"I wanna start a cake business...."

When I was at the CKNL trade show last month, someone came up to me and said they knew someone who wanted started to their own cake/cupcake business and what kind of advice I could give them.  I have been in business for 8 years now as of this month (we opened our doors May 2007) and I am CONSTANTLY learning the business. I can give some pointers though...

1) RESEARCH... 
Do your research first. Go to your local city hall and health officials and find out what you need to do to start your own business. From start to finish, it took me about a year to open up for business, I had to get the necessary licensing, permits, and insurance. PLUS, I had to submit a menu to the health unit to get the okay. I also had to submit building plans to the city and the health unit before I started construction on my second kitchen. Once construction was completed, I then went through a final inspection. Another thing,... I have to get water inspections too. Even though we are on city water, I have my water trucked in, so I have to get my water inspected.
Now is also the time to set your policies.. in regards to delivery, pickup, forms of payment, deposits, hours of operation, discounts (if any or to who), etc.

2) RECIPES
In addition to research... take the time to get your recipes down pat. Once you are in business, it is NOT THE TIME to start looking for a vanilla cake recipes. Sorry, you should have done that BEFORE you got into business. How many times I hear people in the cake business requesting a recipe for a vanilla cake or a lemon cake. Now, it's still OKAY to try new recipes on the side and if you find one that happens to be better than the one you have, than OK ditch the old one and go with a new one.

3) PRICING, PRICING, PRICING.... 
Most importantly is your pricing... take the time to establish your pricing structure. Cost out  your INGREDIENTS, OVERHEAD (power/fuel/licenses/materials/water/marketing/permits/ office supplies etc), TIME (this includes not just baking, but shopping, cleaning up, delivery, design time and discussion time with the client) and PROFIT.
Part of your research includes checking out what your competitors prices are. This is very important... DO NOT UNDERCUT YOUR COMPETITION. Not only does it hurt you, it hurts your competition and hurts the industry. It will put your competition out of business too.  There`s not enough  work to go around. Any market can only bear so much competition before it is over saturated. When the competition is over saturating the market and charging ridiculously low prices just to get business, it devalues the market. So, for example if your competitors are selling cupcakes for $3.00-$4.00/ea, then you should price yourself somewhere  in that area too. If cakes are priced between $4.50 - $6.00/serving, then again price within that area. Bottom line... price accordingly!

4) MARKETING
Get your self a website. No... a FACEBOOK page is not a WEBSITE. A professionally built website gives yourself a professional appearance and level of credibility. Besides.. these days I  find most people head to the internet in their search for a baker.
For myself, I have a website, a FACEBOOK page, BLOG, newsletter, twitter, and Instagram. I use each one differently for different purposes.  The more you market yourself... the better.
Another thing about marketing... is deciding on what kind of image you want for your business and what kind of customer you want.  For me, I promote to those clients who want a high-end quality cake using the finest ingredients, up-to-date with the latest decorating techniques and attention to detail with supreme taste. I do not do grocery style sheet cakes or the Wilton style star tipped cakes.With that in mind, I do not advertise on local buy and sell Facebook pages. Those sites are for those clients looking for a deal and that`s not my market plus it cheapens my image. You don`t see Mercedes or Porsche  advertising on buy and sell Facebook Pages...need I say more.

5) Get the whole picture... 
Before you get in business, think about your life and how much you value your free time. Plan for long late nights with little sleep with few weekends off, especially from May until September. If you have kids or family, you won`t see them very much.   Trust me... I know. I see my kids more during the school year when I am ferrying them around to all their after school activities  then in the summer months during their vacation. The key is to be super organized. I break each cake project into a series of steps doing a little bit each day. Plus, I try to work during the day while they are in school leaving me the evenings free to be with my family. A lot of it is trial and error, working out a plan that works best for you.  Also, learn to plan your life and holiday time a year in advance. I already have brides looking to book for 2016 and we have just started the 2015 wedding season. After 8 years in business, I am starting to finally be a little bit selfish and take some time off for my family. I booked off at least one weekend a month so I could relax and do something with them.

So there.. just a little something to ponder. Now, you might say.. I only want to sell a cake here or there a make a few bucks, not to get into business. SORRY.. once you accept any form of payment for cake or cupcakes, YOU ARE IN BUSINESS.  Pretty simple...

So there you have it.. just a few tips.  Over the past 8 years, I have learned soo much (and a lot the hard way)  and I am still learning more and more every day.

It`s TRADE SHOW time again...

Well, it `s that time of year again. This past month we attended the 43rd annual CKNL trade show here in Fort St John. It`is one of THE BIGGEST trade shows in the Peace area boosting up to 16000 people in a weekend.  This year we were SUPER excited to be attending the  show since we decided a CHANGE was needed in our booth design. In the past, we have decorated our booth to go with a more elegant design.. black curt tans, table skirts and lavender tablecloths... you know a more elegant, poshy look.

