And besides I hope you don't tell your "customers" how long you have been doing this or you are learning as you go...
My DH used to work at a personal aircraft manufacturer. They made airplanes for rich people. Could we afford one? No. Were they worth the price? Yes. Just because YOU wouldn't spend the money doesn't mean what you make is worth less. Also as your skills increase, the way you view your time and worth increases.
no one said they were attacking her..but from this response "Well, from this point on I'll just stick to family, if that." it came across that she was somewhat put off. I said she may "feel" that she was being attacked. I was reassuring her that was not the case.
AIf she is not confident that she is at a level where she can charge market prices, I agree with her that she should stick to making cakes for family only. If she keeps working at her skills (both on the cake decorating side and the business side) eventually she will be ready to participate in the marketplace and start a business.
And no, that was not breakfast, that was honest and frank advice.
breakfast? Yes Jason and AZ...I was talking to her. I am not here to get into a debate with you.
A
Original message sent by BatterUpCake
thought the exact same way and the pro's on here ate me for breakfast.
Yes Jason and AZ...I was talking to her. I am not here to get into a debate with you.
If you want to send someone a private message you can do so by pointing to their username and clicking "Send PM".
and that goes to everyone. Even when I am agreeing with some one here they have a problem with it. My comments were not pointed to you, they were directed at the OP. But your comments were directed at me. They could have been sent in a PM, could they not?
A
Original message sent by BatterUpCake
no one said they were attacking her..but from this response "Well, from this point on I'll just stick to family, if that." it came across that she was somewhat put off. I said she may "feel" that she was being attacked. I was reassuring her that was not the case.
A
Original message sent by BatterUpCake
and that goes to everyone. Even when I am agreeing with some one here they have a problem with it. My comments were not pointed to you, they were directed at the OP. But your comments were directed at me. They could have been sent in a PM, could they not?
If I did not want anyone else to see or reply to my comments, I would have sent them in a PM, but since it doesn't matter to me who sees and replies to what I write, I posted publicly. If you are sensitive about people other than the intended recipient seeing what you write I recommend sticking to PMs.
EDIT: This is based on your comment above where you seemed to have an issue with other people commenting on your reply to the OP, e.g. "I am not here to get into a debate with you."
Thank you AZ....sorry if I misread you. When the OP said "family, if that" it sounded like she was discouraged enough to quit with the "if that" I would hate for someone to quit baking because of 1 forum
LOL...I have no problem with anyone seeing what I post. If I did I would not post it. Not sure where you got that idea.
I agree with sticking to helping out family and friends with cakes until you're at a skill level that you feel comfortable charging at least a normal price for. Cakes are a lot more fun when they are a hobby anyway!
Thank you AZ....sorry if I misread you. When the OP said "family, if that" it sounded like she was discouraged enough to quit with the "if that" I would hate for someone to quit baking because of 1 forum
I think this is what we meant about it being a touchy subject! lol. Yeesh. It is something people get so heated about. And for what? I agree. It did seem as though she was about to give up. I can see how she may feel ganged up on whether that were the case or not. Don't give up. While it is a bit heated, I think everyone has good intentions. If there is no one in your area that sells cakes, there is no one to undercut but you have to know your own worth. Your cakes ARE worth the money. Anyone not willing to pay that doesn't need the cake. I forget who, but someone on here has a signature that says "I would rather do one cake for $150, than three for $50." Words to live by.
At this point I will take the 3 $50 cakes...lol. They won't be 3 tier cakes though! But yes I would rather do a cake that challenges me. There are so many things I want to try! I have been wanting to do the bushel of crabs cake for awhile. I don't have anything for this weekend so I am making it for fun. I'll take it to the picnic tomorrow and leave my cards beside it.
At this point I will take the 3 $50 cakes...lol. They won't be 3 tier cakes though! But yes I would rather do a cake that challenges me. There are so many things I want to try! I have been wanting to do the bushel of crabs cake for awhile. I don't have anything for this weekend so I am making it for fun. I'll take it to the picnic tomorrow and leave my cards beside it.
I'd love to see that when it is done. I love trying new things. I always send them with my hubby to work.
AThe best advice I ever saw was that you price your cakes. Never think it is too much. When you start to value your work others will too. I used to feel like I overcharged for everything but I had to just stop feeling bad. If they don't want to pay for my services then I'm not going to do it. If they want Walmart prices they can go to Walmart. :) I don't do many sugar cookies but for the John deer cake I would do at least $60-$70. But check your ingredient prices. And then add to it what YOU think your work is worth :)
I have also been having trouble uploading pics the last few days. I'll get it up there no matter what.
