10 Replies

Storage has to be the biggest issue for me… and as you collect things, this issue only gets worse, not better! LOL

— Sugar Pocket

Pricing that is fair and competitive.

OK cakey peeps here is a list of suggestions I have received so far from my facebook page.

Unsure of how to price my cakes properly?
Lack of confidence in asking for the order and money?
Not making enough money?
Not enough time to fulfill my orders?
Not knowing where to find customers?
No repeat business?
Something else not yet on this list.

I would love to hear what are your biggest challenges – so do let me know.

Cheers,

K

Hellloooooooo – I am guessing no challenges then???? No seriously, we had struggling with pricing came out way in front of any other challenge as well as asking customers for money. Would love to hear from some more decorators too. Cheers,

K

I would agree with all of the above responses, plus here’s another one I struggle with: I live in an area in which there isn’t much competition as far as cakes go, so demand has forced me to increase my prices. I’m in my late twenties, so most of my friends are getting married and/or having children and there’s constantly a birthday party, baby shower, bridal shower, etc. I myself couldn’t afford one of my own cakes and I wouldn’t expect most of my friends to be able to either. It seems like most of them feel obligated to purchase a cake from me just so I won’t think they’re being cheap or to prove to me that my work is deserving of what I’m charging. That, or they feel the need to explain why they couldn’t purchase one of my cakes. Either way, it’s always an awkward situation. I’ve donated my share and pretty much everyone I know has gotten a freebie. I really don’t think there is any way around this situation but i just thought i would share!

The biggest challenge I find working from home is not knowing where to find new customers. Word of mouth only goes so far – you give out business cards, you bring up cakes-conversations at every opportunity, you donate cakes left and right hoping to drum up new business and after all that, you still don’t have a steady stream of clients.

I also find that people don’t want to pay a fair price for what they’re getting. They don’t have a problem paying $5.00 for a slice of cake at a popular restaurant, but cringe at the thought of paying $75 for an entire cake made to their specifications. To give an example, I was asked to quote a price for a very siimple wedding cake that would feed 100 guests – the cake was going to be served at a reception given after the theatre play Mama Mia – However, I was told right off the bat that if the price was anywhere near $100 – they wouldn’t be able to pay that much. Helloooooo? I rest my case – LOL!!!

Yes, people who dont know what cake decorating entails, dont understand how much time and effort goes into every cake. I have the same problem too. I mention a price and they run a mile, thinking it is not worth it. I do not over price, if anything I am underpricing my cakes.
I tell them THESE ARE HAND CRAFTED BESPOKE CAKES! made to your specific requirements and they take days of planning and crafting to make. If say a garage had worked on your car for 2 days straight you would think nothing of paying your £500 bill!
What can we do to make people understand.
Ok, ive finished my rant :-)
Christine xx

I would like to know more about Facebook advertising and how I can use it to attract new customers.

Also, I would love to know about licensing clearances- not just the rules, but more about who to contact, how best to write the request, and in Cake Utopia which vendors are more likely to grant that one-time request (Disney always a “No”, but colleges usually say “Yes”, especially to alumni).

@Delores – When I get a client that balks at $1/serving I ask them what’s the cheapest restaurant around they can think of. Then I ask “OK, if you took 100 of your closest friends to restaurant and bought them all dessert, what would you expect to pay?” Sometimes it opens their eyes…

For me it is the lack of variety in decorating supplies in Canada as in comparison to the UK where everything seems much more advanced. Also, I find that the prices for cake supplies is far more expensive than other countries such as the US. That coupled with customers thinking they can get Walmart pricing for a custom cake!!!

I am not a business but my biggest issue is storage too, I am collecting so many different tools which most of them I use but just don’t have the ideal storage system for it all.