Since the CKNL trade show is a more a relaxed, family oriented event, we decided to go with a more  homey look.  In came the burlap and lace..We wanted to go with a original storefront look, however I couldn't`t figure out how to create, build and transport a wooden counter  so I went with burlap. To make it more vintage, I added lace. LOTS and LOTS of lace.  My late grandmother had  crocheted me many lace table cloths and doilies, so I have a HUGE collection which came in handy. I also purchased wooden crates, picture frames and little knick-knacks  to complete the overall look.

I am SOOOO happy with the overall look. It was amazing,. Plus, the feedback I had from those attending the show was phenomenal. Every person who stopped by our booth said they loved the look commenting it was one of the nicest looking booths at the trade show.

We were super busy that weekend selling cupcakes, cookies and talking to all those who stopped by our booth to look at our `cake designs and answer questions.  At the end, we sold over 460 cupcakes, over 120 mini cupcakes, and over 120 cookies. I can`t wait until next year... got my thinking cap on already!

We're Only Halfway Through...

The month of July kept us hopping... it seemed this month was the month for cupcake orders.   The cake business is strange... it's like a pendulum. You never know how it will swing and how far. Some times I will go weeks without cupcake orders and think, "Hmmm... maybe the cupcake craze is over, then WHAM!!! I am hit with a rash of cupcake orders". Yep.. the cake business is certainly unpredictable.

Here are some of the orders we completed this month...

30th Birthday Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting... YUMMM!!!

 Smash Cupcake for a little girl turning ONE. Love the contrast between the colors. We also made coordinating cupcakes to match the cake. Her mom later wrote me, `` Jasper loved her cake and the cupcakes were a real hit. Thank you!!!!``

Pansy Cupcakes. These for a client whom I have made her birthday treats for the past 3 years.  She later emailed me saying, ``Thank you very much fo rthe beautiful Pansy cupcakes you had made for my birthday. They made my day very special. Thank you.``

AND, lastly, this was the HUGEST wedding cake I have made to date. This wedding cake was created for a very sweet bride. This 5 tier wedding cake was airbrushed in pearl dust and then scroll work and lace applique was applied to the cake which was then painted in champagne dust.  Unfortunately, I didn`t get a great pic of the cake, however, the bride has promised she would get me one.  The bride emailed me, the day after her wedding saying that the cake, ``It was absolutely incredible!``

Taking a moment to breathe...

Well, the month of June is now behind us and we can now catch our breath! It was SUPER busy here at Just Like Gram's.  We were so busy that I didn't get a chance to take pics of every cake that went out our door, but here are just a few.

Clifford the Big Red Dog Smash Cake created for Lana Hamilton Photography. Love the paw prints going up the side of the cake!

We created this hockey theme cake for a young man graduating from high school. It featured the colors and logo of his favorite hockey team... the Edmonton Oilers. Sugarpaste accents included hockey sticks, hockey skates, puck and a grad cap.

Here is another high school graduation cake we created for a young lady.  This cake was centered around the theme of music. The bottom tier was designed to look like piano keys, with scroll work and musical notes on the second tier. Topping it off was the grad cap with a gold tassel.

 I absolutely love the simplicity of this wedding cake. This 4 tier square wedding cake featured white sugarpaste blossoms at the corners of each tier which were wrapped with a green and overlapping black ribbon. Later I received this message from the bride,  "Thank you again Tara! It was perfect, delicious, and exactly what we wanted."

Another wedding cake that went out our door was this 3 tier square wedding cake. It featured simple scroll work  with a yellow and orange ribbon wrapped around each tier.

Received a call from a lady out of town who wanted to order some cupcakes for some friends. She chose a variety of theme, such as these Golfing Cupcakes. She later sent me a message saying, "LOVE them!! Thanks soo much!!"

Beer Mug Cupcakes

June...and We're only Half-Way Through....

One thing I have noticed over the years is that some years, June is quiet and some months June can be completely insane. You can never predict from year to year, what it's going to be like. In the past, I have had a ton of weddings in May with few in June, but this year.. the EXACT opposite. June seems to be THE month to get married. Let's also add in the fact that it is also graduation season and people don't stop having birthday's either. We are only half-way through June so I thought I would post some pics of the cakes we have completed so far.

Buttercream piped basket weave flower basket with all hand made sugar flowers.

The following three cakes were created for a client (and upcoming bride of mine) who planned a "ladybug" theme party for her little girl turning 1. We created a ladybug smash cake, ladybug birthday cake for the guests and additional ladybug cupcakes.

