I need your thoughts on this message I recieved on my facebook page please! I'm not sure as to how to respond so I would really love to hear some thoughts on this. The following is the message I recieved...

" I seen your card at (X brand store) and checked out your cakes. LOVE the looks of them! I've done cakes for my family/friends as well. Where do you rent a commercial kitchen? Do you also have your food license? If you ever get big enough to need help, I'd love to assist! I have some of my ckaes on facebook. I'd also love to learn some of the techniques you use. Do you use only fondant for frosting cakes or buttercream as well?"

Now I'll just get it out there for for those of you that I know will ask... Yes, I do rent in-caubator kitchen. Yes, I am licensed. I am a self taught decorator. I have been decorating for ten years and have taught myself the entire way. I have a lot of time and money invested into my-self training.

I have just started my business this last October. I live in a smaller town. I am trying to find a location to have a store front in the near future( just havn't found the right place yet)

I hope thats enough info for everyone to help me! Thanks! :)

Can you be more specific what your question is?  

Your post was also edited to remove your Facebook page. You are free to add that link onto your signature line.

Very nice page on Facebook, great cakes!!!

As far as this person, its a toss up. It could be someone prodding and prying trying to extract info, or it could be someone genuinely try to learn more just to better themselves and looking for work.

Either way I would thank them for the compliment and their interest in helping but you don't need any help right now. I wouldn't bother with saying anything about the kitchen or license.

Or, you could just not reply, your a busy person and cant answer the hundreds of messages you get.

Best of luck with finding a store front, Jimmy

Why I am I not allowed myfacebook page with this thread? I've seen countless other treads with facebook pages.

My question is How do I respond to this message. I am not sure if I should respond and if I do What to say.

Thank you Jimmy! I I had thought the same thing about not sending her a reponse back, but I wasn't sure if it would look rude. I also wasn't sure if she looking for Free info. The kind of infor I had to search for on my own.

And thank you Jimmy for the nice comment on my page!

AWe used to get requests for employment all the time (a few times with the name of our business spelled incorrectly), I would thank them for their interest and tell them I would keep their contact information on file in case of a position opening up in the future.

I also don't see any harm in telling her that you are a licensed and inspected business and whether or not you use fondant on your cakes.

You could suggest she try Michael's classes in cake decorating and watching videos on YouTube to learn technique. And practice, practice, practice. You could refer her to your health department, if they are the agency that controls cake selling in your area.

My thoughts on this would be to contact the messenger and tell them the proper way to say that would be, 'I SAW your...'  or ' I HAD seen....' and that "seen" is the past participle of saw, and past participles cannot be used on their own, should be used with either "has" or "had", or "have."  (Unless written in a passive voice, such as 'Your card was seen in the shop...' ) (Feel free to copy/paste I cringe whenever I hear  it or read it  incorrectly used, like nails on a chalkboard, and can think of nothing else.) And then thank them for their interest.

I, too, see no harm in telling them you are, indeed, licensed. However, I may not mention where your Commercial kitchen is, as she may be fishing to use it herself, and only contacted you to get the info. I think that is shady. 

I would tell her you are licenced and inspected, but would not give out more info. Afterall, you did put in time and money in to research and to get where you are today. But, maybe you can offer her a consultation or a decor lesson. You can share your knowledge and resources and make profit. I myself is a begginer, took Hobby Lobby classes. But I also looked around and asked established cake decorators to give me class, I gladly paid for their time and knowledge. One lady did 2 hour lesson just for me, another one is doing a lesson in cupcake decor for me and my sisters. She is making money by charging us, and we are getting the tips and practice we need. Just an idea :)

AI heart Anna.

Sorry, I didn't intend to derail anything.  I agree with other posters - - I would respond with a polite "Thank you for your interest and your kind words" and leave it at that. 

AWhy can't we add links anymore :s

Clarification:

It is not allowed to start a thread asking for Facebook fans.  It has no context and is considered self-promotional.  We have a single long-running thread for people to post their Facebook page if they want to try and get fans, and adding your FB page in your signature line is of course allowed.

In this case, starting a thread adding a Facebook page in the original question is frowned upon as it could be viewed as a solicitation for fans instead of a real question.

You are allowed to post links as long as it's an answer to a question posted on the boards.

:-) Thanks, ladies, I heart all of you, especially the ones who can spell, and use proper grammar!

CC-ing is sure getting complicated. And the "anonymous  moderator" from nowhere is a bit "big brother" or even "socialist Russia-esque" if you ask me (or don't). I am wondering why there isn't a photo with a jack boot on someone's neck, instead of the moderator picture?

APseudonymous moderation (or separate accounts when moderators are also regular forum contributors) is actually the norm in many forums. There should be no difference except in how you contact CC in case of moderation issues.

I get strange emails like that all the time...I just answer that I don't have employees, and that any classes I'm planning would be on my website. You don't have to answer every quetion someone asks you, just send a generic polite response back.

As far as the thing about posting a facebook link in a post as opposed to in a signature, I don't see why one would be seen as a solicitation for fans when the other wouldn't. But then again, I was once told by a moderator that I couldn't put my website in my signature because people could find it in my profile. Seems random to me, but whatever.

Funny, I just received an email about a cake starting with "I seen one of these cakes...."

Good grief, made me cringe.

Hello from WI, you're right up the road from me :)

I get these a lot. I do the same as the others- thanks so much for the compliments, I am a one woman show and do not offer lessons at this time....but there is this GREAT website called Cake Central that has EVERYTHING you need to know to be great!

I would tell her that you are licensed, inspected and insured though- it will encourage others in the area to do it the right way.

AI just cringed!