Cake Chat
Cake Chat with Amber Comadira-Smith from Cake with Amber
Amber shares her cake expertise so you can sweeten-up your cake skills and create amazing cakes with confidence !
HOW ARE YOU MANAGING COST INCREASES WITH YOUR CAKE BOOKINGS ? Every business in Australia is feeling the impact and hardships of the rising costs-of-living . With ingredients and supplies becoming more expensive , it ’ s only natural that our cake prices and what we charge our clients follow suit .
Let ’ s dive into a very real scenario ; a customer books a cake with you months ahead of their event and pays a deposit upfront . Since taking on their booking , the cost-of-goods have dramatically increased , which means you ’ re losing money on the cake order . You ’ re now left with a bit of a conundrum - should you grin and bear the burden , absorbing the extra cost as an unfortunate reality ? Or increase the price of the cake so you can make a profit ( and risk losing the client )?
This is a dilemma that so many of us cake decorators have had to face this past year . So I ’ d like to share some practical advice on how I ’ ve personally navigated through these situations in the hopes of helping you in your business .
My personal recipe for tackling this issue starts with exploring cost-saving alternatives ( before engaging with the client ). For me , this can look like substituting ingredients for more cost effective brands or adopting different production techniques , such as using moulds / cutters for decoration instead of labour-intensive hand-crafted designs . These measures aim to be more efficient and cost-effective without compromising on the cake or the experience my customer will have , which is paramount .
Next , transparent communication with the client is key . I have an honest chat with my client , laying out the situation and how the sudden surge in costs has thrown us all a curveball ( educating your client is essential for fostering understanding ). I then serve up 2 potential cake design solutions .
My personal recipe for tackling this issue starts with exploring cost-saving alternatives ( before engaging with the client ). For me , this can look like substituting ingredients for more cost effective brands or adopting different production techniques , such as using moulds / cutters for decoration instead of labour-intensive hand-crafted designs . These measures aim to be more efficient and cost-effective without compromising on the cake or the experience my customer will have , which is paramount .
Next , transparent communication with the client is key . I have an honest chat with my client , laying out the situation and how the sudden surge in costs has thrown us all a curveball ( educating your client is essential for fostering understanding ). I then serve up 2 potential cake design solutions .