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Thread for People Who Like Pricing! - Page 7

post #91 of 104
2/24/12 at 5:08pm
just wondering, how much would you charge for a fairy tale book cake covered in fondant serving 40, 30 cake pops(strawberry, french vanilla and red velvet) decorated to look like red riding hood, 30 mini cupcakes (same flavors as cake pops, and a smash cake (yellow cake with whipped cream and mmf accents)?
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post #92 of 104
2/24/12 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by micaelasmami

just wondering, how much would you charge for a fairy tale book cake covered in fondant serving 40, 30 cake pops(strawberry, french vanilla and red velvet) decorated to look like red riding hood, 30 mini cupcakes (same flavors as cake pops, and a smash cake (yellow cake with whipped cream and mmf accents)?



To come up with an accurate price you need to add up your costs for the entire order (ingredients, labor, and overhead) then add a profit margin (usually in the 15-30% range).

The starting point would be estimating the cost for ingredients (including boards, supports, packaging, etc.) and estimating how long it will take to complete the order (including prep, baking, decorating, and cleanup).

Our price would probably be in the $400 range for that order.
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The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
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post #93 of 104
2/24/12 at 5:38pm
Thank you guys for the response..I'm going to sit back down right now and refigure it...I'm actually not sure how i figured out that profit now..heh back to the drawing board! I'm so glad there are people out there to give you help. So expect me to be writing back on here by tonight or tomorrow morning ! icon_smile.gif And thank you for responding to the torting question, and also earlier I asked about how many cups of batter for the cupcakes...thank you also for responding to that!
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post #94 of 104
2/24/12 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mystsparkle

Thank you guys for the response..I'm going to sit back down right now and refigure it...I'm actually not sure how i figured out that profit now..heh back to the drawing board! I'm so glad there are people out there to give you help. So expect me to be writing back on here by tonight or tomorrow morning ! icon_smile.gifAnd thank you for responding to the torting question, and also earlier I asked about how many cups of batter for the cupcakes...thank you also for responding to that!



You're welcome!
Started my business legally February 2012! Commercial kitchen and all!
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Started my business legally February 2012! Commercial kitchen and all!
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post #95 of 104
3/8/12 at 10:31am
This thread needs to be closer to the top. icon_biggrin.gif I love to look at what others are pricing and how they come up with their pricing, because it really helps me determine if I need to make any changes. I am still fairly new to the business side of cakes, so I am always looking at ways to improve or make my life easier. Right now, I charge a base price, meaning I charge a minimum amount for certain cake sizes. Then, based on the complexity of the design, the price goes up. Here is my current price list >> http://violascakes.com/cakes/prices/ . I took a look at what other bakers were charging in this area and used that as a guide. The local bakery around here starts at $3.50 per serving (I'm in central TX), but they do not make 3D cakes, they do mostly bday cakes and weddings. Although I start at $5/serving for 3D cakes, some of my 3D cakes are as much 7-10 dollars per serving, simply because of the amount of work that goes into it. I also have a 25 serving minimum; I didn't at first but I was tired of people asking me to make a 3D cake for just 5 people. icon_rolleyes.gif This is the pricing structure that works for me as of right now; it may change in the future.
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post #96 of 104
3/8/12 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyViola

This thread needs to be closer to the top. icon_biggrin.gif I love to look at what others are pricing and how they come up with their pricing, because it really helps me determine if I need to make any changes. I am still fairly new to the business side of cakes, so I am always looking at ways to improve or make my life easier. Right now, I charge a base price, meaning I charge a minimum amount for certain cake sizes. Then, based on the complexity of the design, the price goes up. Here is my current price list >> http://violascakes.com/cakes/prices/ . I took a look at what other bakers were charging in this area and used that as a guide. The local bakery around here starts at $3.50 per serving (I'm in central TX), but they do not make 3D cakes, they do mostly bday cakes and weddings. Although I start at $5/serving for 3D cakes, some of my 3D cakes are as much 7-10 dollars per serving, simply because of the amount of work that goes into it. I also have a 25 serving minimum; I didn't at first but I was tired of people asking me to make a 3D cake for just 5 people. icon_rolleyes.gif This is the pricing structure that works for me as of right now; it may change in the future.



