Out of my home

I feel that being out of my home is holding me back.  If I had a shop where everyday customers could come in and buy last minute cupcakes or cakepops my business would take off through the roof!
Would doing this be a HUGE leap of faith? Of course!
Am I scared? You bet.
I have been told "you need to have a certain amount coming in before you can get a place." BUT What is that magic number? What do I need to be bringing in for this to work? I have NOTA clue. How do I get more business if I'm only going to Bridal Shows?  Yet again nota clue!
I know I want to be the Cake Boss or Georgetown Cupcakes of Iowa!  I need a business planner to help me get there! 

Why do birthday cakes cost so much?

I know people are able to make their own cakes, they are even able to go to Hy-Vee / Target and get a cake for $20 or less.  So spending $80-100 on a birthday cake seems outrageous.  "Why would she charge that much for a cake?" 
Well I want to give you my why!
I charge brides not for butter cream or fondant (since I charge the same price) but for my time.  I spend countless hours baking and decorating their costume cake.    Something they can't or don't want to do on their big day! (And rightly so it is a major project they shouldn't need to worry about on a day of such importance!) 
Birthdays are basically the same thing.  It is a day when mom is very busy making sure all the other details are perfect.  I still spend at least the same amount of time making birthday cakes as I would a wedding cake and now that I make my own toppers I would say I spend even more time.  The Mario Brothers toppers I made I spend 4-5 days in 4 hours sessions to make it all.  Nemo has been about the same and I'm not even done yet.  (I will post a few photos of some more toppers and show you what I am talking about.) My cakes are not something you can run to the store an hour before your party and pick out of the case.  They are carefully executed and thought out cakes custom made for your event! 
Are my cakes a necessity when the economy is bad? No.  Is my cake worth the money though?  I would like to say yes- every penny! Do I have hurt feelings if you email me about a cake and then decide my cake isn't in your budget?  NO!!!  I know my kids wouldn't get cakes like this if I wasn't the one making them!

Bridal show learning curve

I went to the "Everything Bridal Show" at Hy-Vee conference center yesterday.  It was so fun to see all the brides and be interactive with new clients.  I think that is my favorite part of these shows... meeting with the people!  I love speaking with them and just smiling all day long! My cheeks hurt by the end of the day I was laughing so much!

I did learn a few new things. 
1) I need to answer questions in a more direct answer.  Josh says they don't want to hear back stories... just an answer to the question they asked.  (This will be hard for me since I'm rather social!)  One example would be:  "How long have you been making cakes?"   I would say "I have been promoting for 1.5 years but making cakes for almost 7 years."  Josh has informed me I need to just say "7 years" and be done with it.

2) I will never go to a show without my cupcake tree again. The wow factor of my tree is amazing!  I didn't take it this time because every other show I go to people assume I only do cupcakes and I wanted to see if I could avoid that this time.  I did avoid that but at the expense of not having my "wow" factor.  Just not worth it! I am tossing around the idea of making it a tad smaller and putting a spinner on the bottom then just setting the big stand on the table.  The tree is SO big and takes up more space then I normally have... so to avoid taking up too much space I would use the table space that is provided.  We shall see how this works in April.
3)Raspberry in French Vanilla and Chocolate caramel in chocolate cake is the best cakes I've EVER made. Even with my love affair with Butter Pecan!   Fillings make a world of difference!
4)I will be putting a fondant heart on all cupcakes in the future!  It is another added touch that other cake places dont usually offer at shows!
5)I LOVE hearing "you had the best cake of the whole show"... makes my heart sing!
(I'm sure if you read that it sounds like I'm bragging but I truly am honored to hear stuff like that!  Makes what I do worth it!)
One bride yesterday said "I only had your toothpick from your cupcake at the last show and I lost it. I have been looking for you for six months, I'm SO glad I found you today!"
Here's what my booth looked like this time... be on the look out for my next show!
Thanks to all my loyal customers and new fans!

Newest Adventure

I make my own clay toppers now!
I was getting a bunch of slack about my fondant toppers that I was just throwing away ... because what does one do with a sugar shoe/ skate??
SO I decided I would start making toppers made out of FIMO and Sculpey clay.  (That has to be fired to harden.) Then your kids can play with them after you have eaten the cake!

I have also decided since I am out of a lot of peoples comfort range for a full cake that I would start making and selling just the toppers.  That way people can buy a cake somewhere else and put an awesome topper on it.  I have seen this done by a lady that lives down in Texas so why not get in on the action??

If you want a topper made by "Sweet To Eat Cakes" let me know and I will get you a price quote asap!

Enjoy one of my creations!
Michelle