HOW TO GIVE QUOTES FOR CAKES - Cake Biz Video Series

[@Jacquee2012]

You Guys are a blessing. I thank God for you two. You have helped me realize that my cakes are worth more and I should honor my work. Thank You!!!!!

[@krazykoolcakes]

Thank you so much! Thank you for taking the time to watch these videos. We're so happy you feel they are helping. God bless you always! :)

[@ALittleBlackBird]

Hey guys! Greetings from Nicaragua! I've been running a cake business for almost 4 years now and your cake biz series has been such a blessing and eye opener. Thank you for showing us we're not alone in this journey and teaching us how to survive :) I run my business through Facebook as I don't have a storefront yet, but I would just like to say that it's been difficult as people don't take you that seriously sometimes. I've had people write to me at 3 am wanting a cake for the next morning. I now know better to not answer (as my page is specific with my working hours) but it's just upsetting sometimes that people have no respect for our time. They feel like since we have no storefront we must meet their needs 24/7- but we too have a family to give time to and free time to enjoy. As a starting business sometimes we let people walk all over us because we think we won't get business otherwise; but with time and videos like yours we learn to truly value and respect ourselves enough to charge what we deserve and stand up for ourselves. God bless you guys 💐

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hello to you in Nicaragua! We're so glad you're enjoying the video series! It's our pleasure to share what we know. :) The GREAT thing is, you can INSTANTLY "tell" who does and who doesn't have respect for your time. Then, you can just as instantly reject those people as clients. If they don't respect you, your work, and your time, then they don't QUALIFY to be your client. It's that SIMPLE. You're right. A lot of Cake Artists think they won't get business "unless" they meet the clients requirements. But it's just a wrong way of thinking and we need to change that. WE as Cake Artists and business owners need to be EXTREMELY PICKY and CHOOSY as to who WE allow to be our clients. The pickier we are, the more successful we will become. God bless you! :)

[@mercedesduncan1768]

Hello guys, I'm so glad y'all did this video I have felt as if I spend so much time with people wanting quotes but don't want to give details of what they are wanting. I find it beyond frustrating and most times they don't end up ordering and I wasted all that time. I now will work on a sweet and simple way to get all info and quote in much fewer emails and messages. Most times I can't sit in the phone with clients with me running around with my 2 boys, so email and Facebook is easiest for me. Thank y'all so much for these videos! So grateful for y'all !

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Mercedes! It CAN be VERY frustrating, which is why it's so important to be able to ask the right questions of our potential clients so we don't waste our valuable time. You're very welcome and thanks for joining us in this series! :)

[@Jacquee2012]

Can you two discuss how to transport cakes without the fear of disaster. Is it best to have clients pick up their cake orders? or should the Cake Artist deliver the cakes? How much should I charge for delivering a cake?

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi JChan! Oh my! LOL! Your comment reminds me of how I used to FREAK OUT over delivering cakes! LOL. I mean to the point where I would even throw up with nervousness! I've had LOTS of cake disasters and we'll definitely cover that in a future video. But in the meantime I can tell you that we deliver all of our cakes, for this very reason. I like to make sure that all of our cakes arrive to their destination in PERFECT condition. We KNOW how to transport cakes safely. Clients don't. We don't charge for delivery within the city limits, but that's not to say that you can't charge for delivery. We just do this as a "thank you" to our clients, PLUS, I don't like clients coming here, so that's a fair exchange to not have to "deal" with clients in our home studio. LOL. I promise to cover fees and such in a future video. Thank you for your AWESOME questions. :)

[@JojoplusBo]

OH -MY-GOSH, the faces behind the voices... its like wining the lottery. Laura and Arnie, I love your helpful videos, as a newbie to caking I look forward to everything you post...thank you so much for sharing your talent its much appreciated! Greetings from Sydney Australia :)

[@krazykoolcakes]

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoy our videos! God bless! :)

[@ouR_soundsASMR]

This series is so amazingly helpful I can't say it enough!! This video was awesome- so much information. Thank you for paying it forward

[@krazykoolcakes]

We're so glad you think so Jen! Thank you! We're glad you liked it! :)

[@joyekpin9815]

Wow!!!! I had a client who wanted a Sesame Street cake exactly how you described it! But they wanted it for no more than $150! Oh plus cookie monster cake pops. I did not feel bad about my price even though they wanted to know how I derived at it. I am getting better and stronger! I believe this faith journey and obedience will produce growth for my business. Thank you!

