Am I over priced?
A local trial attorney had a special award coin designed for the Civil Air Patrol, of which we are members. There is an event planned that will unveil this new award with about 50 bigwigs in attendance. I just finished making a free sculpted cake to feed 75 last week for my daughter's CAP squadron that got rave reviews for both taste and design. I have just opened my own business. The cake requested would be two seperate 14", 2-layer cakes, fondant & gumpaste that would be spot on replicas of the front and back of the coin in gleaming gold. The design is quite intricate including 2 jets, an eagle, stars, CAP logo and lots of lettering in red, white, blue, black and gold. The cake also needs to be delivered about 40 miles away. I quoted him $250 for the entire job plus $25 for delivery. I know it will take me several days to complete the work to exactly replicate these coins. You would think I was robbing him at gunpoint!!! Do I need a reality check? Please tell me if I do. My husband is pressuring me to significantly reduce the price because of all the contacts I would be making by pulling off a perfect job. Do I really want contacts that want perfect work and pay WalMart prices or just expect me to do it for free?! Someone please talk some sense into me as I am very frustrated right now.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by leana overfelt on
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If you are satisfied with the price stick to your guns. Your husband does not know what work goes into a cake. I did a cake for a friend she had no problem paying $49.00 for a cake (it is the horse silhouette in my pics) like she said I tasted your stuff and store stuff yours is worth every penny and more. Once you start giving prices to get customers those new customers are going except the same deal. One day have your husband work on a cake see how long he stays with it.
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Permalink Reply by Yamile on
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My experience has taught me that no one understands what goes into making an elaborate cake. Learn to stick to your guns, and to appreciate your own work. Customers will make promises of how many people will see your work, how much they're going to recommend you to others its all blahblahblah from them for you to reduce your price. I think that your price is very inexpensive, considering that each cake that size will serve 75. I would charge at least 200 per cake, and the delivery being 40 miles away, and the cost of gas at least 40-$50.
Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by maria diaz on
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Listen, I had the same problem. I was giving away cakes for over a year! Breaking even and giving away free labor. Everyone wants "affordable", but your work perhaps is not necessarily affordable. If that makes any sense. It takes a lot of man power to make a cake. Your oven is going, your mixer, ingredients, supplies, boards, etc. When take everything into count, you realize you are not charging a dime! I think you are not overcharging, but rather undercharging. Now-a-days, I get a request for a cake, I give my firm price, if the client finds it too expensive..Oh well! We have to learn how to say NO and accept a client going somewhere else. In the long run, like a chef says "it is better to lose a client than to not pay your rent because you gave away your product" And its true, if you start pricing yourself low, you will get referrals of people who dont want to pay true cost. I think anything less than $350 dollars for that cake is very low. If you have already quoted, fine, but in the future keep that in mind.
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