Planet alignment

I am starting to believe in "The Secret."

Tonight I discovered even more people who are willing to help get this cake business off the ground. One firned offered to make all printed material for free. Another new friend owns a burger joint and wants to help me build a business plan. A third friend also said they would re-post my photo album via Facebook and suggested that I create a fan page. It's honestly quite scary. What if I am not ready to handle such a business? What if I can't afford employees and I am doing it alone again but on a much larger scale? Oh no!

It is BEYOND exciting and flattering to think people believe in my work but I have to confess - I am so afraid of letting them down. I hate the word economy right now but mostly because it's the answer to many of my roadblocks. Will it get better soon? One can only hope.

For now I am going to head to the bank and see what kinds of offers they can give me for savings accounts. It may or may not be worthwhile to open another account. I need to save enough cash to start doing something with this dream of mine.

My cake shop is so close that I can almost smell the chocolate and hear the sugar boil!

Research and My Development

Anyone else out there obsessed with opening a bakery? Because I am seriously obsessed and I need fellow obsessers!

I've been digging around Craigslist, calling friends in the business, leaving messages left and right - all with the hope that some passageway will open up. Discount Hobart mixers, dough sheeters, ovens, etc. are all for sale online but the lack of funds keeps them at bay.

I've made enough money so that I can get a decent Web site up but I don't know if I have enough cash to get a logo started or anything else that's marketable. It's hard to know how to prioritize. Many people might say that buying an oven should be my first move but I honestly don't agree. I believe that the logo and Web site are more important. I can always rent a kitchen and have my Web site up as advertising.

Since I am doing all of this brainstorming by myself it's difficult to focus on any one thing. Part of my food costing class includes costing out all of my recipes so that they can be sold in a bakery. This is good for me to stay focused so long as I keep telling myself it's homework. My other class talks about finding the low price for everything so that's a good thing in regard to budgeting for opening my shop. But it still doesn't help me from getting all jumbled.

It seems that while I may have friends willing to throw money my way, I still need to be responsible and learn all that I can before I accept their generous gifts. It wasn't long ago, two years now, when I was living off credit cards and telling myself that someday I would get my old job back and life would be easy again. I never want to go back to that and I also never want to put someone in that position. I have a profound respect for money and its role in our lives. I never want to disrespect it.

Something's in the batter

It looks as though my dream for my own cake shop is thismuchcloser to being a reality!

I mentioned once before that an old colleague had some cash to invest. It looks as though he is not the only one. He would like me to make a few calls to get my business plan in order, set a date where all possible investors can meet at my house and see if I can't sell them on the idea of investing in my shop.

This is such a rough economy but I think I might be able to get a few people on board. All it takes is a few people. I'm so close! If I can get all the planets to align then I might be in this business by summer. Hmm.

Fears: I have two more huge bills besides my student loan debts. My car loan and one credit card with $1,500 bucks on it. If I can manage to stave off a business until 2011 then I can pay off both of those bills, try to regain some credit and start clean.

Now I have to figure out what to order and why/how. Over the years I've flipped through How to Open a Financially Successful Bakery but I've never finished the book. I zone out. Maybe now is the right time to read up. There are so many books to read and I would love a chance to meet some people who've done this but I am not so certain that I am ready.

Guess there's only one way to find out!

The aftermath

 I could have made more than a month's salary in ONE WEEK!

Cookies By Design charges $90 a dozen for sugar cookies. If I had charged that then I would have made more than $1,400 on cookies alone this weekend! OH. MY. GAWD! Highway robbery! I have to figure out a few things so I can raise prices accordingly.

I don't charge nearly enough for my cookies but I fear that i won't have any business if I do that. I'm a firm believer in high volume = high profit.

This week I am making a few calls and I will see if I can't rent a kitchen starting in March. I need to prepare for Easter weekend and figure out the menu, pricing, etc. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I feel as though I am flying blind here.

Cost of good

 

Here are two of the Valentine's Day bouquets I am making for this week. Actually, I'm already making 20 dozen of them, mostly traditional, but they are based on these two examples. These cookies were SOOO much fun. I need more practice of royal icing consistency and once I fix that, these will look much better.

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Now, onto culinary collegiate news:

I got 65/100 on my first food costing exam?!!! WTF?!! How is that even possible?!! I took the test and seriously thought I passed with flying colors. It didn't seem difficult at all. Turns out many people got a C or lower. There is just something about this chef that frustrates me and I can't figure it out yet.

My chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu was supposed to teach food costing and never did. She just expected us to read the book and know what to do. Same goes for this guy. When students question him he snaps at them to read the book like they are supposed to do. And when the boys in the back heckle him, he just acts like nothing is happening.

I would love to meet him during office hours to ask for some explanation and maybe advice on how to do better on the test but I have a feeling I won't get very far with him. I was really hurt to know I did so poorly because I honestly want to get this right. It's not about the grade but about the aptitude. I need to know I am doing this correctly.

