I really like baking as a hobby. I love cupcakes and love making my family and friends happy with handmade desserts. I'm having a hard time convincing them that this is a fun hobby for me and not something I want to turn into a business. It wouldn't be fun for me anymore. It would be stressful. I have a lot of respect for those of you who have taken your passion and rolled it into your business. I'm not really looking for advice, lol, I just wondered if there are other hobbyists who feel the same or even professionals who, now that it's a job, aren't as passionate about baking and decorating.

I'm with you 100%. In fact you said the exact words I tell people. "it wouldn't be fun anymore".

To stop people harassing me, I tell them cake making is not a lucrative business, that I couldn't earn anywhere near what I do in my current job if I switched to cake making fulltime. Then they say "oh.. .ok", and leave it at that.

If only they knew how far off being good enough to do that I am anyway, they would stop! Bless them for thinking we're good enough though

My response to 'When are you going to start a business"' is always, 'When I have a rich backer and the desire to never have a Friday night or Saturday free again."

YES! I feel the same way. I started cake decorating this year and have thrown myself into it, sometimes making 4-5 cakes a week just to get the ideas out of my head and onto a cake! (My family is grateful that I just ordered some cake dummies to practice). I've come a long way and my cakes are good for a beginner but people keep pushing me to start selling them. I don't want that pressure. I admit that I'm not good enough to start a business and that's fine with me. My kiddos and hubby love what I make and so does the Church and preschool where I donate stuff for fundraisers. Can I get to a level where I can sell them for good money? I'm sure with practice and time, I can. But that's not my goal. Plus, it takes me a long time to do these cakes mostly because I'm learning as I go. Something that might take a professional 3 hours, will take me 6 hours. At that point, it's a labor of love!

I admire those that have turned their creative talent into a business and I might get there someday. But I quit a very profitable career to dedicate these years to raising my preschoolers. Starting a business now isn't the right time for me. Perhaps when my kids are in junior high and want nothing to do with dear old mom, then I can take on a business as my "new baby".

Ditto - just a hobby, just for fun. Recently I discovered another cake decorater in my area. Now when folks ask for a cake, I just refer them to the other lady. She's happy to get the business, I'm happy to not have the pressure, and the customers are happy to get a custom cake.

I turned mine into a Business. For me it's still fun & I still control the volume that I do. When I first started decorating I found that I was releasing stress. I was at peace when making cakes & other treats. As a business it's still the same. One day I stopped to really think why I love doing this & why I am stress free in the process & came to the conclusion ... because what I do brings joy to others. I know it sound kinda dorky ... but while decorating I can't wait to finish & have the customer pick it up. I actually image oh they will like this ... or this will fit their personality etc.

It's really weird because I am the biggest tomboy you'll ever meet. I decided to take cake classes because I was bored & other in my family was doing it. And somewhere around week 2 I just fell in love with it. So much that I teach it as well. (Now teaching can be stressful)

But I totally get what you are saying...I'm great with fixing computers & styling hair both I went to school for & both I will do just to help someone out. But will NOT do it as a business...because it looses something in translation. So I say do what makes you happy & your family & friends will never truly understand...I still have some asking me when am I gonna work in a salon or can you do our hair & make-up for this event...yadda yadda yadda They see your talent and just want great things for you. However, they don't understand that the greatest reward for you is just baking & decorating out of love.

Sorry so long... Hope what I said makes sense.

Like zespri, I couldn't make as much as I do my full-time job. Plus, having been self-employed for 15 years, I understand the cost of benefits (health insurance, workers comp, etc.) I enjoy it as a hobby and find it very relaxing. I need the retirement program from my full-time job or I will working full-time for the rest of my life. Now, that doesn't mean that I hit the lottery, I wouldn't try doing cakes as a little business (between all the traveling - lol.)

I totally agree! I do this for fun...bridezillas or picky customers would totally ruin it for me!!! lol

When I get friends and family who want to pay me something, I tell them to make a donation to their favorite charity...that's the ONLY compensation I'll accept!

Hope I am not off base here... I share your idea that once I can't do what I want, it becomes work. I want to create when and where it makes me happy and does not throw off the balance of my family. I do take donations for a non-profit my husband is involved in, which I call Send a Nurse To Africa,and that seems to calm people enough. I am thankful they feel my creations are so good money should exchange hands, but I really do not wish to operate a bakery very day, have employees, never have free time. This gives me control for that balance I feel so passionate about!

