I don't charge less than $150 for any cake. If allllll they want is a 6", I would be happy to do that. But at my minimum. I made a one, yes 1 serving cake for $180 awhile back. It was a tiny castle turret and a figurine. So, yeah it can be done.
I didn't say it couldn't be done.........
But I don't think it's responsible or good advise to encourage new decorators to charge over $14. per person when establishing a business.
You can burn bridges and piss off potential clients.......and put yourself out of business before you ever really begin.
I don't work for free, and I wouldn't suggest a newbie do that either! Just say'n they might want to think about what people in their area really will pay and not what they dream to get paid.
I think the cakes are lovely, presented beautifully, and if the OP has figured out her costs and what making a 6" round is worth to her, than price it how you want! Sorry, but I started right off very high, and didn't screw around my pricing. I got a good gallery of examples going, got my baking down to a good science, and went big right out the gate. How many times a day do we question someone's low pricing, and now we tell someone it's too much? Sorry...I disagree.
That's what I would suggest. I don't even sell 6" cakes because I can't charge enough to make them worth my time.
When I first brought up the subject I was cautious about bringing up the topic. I don't want the OP to under charge for her work either! What Jason actually suggested is a smarter work around for getting a better price with-out scaring people off. I thought I read that the OP 'started' at $85. for a basic 6" cake, now I've double checked and realize I was wrong, it's $75 for a 6". That's still $12.50 per person. You can scare people off with your pricing, it does happen. Because one person on this thread has been blessed by wealthy customers never questioning their prices, doesn't mean that the OP will be that blessed. I'm trying to balance things out and show the OP that there's another person on this thread who hasn't been so blessed, who's clients won't pay $14. p.p. on a basic cake. That's all.
Im not arguing, and I certainly don't not have people question my pricing. I happen to live in a an oversaturated market area where people are slinging $20 sheetcakes and selling three tiered cakes that serve 100 people for $100. I don't hear back from plenty of people when I price my cakes. Cool with me, my weekends are filled and I turn away genuine requests often. I am very blessed that there are just enough people to keep me busy. And you're right, offering a 6" cake in the first place would be a complete waste of my time, so I don't offer them either. Has OP said she has not sold any? Is she in fact getting push back? I didn't see any comments from her that indicated it.
Thank you for pointing this out! I will look into it.
Thank you for this pricing structure suggestion! I think I will go ahead and change it to this or something similar.
I think the cakes are lovely, presented beautifully, and if the OP has figured out her costs and what making a 6" round is worth to her, than price it how you want! Sorry, but I started right off very high, and didn't screw around my pricing. I got a good gallery of examples going, got my baking down to a good science, and went big right out the gate. How many times a day do we question someone's low pricing, and now we tell someone it's too much? Sorry...I disagree.
Thanks so much for the compliment! It means a lot coming from someone as talented as you.
You didn't miss it - I do not have cookie prices up yet. Thank you so much for the compliments!
That's what I would suggest. I don't even sell 6" cakes because I can't charge enough to make them worth my time.
When I first brought up the subject I was cautious about bringing up the topic. I don't want the OP to under charge for her work either! What Jason actually suggested is a smarter work around for getting a better price with-out scaring people off. I thought I read that the OP 'started' at $85. for a basic 6" cake, now I've double checked and realize I was wrong, it's $75 for a 6". That's still $12.50 per person. You can scare people off with your pricing, it does happen. Because one person on this thread has been blessed by wealthy customers never questioning their prices, doesn't mean that the OP will be that blessed. I'm trying to balance things out and show the OP that there's another person on this thread who hasn't been so blessed, who's clients won't pay $14. p.p. on a basic cake. That's all.
I understand what you're saying and where your concern comes from. I've expressed the same concerns to my husband about my smaller cake prices, which is why I will be taking jason_kraft's suggestion.
Im not arguing, and I certainly don't not have people question my pricing. I happen to live in a an oversaturated market area where people are slinging $20 sheetcakes and selling three tiered cakes that serve 100 people for $100. I don't hear back from plenty of people when I price my cakes. Cool with me, my weekends are filled and I turn away genuine requests often. I am very blessed that there are just enough people to keep me busy. And you're right, offering a 6" cake in the first place would be a complete waste of my time, so I don't offer them either. Has OP said she has not sold any? Is she in fact getting push back? I didn't see any comments from her that indicated it.
I have not sold ANY cakes. My permit was just approved a month ago and the cake I've done since then has been for Icing Smiles. I know I'm targeting a pretty specific group of customers with my prices, but I know they're out there and within my service area. I do have a few potential customers who think my prices are fair.
That's what I would suggest. I don't even sell 6" cakes because I can't charge enough to make them worth my time.
When I first brought up the subject I was cautious about bringing up the topic. I don't want the OP to under charge for her work either! What Jason actually suggested is a smarter work around for getting a better price with-out scaring people off. I thought I read that the OP 'started' at $85. for a basic 6" cake, now I've double checked and realize I was wrong, it's $75 for a 6". That's still $12.50 per person. You can scare people off with your pricing, it does happen. Because one person on this thread has been blessed by wealthy customers never questioning their prices, doesn't mean that the OP will be that blessed. I'm trying to balance things out and show the OP that there's another person on this thread who hasn't been so blessed, who's clients won't pay $14. p.p. on a basic cake. That's all.
Also, where does $2/serving for a $115 14" cake come from? I'm thinking it might be from Earlene's cutting guide, which would be 65 servings for a 14" round, making it $1.77/serving.
I would just like to know what everyone references when they are talking about per serving prices, just so we are all on the same page. Mainly, I'd like to be on the same page as all of you. I'm not going to put it on my website, but I'd like to have serving suggestions on hand when someone asks.
Thanks!
I used Earlene's for years, thinking that Wilton's wasn't enough cake to get those serving amounts, but I was getting ready for a wedding show recently and ALL the other cake vendors use Wilton's! So, I did the math for volume, divided by 8 (1x2x4 per slice) and found that Wilton is right in line with that, so I switched. Bonus, I gave myself a raise without changing my price per serving! And, I am easier to compare with other vendors.
I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.
The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!
My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-)
Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...
I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.
The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!
My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-)
Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...
Thank you for responding jason_kraft and Annabakescakes!
This is my plan also:
"The number of servings doesn't factor into my pricing equation at all, except to provide a handy reference number for customers to use for comparison purposes."
Was it ever a concern for you that a customer might be comparing your prices with another decorator, as Annabakescakes explained? If a customer were shopping around (bride or not) and I quoted # servings based off of Earlene's and someone else based off of Wilton's, the customer might go with whoever says they can give them more servings or presented it so that it sounded like they were paying less per serving, even if it was for the same size cake. However, the Wilton party servings are pretty close to Earlene's. Does everyone give a range of servings that covers all 3 (Wilton wedding, Wilton party, and Earlene's) with a short explanation that it depends on how big they cut their slices?
