Can I come over and learn everything you know for free? - Page 2

I don't mind passing on information and helping people out tho. I'm an artist and I know how to paint and sculpt, and I know a lot about colour mixing and how to make things look like what they're supposed to look like. If people ask me questions about stuff like that I'm more than happy to help. It's something I got for free because I was born with it. but I would certainly draw the line at a stranger who wanted to learn for free what I paid a lot of money for...ie cake decorating techniques

I noticed that about your work on Flickr. Wow!

Thanks

I hope that didn't sound like I was bragging...I didn't mean it that way. It's just something I was born with and have always been able to do. I'm lucky I guess. I get it from my dad. (that's about all I got...but that's another story for another forum!)

Hello Has anyone purchased the Cake Boss software is it worth purchasing Many thanks Jackie.

I have no problem telling folks how to do stuff or how to use equipment. I have a store where I sell cake decorating equipment, so I have to help people, and I do it every day.

It's the ones who think you should take two hours and explain stacking, or some other really complicated procedure. Um, sign up for a class.

As the ones who say, "Oh yeah I think it might be fun to learn about caking. I'll work for free." No, thanks.

I called up a local lady to see if I could come over and look at her kitchen that she added onto her house and she was SO helpful! She let me and my husband come over and check it all out and talked to us for about an hour about getting started and what we needed. I didn't care to ask about cakes because my cakes are better than hers (in my opinion, lol) but I thought it was awfully nice of her to offer the time for me and my husband to come over. I have tried with other businesses and they seem to be very unhelpful. When we do get our kitchen built and I get overbooked, I'll be sending any extra business her way for sure!

I was asked to help a friend make a cake for her cousin's bridal shower. I told her to come here and look for a cake design she liked. She picked this one:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo-1380353.html

Did I mention that she wanted to make it on Friday and drive it 300 miles to the shower on Saturday? Yeah. I had to let her down gently. She finally decided on a 1/2 sheet with a gp bow. All I really did was supervise and give her some tips, but she did all of the hands-on work herself. The cake turned out really well for a first timer. I was really proud of her. She was shocked that a cake that looked so simple took so much time to produce. Victory!

Oh, well, I guess this story falls more in line with being PRO teaching for free. However, if I would have ended up doing all of the work for none of the credit (or $), it would have been very different.

Great thread.

On the intern issue...

I contact the local culinary school, all students must do an internship at an establishment (ie:restaurant, bakery, etc.). Those students while still students are close to graduation. They come and work for free, they receive a grade from me too. I get the help I need but can't really afford, they get the school credit and some "in the cake world" experience. I don't discuss the business end of it...they simply do the tasks I ask, and if I have to teach them something that they haven't done before then I feel like we both win. They are never with you long enough to learn too much other than all the grunt work...kneeding fondant, rolling out fondant, cleaning the kitchen, making the mundane repetative fondant & gumpaste pieces, etc...LOL! So if it is a true internship program from an accredited culinary school I say go for it. It really is a win/win situation.

On Cakeboss Software...IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY AND THEN SOME! It is awesome and I wish I had known about it so much sooner in my business. But as soon as I did I bought it, and then paid for the new upgrade difference with all the new bells & whistles. You just can't go wrong with buying it.

But to address the OP's actual topic...no I will not openly share with a stranger who randomly calls, emails, or comes in. I teach classes and they have to pay if they want to learn, end of story. I don't use my own students as interns, if they get good enough and my cake biz ever gets to the point where I can afford and need an employee then I will consider hiring one of my students. But the classes are usually private lessons and usually few and far between. Especially when they can go 30 miles to town and pay a fraction of what I charge for a Wilton class, but then again the Wilton Class only offers a fraction of what I offer. But people still think what I offer is the same. It really isn't.

Just bought cakeboss. I haven't checked it out yet cuz I'm too bloody busy with books but I wanted to let y'all know that cakecentral folk get 10% off. You just have to enter your user name

k...back to work

I agree...I'm a student at The French Pastry School...I need to do Stages which is like volunteer work. We are requested to do it because its part of completing the program. I think we should have an opportunity to get some actually hands-on experiences. No one tell you to teach your trade secrets. And I understand if its some random person who dont have to pay a cent to learn their things. I mean I wish there is apprenticeship like in the olden days, but in this modern fast-paced world, everyone wants to learn the secret and not anything else...while back then you start from scrubbing your master's kitchen from top to bottom to polishing pots for the first 2-5 years then you move to the next level depending on how your master think of you. Now...you learn what you can in such short periods of time.

If someone wants to intern...let them...if they are dedicated and determine, show them more, and maybe one day it will come back to you, they can help you out one day, in business its all about networking, help each other out.