If my colleagues are willing to offer their hard-earned cash to help me be a success then I need to know how to keep from losing it all in the first year. By the way, three more people offered to invest in me today. It sounds too flattering but they are all pushing for one-on-one meetings to discuss my plan. I don't have a plan!!! Guess it's time I go out and get one - along with a tutor.  :)

SUPER BOWL!

 

I had one busy Sunday!

Sorry I haven't posted in days but I've never been so busy in my life! And, for that, I am thankful.

There's something about the Superbowl that puts people in a good mood. I delivered to all of Los Angeles County - Whittier, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, Buena Park and Fullerton (technically they are Orange County), up to Studio City, Hollywood then West Los Angeles and I made it home in time for kickoff! Whew!

As I dropped off each batch of cupcakes I got two questions. 1) Do you have business cards? and 2) Why aren't you doing this full time? I answered yes to one and "I'm workin' on it" to the other. I put on my smile and acted like it didn't sting to think about all the reasons as to why I don't own my own bakery.

Do I admit that I'm broke? Do I tell these people that the delivery is not profit but just enough to put gas in my car? Do I admit that I didn't fully mature until age 32 and that my life is suffering because of it? No, I don't admit anything. I just smile and thank them for the compliments.

One customer, an old journalism colleague, said he recently came into some money and he would like to give it to me to start my business. Sounds exciting! But I am SO AFRAID to lose his money for him. What if I'm a bad business person? What if I burn down my shop? What if I can never make enough profit to pay him back?? I don't normally enjoy playing the "What If" game but when it comes to somebody else's money, I have to do it. He wants to meet after this weekend when I have fewer orders and more time to focus.

I have to admit to you all that I'm scared out of my wits. I have been wondering lately where I should open a business. I like where I live but I have no intention of living in my city once I get married. I have always dreamed of opening my bakery in Whittier, CA but I have seen too many businesses fail in the area I was planning. One other place I would REALLY like to open a a shop is Pico Rivera, CA. It was recently on CNN in Soledad O'Brien's "Latinos in America" segment. She referred to it as "the Latino Mayberry."

For the most part, Soledad is right but Pico (as it's known) has had some major politcal scandal in recent years and was in danger of going completely bankrupt two years ago. With some changing of the guard and a tax hike, the city is back on its feet. Profiting, thriving.

Here's the issue. The tax is 9.25% in Pico Rivera. I fear people won't want to buy from me in the highest tax rate in California but I also have a gut feeling that more affluent people will move to Pico in the next 10 years because of that tax. The city's coffers will be filled to the brim and they will have enough cash to rebuild the city. I want to be a part of that future if I can.

I should also mention that my boyfriend currently lives in the city of Pico Rivera and it is possible we will be living there after we are married. I'd be willing to drive to another local city just as I do now but there's something about Pico Rivera that just inspires me. I can really see myself living the life I want to live as well as running the business that I've always wanted.

Wish me luck! I'll post the results of our meeting as soon as it happens. For now I am going to post more photos from this week's orders. Tomorrow - Valentine's Day cookies!

Inspiration Overload!

I just finished watching an old Food Network episode with Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes in NYC. She was just 27 when she abandoned her $75k a year job to open a cake shop. She had $10,000 in savings and used it to open her business. I've got $184 in my savings account and am not sure what to do about it.

My goal for this blog was to remain as optimistic as possible and I'm finding myself being more cynical than I expected. My thoughts are often scattered - one day I want to open my bakery and the next day I want to be a teacher. Some days I even think of teaching baking! Gahhh!

The ultimate goal, of course, is the bakery. The ultimate dream is the shop. With big picture windows, brightly lit cases, and a line full of hungry people. I have to remain focused. I have to stop spending on a whim because every penny counts.

Elisa is a great motivator. She may be far younger than I but sometimes a little youth is what we need to get us going. Coincidentally, an old co-worker from my journalism days has recently come into a sum of undisclosed cash and has offered to become an investor. If Elisa can open a shop in New York City for $10,000 then I think I can do the same in Southern Cal.

Now the trick is to find the right location. It's time to finally figure out how much this startup is going to cost...
In the meantime, check out Elisa's cake books and you'll see why I am so inspired.

Cakes and announcements

So the first few days of 5 a.m. were unsuccessful but I hope to get it right starting tomorrow!

I have two big cakes this week plus a few baby shower cookies and Valentine samples. Yum! I'm making my first 3D rubber ducky cake. I should be alright but I am nervous about the carving. Gonna have to research this one to get the right method.

My big news this week is my boyfriend and I will be selling cookies at our booth at the Bulldog Beauty Contest in Belmont Shore, CA on Feb. 28th. The event is run by Justin Rudd, a bulldog owner and community activist. In previous years we sold dog biscuits at the Howloween parade with mixed success. People would come to the booth with a McDonald's cup but complain that their dogs only ate organic. Ha! Too funny.

We will be selling hand decorated sugar cookies with bulldog and princess shapes plus any other cute ideas we can come up with between now and then. If you want to see the Bombshell Baker in action, then you know where to find me!

More on that later but, in the meantime, here are a few more cakes from the last week. Enjoy!