Worth It.

Our first couple of years at Cake for Days involved us simply trying to stay on the treadmill and not falling flat on our faces

One of the most challenging aspects of growing your first business is the unknown. Everything is new, uncharted territory and you are learning as you go.

But once you have found your footing it is important to sit back and look around. To acknowledge your mistakes, what you have achieved and what you want going forward.

We thought in order to help those trying to find their feet on the treadmill, we would share a few key points:

Find your own style! 

This is a BIG one. We know from experience that most people begin their decorating journey by recreating other cakes or getting their inspiration from other cake designers.

But if we could go back to the beginning, we would start designing our own cakes much sooner!

It’s so easy to get caught in a vicious cycle. In the beginning you are just grateful to have business! So you fill the diary without necessarily pausing to ask yourself are these the cakes I want to be creating? Does it represent my style? 

Try to focus on creating your own brand for your business rather than the business dictating your brand!

Any chance you are given, design YOUR OWN cakes! A cake is a blank canvas. So create! 

The more original looks you can photograph the more likely people will trust you to take the reigns. 

A great place to start is to get your inspo from other avenues. Follow artists, interior designers and architects on Instagram. Not just other cake decorators. Step outside the box, inspiration is everywhere! 

Since taking on this advice herself, Tegan has had so many more ideas come flooding in. In her own words -“It feels so good to bring an idea to life. Seeing it go from idea to reality. It’s gives me SO much more satisfaction in my job.  

My own edible art out in the world. Its an incredible high, now I chase that feeling.”

The added advantage of having your own style is your work can become far more recognisable and you can build trust with your customers. Don’t be afraid to say we don’t do exact copies! You can collaborate with a client and make their theme come to life without copying the google image they sent.

Remember people want what they can see! If you are only displaying cake copies then you most likely will continue to attract these kinds of requests!

Practice makes perfect. 

Yes you have heard it a million times before but that doesn't make it any less true! 

Comparing yourself to any other cake decorators skills will never bring you joy! 

When you are first starting out it’s incredibly easy to wonder why you are unable to get the results you want. But don’t forget that other decorators may have done it a thousand times. For many years.

Of course some natural ability comes into play but it is repetition which will produce the goods. Covering, stacking, piping over and over. The hours you put in will make all the difference. 

Yes anyone can make a cake, but to manipulate a palette knife and know exactly how the icing will behave, takes practice and experience.

Don’t be so hard on yourself and remember each failed attempt is one step closer to your goal! Plus more failure = more cake to eat! 

Every hour spent will pay off. Invest in yourself, put the time in and your value as a cake decorator will increase!!! 

Know your worth.

This was one thing Tegan and I both struggled with at the beginning.

Tegan had spent so many years perfecting her skills, but we still didn’t consider that aspect when pricing our cakes. We were too cheap. We priced things without factoring in our time and the skill required for every individual design! We worked our butts off producing lots of cheap cakes, instead of a few higher priced ones. 

I have four children so I more than understand that it may not be possible to spend big bucks on every celebration. But there is a reason that you should charge what you are worth. 

Yes someone can walk into Woolworths and pay $10 for a mud cake. But as corny as it sounds you when you decide to purchase a cake from a small business they actually care about your celebration. We want to know your grandmothers favourite flowers to place on the cake. Your child’s favourite character. Your story as a couple. The time taken in creating a design specifically for you! It’s just not the cake and the icing you are paying for. It’s the extra mile.

Reminding ourselves of our worth is still something we struggle with today, but if someone doesn’t want to pay for your time and skills, then say thank you and goodbye! They are not the customer for you. And that’s ok!

Undercharging is not only an insult to yourself it’s an insult to our industry!

Charge your worth because you are worth it!