How the heck is this possible!!! - Page 2

I work part time and do cakes...a bunch! LOL I am in SE Texas and at this time I do not have a legal kitchen. I will next year. I concentrate mostly on wedding cakes and since I work my day job Monday Tuesday and Wednesday I am free to do my caking on Thursday and Friday.

Yes it it alot of work but it is work I truly enjoy and profit from. I could do this if I worked full time but I would have to be WAY more organized than I am and could not take on too many projects for a weekend.

What part of Texas are you in? and Mac you too...where are you located?

Bella I understand. I want to recommend that you just slow down. You got your Munchkin in preschool and that's great. You have a good job all these things are great. If you want to have any kind of life with that girl, a 40 hour gig is enough and too much as it is. Stop listening to other people. They don't know how difficult this is. When they say, "Oh you should open a shop." Smile and say "Yes I should shouldn't I?" Just let it go. I'm not taking anything away from your expertise and wonderful tasting cakes I'm just saying why do people push like that? It's a universal complement for some reason. And besides if they love you today they will love you in five years when it may or may not be more feasible. I hear that allll the time and people say it like they just discovered America. Which is really nice but...reality does bite.

Having a full blown business is like birthing a baby, every day, and it never takes a nap.

You've got your hands full. Let the Munchkin get a little older. Who's gonna take her to b-day parties and read her stories and fix her hair, take her shopping. You can still create beautiful cakes anytime you want. You don't have to have a business right now. Enjoy the cake buzz but chill in between.

Bottom line is if you're gonna do it, you put on the blinders to everything, forge ahead like crazy and don't take no for an answer. Is that what you want?

It takes a lot of cookie baking to pay that overhead every month. So when you gonna have time to be arsty fartsy and creative?

You don't have the time NOW and you ain't even open. Just agree with people and say thanks!

Wait wait--Texas is a state where you have to have a full blown shop right? I mean you can't do it from home can you? Wow glory I didn't mean to make you cry. You're 25??! I'm 57 I can't have my own place in my area. I had a tea-room but that didn't count. Doing cakes is so mortally frustrating because like you I can see the gold at the end of the rainbow but there's a force field around it that bounces me back no matter what angle I approach it. Bounce bounce bounce splat burn out burn burn burn>>>that's me not you.

I am so sorry I totally never thought what I said was tearful producing. Get some chocolate quick. You're twenty five? It's ok. I just meant chill out a little you can get that momentum going anytime you do a cake it's actually a nightmare (for me) But I totally hope you get it all going and it will be wonderful. But you can't do it your home in Texas is my understanding.

Please, tell me you stopped crying. I totally did not mean for that to happen. I was just meaning chill chill chill. (((hug)))

I dont own my own bakery, I do cakes for fun here and there but I do own my own at home business (not food related). And let me tell you, there are not enough hours in the day!
Start up of a new business is very stressful and an extremely busy and all consuming of your time.
There is no way around it! I do not want to persude you in either direction, however, had I kept my original job I would not own my own business today.
I personally, could not have started it and worked somewhere else, not enough time in the day!

Bella, now you're making me feel old... I'm older than you (OK, by 1 year ), no husband, no kids, just graduated from grad school and my BF is younger than me and still in school. Seriously, what really depresses me is thinking about living to 80 or something (I'm not even half way there yet!!! ). Now, hope that made you laugh....

Anyway, is it not possible to rent out your church kitchen or something so you can bake there and still sell cakes but without having to invest all your time, $$, and energy into a store-owned bakery? This way it gets your foot-in-the-door to experience the business side of things and then later decide if you really want your own bakery.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

You can have a home bakery in some places in TX, as long as you have a separate kitchen. Have you looked into that? Having a building out back of your house, or converting your garage? It is hard, but it can be done, depending on your county ordinances. Like you said, you don't want to miss out on the munchkin growing up. Good luck! You'll make the right choice, if you rely on God!

You don't own the business, it owns you.

Have you checked out Earlene Moore's website?
She lives in Texas, and has been doing cakes for many many years. Her kitchen is attached to her house. She is in full compliance with the health department, and has posted not only the photos of her kitchen, but business articles from her experience. The articles include what is needed in Texas to be legal. There are two different areas with the kitchen photos, so you will need to look hard for them, but they are an inspiration.
If you are able to follow the rules with a renovation, you can bake on the same property as your house. (If the zoning folks approve.) That way you could stay home with your daughter and bake. Just read all you can, take plenty of notes, and make things above reproach.

-Debbie B.

Well since you cannot be at two places at the same time doing two different things, then you decide which one you really would rather be doing. Sacrifice one thing for the other. Or you can just do cakes on weeks-ends, but that would mean you won't have a life on week-ends.

Yeah, He's never in much of a hurry is He?

I think I'd make some cakes on the side, when I had time....and take your time and hone your skills....

I was 43 when I opened my place, I wasn't THAT much of an antique.

You're almost they-ere!!

WELL...if you MUST know...i am now an antique...i turned 50 last november...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

I kinda like gettin older....well except for the hotflashes, nightsweats, and the occaisional stray chin hair, that i can't see, because i can't find my reading glasses.....

did i say that out loud?