I like the way you have your price list set up. One question: can I be nosey and ask how much you charged for your violin cake? That cake is amazing! icon_surprised.gif
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post #97 of 104
3/8/12 at 2:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jgifford



I like the way you have your price list set up. One question: can I be nosey and ask how much you charged for your violin cake? That cake is amazing! icon_surprised.gif



Thank you!!! ...lol...that cake was not actually for a customer. I made that as a practice cake. In fact alot of the cakes I made last year were practice cakes. Selling cakes made in a home kitchen was not legal in Texas until late last year and so alot of the cakes I did up until that point were just for fun or for family. Anywho, that cake feeds about 25 people and so I'd charge a customer $225 for that particular size. A larger violin would of course cost more.
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post #98 of 104
3/8/12 at 2:18pm
Thanks! thumbs_up.gif
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post #99 of 104
3/18/12 at 2:40am
Hi Everyone! I just recently started decorating, although I've been baking for quite some time. I made cupcakes for my sister in laws baby shower as favors, and made tons of holiday cookies, and cakes for parties. At my sister in laws shower, I met a party planner who would like to hire me for events. Unfortunately I don't know what to charge. I was recently asked to make a 6 layered rainbow cake, as in my profile picture (party cake will be much much neater lol, made this cake with no sleep for 48 hrs). I already figured out how much it will cost me approximately to make the cake, It will cost anywhere from $22 - $28 depending on frosting and fondant, but that's just cost to make the cake itself. Not time, overhead, or profit. I'm just wondering what a reasonable price would be to charge for this cake. It's for a 7 yr old birthday, but I would really like to have this woman as a client because it could potentially send a ton of business my way. From Long Island NY by the way. I know I can do so much with it as far as the theme, and cereal treats rainbows. I've looked at some of the pricing on here and i just can't imagine price, I have a few sketches drawn for more detail pm me. Thanks for all your help! I appreciate it.

Life can be bitter, but something sweet always makes it better 

Ashleigh

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Life can be bitter, but something sweet always makes it better 

Ashleigh

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post #100 of 104
3/18/12 at 4:16am
Roxy, did you mean six layers of cake? That's what I see in the photo, not six tiers.

Before you start wholesaling, you need to make sure you are legal to bake from home in your state. You need to check with your local health department, get a business license, and pay all the proper insurances. I would not get involved in any sale of baked goods until you get that squared away. FromScratch just posted a thread yesterday or the day before I believe about a person who was wholesaling to a business, and both parties got in trouble because it was discovered she was baking illegally from home.

That being said, you really need to determine how much your time is worth to you. If you know how much ingredients are, that is about half the battle. You need to sit down and really determine how much you need to make for your time and also covering the other overhead expenses.

I know you said you did the cake late when you were running on empty, so maybe you can post another picture of one that you professionally decorated, so others may be able to assist you and make sure your skill level and your pricing are appropriate. But even then pricing will be difficult to determine because of the time factor; it takes a more experienced person less time to decorate a three tiered cake than someone who is just starting out.

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post #101 of 104
3/18/12 at 5:02am
@ Annie thanks for the reply, so sorry, I meant layered. I am licensed from home (recently lol) and I never really took pictures unfortunately, all I have are what a few family members took, and am kicking myself. I'm just looking for a base price, because it depends on how I decorate it, I have a 3 different ideas a base, a more complex, and an elaborate. And of course all three would be priced accordingly, I just don't know what a base price should be. What do people think there time is worth? If I were getting paid hourly at a desk job I would make about $16 per hour, but I can't imagine pricing a cake accordingly to that.... It would be an $80 cake and I feel like that's a lot. Thanks!

Life can be bitter, but something sweet always makes it better 

Ashleigh

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Life can be bitter, but something sweet always makes it better 

Ashleigh

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post #102 of 104
3/18/12 at 5:47am
$80 for a six layer custom cake in long island is not a lot. Especially if you are adding decorations etc to finish out the cake. Many people set a min price for any order of $50 and I'm seriously considering not offering 6 inch single tiered cakes because it's not worth my time in most cases.
The orange and blue cake in my pics I charge $70 for. It's an 8 inch round. Most people would charge $20 for just the now. I'm in TX so my pricing will be low compared to long island. For a basic BC cake, nothing to fancy, I charge 2.50 a serving and that works for me to cover my time and expenses. I estimate my hourly wage at $10 and that gives me a small profit above what I have in the cake.

One person on here has a really cool system where she estimates the hourly wage by skill set. For basic frosting and baking she pays herself one hourly wage. For figure modeling and gumpaste flowers another. Because these are specialized skills she feels her time is worth more. It's a shame you didn't keep pics of your work. That's how I determined my pricing. I went through all my pics and figured out what the cakes would have cost using my pricing model and determined if I thought the price would work in my area. Good luck.
Visit me at www.keeponcaking.com for tutorials and other cake stuff.
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Visit me at www.keeponcaking.com for tutorials and other cake stuff.
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post #103 of 104
3/18/12 at 10:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sillywabbitz

One person on here has a really cool system where she estimates the hourly wage by skill set. For basic frosting and baking she pays herself one hourly wage. For figure modeling and gumpaste flowers another. Because these are specialized skills she feels her time is worth more.



That's awesome! Wish I knew who it was.
Started my business legally February 2012! Commercial kitchen and all!
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Started my business legally February 2012! Commercial kitchen and all!
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post #104 of 104
3/19/12 at 3:37am
That is cool thanks!

Life can be bitter, but something sweet always makes it better 

Ashleigh

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Life can be bitter, but something sweet always makes it better 

Ashleigh

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