 














One week later, I created this wedding cake for the mom "the bride". She had a destination wedding and then came back to hold her reception. We chose a bold blue color her wedding cake with some simple white scroll work. Chocolate seashells and fresh orchids were added at the end to complete the overall look.

Another wedding cake created last weekend was the this ruffled cake complete with yellow ruffled gumpaste flowers. The bride requested a design by Maisie Fantaisie. The original design had pink flowers which we changed to lemon yellow. I also added additional ruffles than the original design.

Happy Mother's Day!

Looking for a treat for your mum on Mother's Day? Just Like Gram's is offering a box of either 6 or 12 Gourmet Filled Cupcakes decorated with handmade roses. Choose from these delicious cupcake flavours: Red Velvet, Cappaccino Express or Raspberry Mirage.
Cupcakes are specially priced just for Mother's Day. We will be taking orders until May 9th. Cupcakes must be picked up or delivered May 11th. For more information call us at 250-827-3023 or email us sales@justlikegrams.ca.

Share some love... with a cupcake!

Valentine's Day is fast approaching! Check out these Valentine's Day cupcake specials:

• Strawberry Passion - Strawberry Cupcake filled with strawberry preserves topped with Strawberry Buttercream
• Red Velvet - Red Velvet Cupcake filled and topped with creamy White Chocolate Cream Cheese
• Chocolate Truffle - Chocolate Cupcake filled and topped with decadent Chocolate Ganache
• Chocolate Raspberry - Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake filled with our homemade Raspberry Filling and then topped with Raspberry Buttercream
• Chocolate Brownie - Chocolate Cupcake filled with Chocolate Pudding and then finished with Pink Buttercream topped with a chocolate brownie heart

Cupcakes are $3.25/ea (minimum of 12). Cupcakes can be picked up between 9AM-2PM. Call today to book your Valentine Cupcake order!

The beginning of another season...

Well, another wedding season is open us, it officially began this weekend. Also, it was Mother's Day too. Here are just a few of the cakes we completed here at Just Like Gram's.

These adorable cupcakes were ordered all the way from Toronto. Darcey emailed me and wanted to do something special for his mom who lives here in Fort St. John, so he ordered some of our Gourmet Filled Cupcakes. Isn't that sweet? Flavours chosen were Icy Mint Blast and Autumn Twist.

This humorous moustache cake was requested by a client for her father-in-law's 65th birthday.

The wedding season started off this year with this simple 2 tier cake adorned with white and gold ribbon.

Recent Cakes

Here are some recent cakes created here at Just Like Gram's.

When I attended the Ladies Day Out show here in Fort St John, I had a draw for a FREE cake. Gail was our lucky winner. She chose a simple vanilla cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream featuring a shoe and purse theme for her daughter's birthday. Her daughter's favorite colors were pink, black and green.

Cupcakes with funky retro flowers were the choice for a young girl's 9th birthday. Cupcakes were chocolate with chocolate buttercream and vanilla with orange creamsicle buttercream. I loved making these and thought they looked so funky.

This last cake was created for a very special person, my daughter Elizabeth. She celebrated her 6th birthday this weekend. She chose a picture of a cake she wanted from a cake magazine and I added a purple brooch, purple ribbon and flowers. I even topped the cake with a purple chocolate crown. The cake was tuxedo flavour with chocolate truffle filling, and Italian Meringue buttercream. Happy Birthday Missie!

We Got PICKED!!!

What a great way to start the month of November than to share some exciting news! Just Like Gram's is excited to announce that our Wedding Cupcakes were featured in the Wedding Cupcake Gallery on bride.ca . Check it out!

Facebook Contest!

Let's Celebrate - Just Like Gram's is on Facebook!!! What better way to celebrate than to give away FREE cupcakes!!!

The contest requires YOUR help. What you need to do is invite your friends to join our Facebook group by November 30, 2009. I will draw (1) lucky member's name from the group and they will WIN a dozen FREE cupcakes of their choice.

Now, who doesn't LOVE free cupcakes!!! Let the contest BEGIN!

Shades of Purple

This weekend was the weekend for the color "Purple". I created these cupcakes for Chantel whose wedding colors were green and purple. All the daisies were created from purple gumpaste and then were dusted with additional purple petal dust. Chantel chose classic white and red velvet flavoured cupakes with green traditional buttercream for her guests.

The other purple wedding I did this weekend was this cupcake tower for Sarah. Sarah didn't want fondant on her cake rather going with the traditional buttercream. On each cupcake, I created a small gumpaste flower dusted with purple dust. Sarah also wanted a light scattering of small flowers on the top cake that was to be shared among her bridal party.

The last "purple" cake I created this weekend was a volleyball graduation cake for a young lady who just graduated from high school. The love of purple must run in this family because I did her sister's graduation cake last year which was a purple purse. I really enjoyed making this cake.