I bake as a hobby and I've had some friends suggest I go into business, but I don't think I'm really good enough. I also don't think they know what they're talking about when they make the suggestion. Usually it's accompanied with something like: "How long did this take you to make? Oh, XX hours? Well, if you could just learn to make it faster, you could make some real money in this!" I think in their minds, I'm going to whip out a cake for super cheap and charge less than the grocery stores and make some "real money".

I have a home-based business, and people always ask me when I'm going to open a shop. The answer is the same as yours. I'll open a shop when I decide that I want to work 80 hours a week, have to deal with hiring and training staff, and increase my volume to cover all my new overhead costs.

If you're running a business to actually make a decent income, nothing is as fun as it would be if it was a hobby, or if you're just doing as many cakes as you feel like. If I had a business and was just taking cakes that I thought were fun that would be great! But a lot of people want cakes that I wouldn't choose for myself, or designs that I've done a million times already so they're boring, or whatever. That's okay, but it's definitely a job, not fun all the time!

I am just begining and right now it's fun just to make cakes to make them. Down the road it woudl be awesome to do it as a small business but I honestly don't think I would ever get my good enough to do that. So for now it's free cakes for family and friends.

I worked for a small custom cake bakery for a year and learned so much from mere observation. I would not want a full-time career as I was privy to all the non-creative, business aspects of it. She was very successful...in fact it was her success that caused her to close her business. She was cranking cakes out and not enjoying what once was fun for her. She knew she either had to expand or close, and since there was so much pressure on her at that time and going through a divorce, she chose to go back to a 'real' job. I, who had never baked or decorated at the shop, decided to try a cake for my sister-in-law based on what I'd learned there and boom, I'm hooked. While I don't want a full time bakery I wouldn't mind being an at-home decorator and make a little money here and there...however Oklahoma hasn't passed their Cottage Food Law yet.

I completely agree with the OP. If I lived where home-based business was allows, I would definitely consider it. A few months ago, in response to constant prompting, I called around to incubator projects and rental kitchen spaces. The hourly rate, while low to some, required that I bake and decorate full time with many multiple coake orders a week.

That's not what I want to do. So, I continue to enjoy my hobby. Bake and decorated for friends and family.

If I'm going to put this much work into something, I want the money! I have kids to feed and bills to pay. If I had the talent some of you have, there's absolutely no way I wouldn't turn that into a money-making entity. You'd be surprised how much fun there is in having your own money in the bank.

I personally like the comment someone gave me last week. "All you need is confidence and some good marketing". Uhhhhh. Yeah. And a license, and more experience, and a place to bake that isn't overrun with my kids and the family dog, and money. Not to mention money. And did I mention money? Oh, and how about some money. LOL!

I kind of feel the same way as the OP.

I've been going back and forth on whether or not I want to venture into a cake business, but what keeps me away from diving in is the business side. I just want to make cakes. I mean I have my website, my business name and price list. But I keep on reverting back to just keeping it as a hobby. And I too don't want to give away my family time, weekends or vacations to baking cakes. Even as a hobby baker, the cake orders can get out of control considering the fact that I have a full-time job and a family.

But again, I go back and forth with wanting a cake business or not.

I just dabble in it. I wanted to make my daughter's 2nd birthday cake as I have fond memories of my mom making my sister and I birthday cakes. I worked in a salon for 16 years and had to give up doing what I love due the birth of my daughter and health issues. I think I was drawn in cake decorating because it allowed me to be creative and make people happy.
I agree about the pressure not sure I'd want to have a full time business for that reason when or if I get good enough. I think time management and organization is key which I'm finding out. I only do cakes for family and friends and so far just happy to do so. I admire those who do it as a business and have much respect for them!

I'm with the OP. I just do caking as a hobby. If I had lots of expectations, legal and economic considerations it would be so stressful that it wouldn't be fun anymore.

I have a so much respect and admiration for bakers who do it as a legal business. They have a lot of responsibility.

I'm with the OP. I just do caking as a hobby. If I had lots of expectations, legal and economic considerations it would be so stressful that it wouldn't be fun anymore.

I have a so much respect and admiration for bakers who do it as a legal business. They have a lot of responsibility.