Bakes to Business
What gives you the push to take the leap and dive into a whole new world? A world filled with mountains of talent and a rapid turnover of trends. Passion? Passion. I was terrified of the thought of exposing my mediocre home-made cupcakes to family and friends, never mind local cake consumers! And never in a million years did I think I would have a website or even be writing a BLOG. But after reading so many good and not so good blogs I appreciated how much they helped and encouraged me to give it a go!
My close family were always very positive when expressing how they felt about my cakes, but come on, who wouldn't be the first to volunteer to test out new cake recipes?! Cakes of all kinds every Sunday after your Sunday lunch is a dream, especially when they're free of charge. And the support of work colleagues moaning in delight at how moist and yummy your bakes are, is just another nudge to thinking about earning money for your time. But if you enjoy it so much why not just keep feeding friends and family for free? I hear you say. WELL, first off on the scales of how much I was trialling recipes, hit the pocket on top of all other day to day shopping and life expenses. And secondly (I'm cringing at the grammar of this blog so bad!), why is every other person you know having a second income from their passion or hobby? Why can't it be you? Why can't you have a nice little earner? Why can't you have a second income? This is an age of the entrepreneur and the business savvy. We are in a time of uncertainty and this other thing called "Brexit". This is the New Age Industrial Revolution!
So I did my research and found the wonderful world of bakers, cake decorators, cake artists and cake topper makers. I realised there were so so many of us living in the same areas, all earning a little extra income. Some breaking even others making a tidy profit, but all still winning in some way or another. I learned very early on that all businesses have to take a loss before they start to increase revenue or make a profit. FYI I only talk about money so much because in reality baking costs! From raw ingredients and decorations to packaging and inescapable overheads. This is what we need to be aware of and need to take in to consideration when starting out. Don't get me wrong I am still very new to this and literally learning something new each time I type a new sentence in this blog. But if you have the knack/talent for something and you truly enjoy the stress, time constraints and the happiest and sometimes rudest customers, then stick at it!
My main issue for delaying was worrying about what everyone else was doing and beginning to get so consumed with ideas that had already been done. Not realising that the smallest change, style difference or a "how-to" video would make a massive impact. As humans we are so easily bored with the latest trends before they even start, so we are constantly seeking new and sometimes impossible stimulation. However, I don't know anyone who can say no to cake, brownies or the new fave macaroons. So, I stuck with it! I kept going and asked for help and advice. I opened my heart to strangers and they hugged me back (CORNY ALERT!!). I can't speak for all industries but I can honestly say, the baking community, famous Influencers to local one-off bakers are some of the nicest people I have ever interacted with. So, all those ads you see about being your own boss aren't actually far from a reality you could be living. By no means am I an Influencer or rolling in the cash, but I am building a brand and I am standing for something I believe in. I know I can use this platform to help change a life, even if it's only my son's life, I know I did it to the best I could!
Thanks for reading! Let me know what else you’d like to: drop me a DM OR pop over an email :)