Sometimes it seems that 5 "small" cakes take me longer to work on than 1 wedding cake. And I make half the money. You'd think that the small cakes would be less stressful...well, they usually are. The pressure isn't quite as high when I'm not carrying 50 lbs of cake and delivering it to a huge ballroom for hundreds to see and taste. But, often I communicate with a client just as much about her child's 1st birthday cake as I do with a bride about her wedding cake!
And a week ago after I decided to go on a walk with Izzy, Crockett and my mom one Sunday morning, you would have thought the bakement walls had come crashing down on me. I got a phone call from an frantic and upset customer. I was just 15 minutes away (a few blocks down the street) but it wasn't close enough to help my customer in the time frame she needed. I had totally forgotten to box up her child's 2nd birthday cake (Elmo themed) and put it in my customer refrigerator for her to get at her convenience. It was finished, but not accessible to the customer. There are really very few entire days off in this business, and that day I forgot Sunday is almost never one of them.
The customer had very little time to get the cake and to the party in time, so she freaked. And I did too. After about 20 minutes of detailed directions to our hidden key and through our house, as I huffed and puffed while deciding whether I should run home or if that could lead to a heart attack and premature labor, she got her cake (for free!). But obviously the process was not smooth and she was not a happy customer. I cried like a baby (thank you pregnancy hormones!...actually I probably would have anyway). Luckily my sweet mom was there to comfort me and soon life went on.
As far as I know I have had very few unhappy customers, and there is nothing that makes me feel worse about myself and my business than the thought that a customer wasn't pleased with the product I made. It ended up that she and her guests absolutely loved the cake and she even asked to reserve spots on the calendar for next summer. It helped even more when another customer called a few hours later to rave about how much she loved her daughter's ice cream cone cake (below). Those comments are what keep me going in this business and a huge part of why I love it.
This small incident is just one of the many examples of why I have decided to change things up with the cake biz after the baby arrives. I am only human. I make mistakes. But I don't want to make any mistakes with my business. Being a stay-at-home mom, a good wife, keeping a clean home and taming an energetic dog (ha!) are hard enough to do full-time. Add a cake business that's a full-(sometimes over)-time job in the mix and no wonder I feel overwhelmed. Then try adding a newborn into that craziness. Now that really freaks me out.
I believe that I will be a much better mother, wife, and--most importantly--a happier person if I slow down the pace of my business for a little while. I will continue to make cakes, but I plan to take fewer, larger cake orders. That's VERY special occasion cakes like weddings, rehearsal dinners, really big birthdays, etc. ($800 minimum). This will allow me to focus more intensively on each cake, and maybe even free up some time every now and then.
I will have such a hard time turning away my wonderful, loyal customers who order cakes regularly year after year. I have a ton of fun making these little cakes and I hope to get back to them very soon. I can't say when that will be quite yet...maybe sooner than later! There are still some spots during the Fall for me to take a couple small orders, but after December, "sayonara" small stuff. We're movin' on up.
A larger version of this Yankees cake would qualify for the $800 minimum.
So long sweet shower cakes...
Bye bye little boy birthday cakes...
and tall tiered 1st Birthday Cakes...
I'm sure I'll be back to cursing cartoon characters and scrubbing red food coloring from my hands in no time. But starting in 2013, FGC is taking a short break.
Now on to other, more exciting news at the Barksdale house.
It has been birthday mania here and after celebrating Isabelle's birthday all month long, we had even more fun birthdays to celebrate.
It has been birthday mania here and after celebrating Isabelle's birthday all month long, we had even more fun birthdays to celebrate.
Since I tried to scale down the size of Izzy's birthday party this year, I decided to have a birthday playdate with all of our adorable 2 year old neighbors. We are blessed to live on street full of families, and there happens to be 6 little ones who also turn 2 within months of Izzy's birthday. Another excuse for cupcakes!
Then Betsy Grace turned 3 a few weeks ago. We celebrated with the family and later at her adorable Garden Tea Party. Here she is waiting for her cupcake. That's a happy girl!
Too busy checking out that cupcake to look at the camera!
My child has x-ray vision. She can spot a cupcake through a cardboard box. Anytime I carry a cakebox somewhere, she says "cupcakes!"....and then the whining begins.
This thing never gets old.
Ellie even gave it a try!
Izzy in the pretty dress Ellie brought her from Mexico.
Over the hill? Not even close!
A beautiful, YOUNG 40 year old!
When we're not celebrating birthdays we're getting dressed up. Just today Izzy wore matching hats and necklaces with best buddy, Emmie. They are quite a pair.
Hats, tiaras, tutus, wings and wands...sometimes Mommy's shoes too.
How I LOVE little girls!
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