How To Get Cake Decorating Customers

October 2, 2020

Cake Business concern: How to Blueprint a Cake for a Client

This can be an anxiety-inducing and a lengthy unpaid process if you are new to selling cakes for profit. So we asked ACD business columnist Chrissie Boon from Icing Inspirations to share her design procedure:

Get together the needed information: Find out the number of servings and whatsoever input they have on pattern ideas. Is there a theme to the special outcome? Is there decor—flowers, invitations, colors—that is being used? Is it a special altogether and the altogether boy has some unique or favorite interests?
Search for inspiration photos and pieces: If the client has provided you with some inspiration photos, that is a great place to start. If they've left you lot with just a theme, at present your chase is on for non-cake images that support their theme. Search dwelling house decor images, invitations, fashion, or other art forms—paintings, polymer-clay art, glasswork, etc.
Piece of work out a BASIC thought plan: If you lot need a visual, y'all can start planning out a quick sketch for yourself. Nothing crazy; do not spend hours and hours on information technology, just make a quick blueprint to lay out your ideas. From here, first thinking nigh how long these details volition take to create. I similar to call up of a main idea and from there plan how I could create it a scrap simpler and a manner I tin can create it a bit more elaborate.
Provide a quote: Lay out your idea to your client. As I mentioned before, I similar to have a few variations of my plan. I oftentimes offer my quote at 3 different price points, starting with the midrange pricing and tell them how they tin simplify or how they can make it more elaborate. I observe this saves the question of "tin you practice it cheaper?" It keeps the ball in my court and shows them that I won't lower my price on a specific cake pattern, merely that I can offer them something at a lower budget if needed.

When providing your quote, think about how much farther research and time you'll need to put into the final pattern of the cake. If you need to go out into the field and take photos of something specific—i.e., a cake designed after a specific house or monument—make sure to factor this time into your costs when you quote.

If the cake is booked, elaborate for yourself on your plan: If the client books you, at present is the chance to spend more than time elaborating on a sketch for yourself. I find getting my ideas fully sketched out and planned while the order and any design conversations are still fresh in my caput is all-time. Then, when it comes time to create the order, you accept all the details and tin can go directly to the fun part of creating the cake.

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