AI am just starting out as well. Right now I'm not really charging anyone, I get to learn and do something I really enjoy and am pretty good at. Here are my suggestions to you. Make it known if you plan to sell your cakes, even if it's a just an idea. Let people see your work (it's great by the way) and do some research. I live in a suburb of St. Louis and we literally have one bakery. I looked at what they offer and several bakeries in St. Louis. That along with the pricing matrix, I've come up with reasonable prices for cakes when I'm ready to sell. I won't be under-cutting any local business but I also won't be giving away my time and effort. Don't let anyone in here get you down. There is nothing wrong with hobby baking. Just make sure when you do start selling, your business is legit. Good luck!!!
I'm acquiring skills as I go, and I only started doing cakes a couple months ago, so I thought people would take offense if I charged what someone who has years of experience under their belt, so I quoted the lady $75 for a three tiered fondant cake. She said, " Oh No, I can't do that!" So, given this lady goes to my church and I know people don't have a lot of money these days, I told her $30 for a tiered 90% buttercream cake; technically I didn't get paid for anything because that covered the supplies.
so what's the other 10% made from??
I think potential cake decorators/designers should refine their skills before they start selling to the public.
Otherwise they will only get customers who want cheap cakes and who don't care about aesthetics/design/quality- and just have lower standards in general.
If you're not at that level, then just keep practicing and practicing.
Two attorneys went into a diner and ordered two drinks. Then they took out sandwiches from their briefcases and started to eat.
The waiter became quite concerned and marched over and told them,“You can’t eat your own sandwiches here!”The attorneys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and then exchanged sandwiches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[url=http://www.arm2fifa.com]FIFA 13 Coins[/url]
[url=http://www.arm2fifa.com]fifa 13 ultimate team coins[/url]
A
Original message sent by Yuzhiyejin
[SIZE=12pt]Two attorneys went into a diner and ordered two drinks. Then they took out sandwiches from their briefcases and started to eat.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The waiter became quite concerned and marched over and told them,“[/SIZE]You can’t eat your own sandwiches here!”The attorneys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and then exchanged sandwiches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[url=[URL=http:]http://www.arm2fifa.com]FIFA[/URL] 13 Coins[/url]
[url=[URL=http:]http://www.arm2fifa.com]fifa[/URL] 13 ultimate team coins[/url]
Anna, Spam's not too bad with cheese and mustard 
A
Original message sent by cakefat
so what's the other 10% made from??
I think potential cake decorators/designers should refine their skills before they start selling to the public.
Otherwise they will only get customers who want cheap cakes and who don't care about aesthetics/design/quality- and just have lower standards in general. If you're not at that level, then just keep practicing and practicing.
If someone wants to come out and ask then fine, but I still don't think pretending to order a cake is the best way to go about it. Besides, I would think that asking for the price of one cake isn't really going to teach them how to price their cakes in the future.
I could never call a professional and pretend to place an order to scope out their prices! Mostly because I just don't think that's right (just be honest), and for another I know my skill is no where near their level!
I just believe offering someone something at a price and quality that I would be willing to pay! And most are absolutely fine with that, but there are others who aren't! I paid a hefty price for my wedding cake years ago, and didn't bat an eye because it was gorgeous, although I still hear today how awful it tasted because of the fondant.
Maybe that doesn't seem "nice". But I'll tell you what's not nice - undercutting. So far on this thread a couple of professional bakers have said, sure, pretend to be a customer, take a couple of minutes of my time and get a real price. When someone who knows what they're talking about says something, they may have a really good reason for his/her opinion. it's worth considering.
Your skill on the John Deer cake was at their level...I thought the exact same way and the pro's on here ate me for breakfast. They do not like having their prices undercut by home bakers. It is not fair to them. Of course you adjust your price according to your skill level. Do you mind me asking what you charged for that cake? Or if you didn't charge for it what YOU think you would have charged...
Thank you :)
Definitely learn royal icing if you continue to make cookies for people...it's a pain but it hardens and you can stack the cookies and they wont get messed up. I agree with above comments...see what it costs you to make the cakes, then add a bit in for profit. Each cake will cost something different probably based on how much time you spend working on it. I always undercharge and regret it because so much hard work is involved!
Maybe that doesn't seem "nice". But I'll tell you what's not nice - undercutting. So far on this thread a couple of professional bakers have said, sure, pretend to be a customer, take a couple of minutes of my time and get a real price. When someone who knows what they're talking about says something, they may have a really good reason for his/her opinion. it's worth considering.
Thank you :)
Agreed! I'm not saying it is wrong and if the pros (which I am definitely not yet) say they don't mind then go for it. Just not my style I suppose. I wouldn't mind coming out and asking for some help, that's why I signed up here. Just not the type to pretend to order a cake that I have not intentions of getting.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%