The last time I embraced a popular cake trend in my business was during the height of the unicorn cake craze .
To help set the scene , my business was advertised as a high-end cake and cupcake shop . So my target audience were typically big money earners and well known figures in my community , who were willing to pay the price for me to custom design and create cakes for their special events .
I typically didn ’ t involve myself in the latest cake craze - it wasn ’ t something I was interested in - and didn ’ t rely on their hype to make money .
BUT ... I did have my “ weak ” moments .
It was during a busy cake week that I received a last minute request to make a unicorn cake for a little girl ’ s 10th birthday party , due for Sunday ( it was Thursday at the time ). Now this customer wasn ’ t my usual target market ( kids birthday cake plus Mum on a budget ), and like I said above , I didn ’ t involve myself with on-trend cakes ….
But the customer explained that the previous decorator had cancelled their order and they were frantically trying to find a replacement decorator to make the cake . Many places were already booked and they reached out to me as a last resort . The mother sounded so upset and admittedly it pulled at my heart strings .
I was ‘ umm-ng ’ and ‘ uhhhh-ing ’ about accepting the order ...
I finally thought , ‘ I COULD squeeze the order in ... maybe I should give it a go ? It ’ ll be easy to pull together and it would make this little girl ’ s birthday so special . These cakes are straight forward , it ’ ll be easy money !’
Well ...
Once I agreed to accept the order , the customer became a nightmare . She argued against my “ high pricing ” and was evasive with making payment . She needed constant updates while I made her cake ,
where she second guessed my decisions . She also attempted to change the design the day the cake was due .
I felt like I had aged 10 years in only those few short days . I started to understand why the previous cake decorator had bailed ...