of the same 'ole same'ole that other restaurants have.
- a variety of items, that cause their customers to come in asking "What did she make today?" It's a reason that customers will talk about their place and will tell their friends about the place.
- perhaps a rotating menu ..... Monday is Boston Creme Cake; Tuesday is Peanut Butter Cake with Choc icing, etc. There can be other things available, but they only get peanut butter cake on TUESDAY! (I plan my lunches around daily specials at some of my favorite places!). It keeps the customers talking and gives them a reason to come back.
- As they grow and possibly get into catering, they wil need an array of desserts. Even if they just start with a call-in order for 15 for a large office, they will eventually grow (and you always phrase it as they WILL grow....) into larger caterings and how convenient would it be to have a decorator right there on staff?

So....options:
Offer to work as an employee, making their baked goods. This will give you a great opportunity to practice, in a real kitchen (wow, what a difference that makes!), and hone your skills.

Offer to work not as an employee, but they give you the use of their kitchen and you give them a heck of a price on the desserts you create.

Offer to work on a see-how-it-goes basis (I think someone suggested that already). They can try adding the desserts to the menu, and if it works ... great. If it doesn't ... well, we're back to the drawing board.

but the key points are to make sure your selling points are how it's good for THEM, and don't hint around, don't beat around the bush, just go up to them and say, "I've got a proposition for you."

Yeah! What she said!!!

That is absolutely wonderful advice.....

indydebi - We love and admire your strength! You inspire us!


Amber0717,

I wish you all the best! I have 3 young ones also 5, 3, & 1. I know how you feel, so much passion and so little support! But, maybe with a little patience and a lot of prayers, it'll all work out for ya!

Keep us posted!

It is so strange for me to hear everyone saying that parents and family are the last to encourage you to take chances!! I guess my family is wierd! My dad is now picking out buildings for me to "open up shop" Maybe he just wants free goodies He has been encouraging me to open a bakery for some time now! Even before I started doing cakes.

YOU CAN NOT FAIL IF YOU DO NOT TRY. I say go for it....If we all had to rely on 'family' we would all be in the nuthouse, rofl......My dh is DELIGHTED that I am home.....heck, he even does a LOT of the prep work for me......he is happy that I am happy doing what makes me CONTENT and eventually, will make some $. Can not beat that!
I have just quit a FT job in retail in the past month......and am home with my legal bakery. So far........ 2 bridal consults with bookings for next year, 5 birthday cakes, anniversary cake booked for December, another birthday cake due tommorrow.....it's starting out. And I have just taken out a 13 week ad in one of the local papers.......my first advertising! I got all the above WITHOUTH advertising......WORD OF MOUTH and others tasting your products is what sells you in this world!

I commend you and will stand behind you all the way........YOU CAN DO IT!!!

I wouldn't worry too much about "intricate" decorating skills for restaurant wholesale...if this is what you want to get into, you have to decide how you are going to cost out your time effectively. Sure, the cakes have to look nice going in, but they don't have to look like a wedding cake either!

Think about how you are going to churn out multiple cakes down the road when the restaurant calls and orders 10 of the Tuesday cake, and 7 of the Wednesday cake, and 5 of the Thursday cake...you see where I'm going? Decorate your cakes simply so that you know you can make them quickly on an assembly line if need be!!

A friend of mine used to do strictly wholesale baking for delis around town, and baked about 20 cakes a week - the only way she did it was to keep the decorating simple.

Good luck!

It is inevitable that someone is going to be a balloon buster, so I will be as gentle as possible, and just give you a heads up on what may happen.

Although your ambitions are great, do not be disappointed if the restaurant does not purchase your goods.

Where I live, restaurants which purchase desserts from outside the facility must be able to show the health department receipts from registered businesses, or risk losing their license.

Good Luck, though.

Theresa

Man, I would give my nondecorating arm for an opportunity like this! Even if you just get to do the grunt work, you will get a feel for how a bakery actually works. Go for it girl - but keep the other option open as well.

Joy

Woo-hoo!!! Praise God!!!

I say go for it!!!

This is so awesome! And you also get a discount on stuff! How cool is that?!