[@krazykoolcakes]

Oh wow! Haha! Yeah, I've had a few people ask "how I derived" at my price but I ask them, "If I explain it to you, THEN will you order?" LOL. Of course not, so I don't waste my time. I KNOW you're getting BETTER and STRONGER Joy! We're here to support you always! God bless you! :)

[@joannjacquin4983]

Well....here I am again with more questions. I hope I'm not being too bothersome! In the video where you talked about pricing, you listed the ingredients for the cake and icing, but I'm not sure I remember you mentioning other items like plastic wrap, dowels/bubble tea straws, cake boards, aluminum foil or wax paper etc.and even to consider electricity, gas, and water used. Am I being totally ridiculous asking about these things?? Thank you, again, for being so willing to help everyone out! You are so appreciated!

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Joann! No bother whatsoever. Happy to help! :) No, you're not being ridiculous in asking these things. You have to ask or else how will you know, right? I believe we did cover this topic (utilities, essentials, etc.) in another video, but just can't remember which. LOL. If you are running an actual storefront, or bakery not in your home, then of course you need to factor in your operating costs into your price. That's not to say that we "don't" factor in these costs into our cake prices. We do. This is why it's so important to charge correctly for one's work, why it's so important to "round up" once you've arrived at a $ figure for your cake, and why it's so important to "mark-up" your handmade cake decorations by at least 50%, so that you can be sure that all of these extra expenses are MORE than covered. If you actually did the math and calculated the cost of electricity you pay in one month for example, and actually timed yourself to see how much electricity you used for the making of your cakes and arrived at a dollar amount, you would see that your profit more than takes care of those costs. Which is why in one video we talked about how some of your profit should go back into the business, which in the case of the home Cake Artist/baker which most of us are, do. In the case of boba straws, cake boards, etc., you can factor those things in individually if you want, but again, those extras necessary for each cake should be more than covered if you are charging well for your work. Nothing wrong with breaking it down that detailed if you want though. This is why we say all the time in our videos that when a Cake Artist charges WELL and CORRECTLY for their work, the cost of ingredients, supplies, and materials, (including utilities and extras) should hardly make a dent in your profit, SIMPLY BECAUSE what we are mainly charging for is our time. I hope this makes sense and doesn't further confuse. Let me know if you have any other questions. God bless and thanks for watching! :)

[@chiefs7703]

We are from Kansas City and really have been learning a lot from you guys. My husband and I work together as well. We just started to charge what we are worth. It was hard but we are sticking to our gunz and trying not to feel bad about it. So thank you guys for the encouragement... my question is Should we ask for deposits before we commit to making the cake? Thanks again for all your help. Don and Gina from Junkies

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Gina! Thank you for watching our series! That's so wonderful you all work together. Good for you for sticking to your guns! We HAVE TO go through that "tough" and "challenging" phase, but once you PUSH THROUGH IT, you will be SO GLAD you did! :) It's our joy to encourage and help you. Yes of course. Not only do you ask for a deposit, you must REQUIRE a deposit. There is no order placed if you don't receive a deposit. And this deposit has to be paid in a timely manner. I suggest the day they place the order. We'll definitely discuss this more in detail in the next video. Thank you for your question! :)

[@catalinavalladares3268]

Thank you so much for taking the mime to educate us. god bless.

[@krazykoolcakes]

You're very welcome Catalina! :)

[@tinakrummel-hernandez1471]

really looking forward to the video 🤗 Im sure that'll cover alot of my questions lol but I'd also like to know how to handle cake and cupcake stands, I do not own any large stands but my local supply shop does rent them out and I've had to direct clients to them for the rental, but one client expected me to manage the rental and cover the deposit and fee, and only include the fee into their final amount, I didn't feel comfortable being responsible for that, so I didn't. I just don't know the best way to handle that, maybe I need to invest in my own stands to rent out to clients 🤗

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Tina! We do the same. We don't offer any of those things only because the more you put into the mix, the more potential for chaos. We like to keep our business SIMPLE. Most large venues offer or rent out cake stands and such to their customers. If they're looking for a cupcake tower for example, I let them know that our local cake supply rents them/sales them, and/or I direct them to Etsy where a lot of sellers custom make awesome ones. We don't deal with any of that.... on purpose.... LOL. Hope that helps! :)

[@danaillas8017]

You guys ROCK!!! This series of vid's that you two have taken the time out to make has been very informative, helpful, and inspirational. Thanks to you both, I've gain the courage to stop giving away my talent for free and start getting paid my worth. My partner and certain family members have expressed to me that I have talent and in their opinion, I need to start charging more than just $65-$100 for my cakes. Definitely, self-doubt has hindered me from having the courage to charge more for my cakes, let along the time and dedication that i put into making them. So after seeing these vid's I did a complete breakdown of the cost of my cake ingredients, with decorations, and added my time into it as recommended... WOW! I now finally see what my worth is and have just locked down a client that is willing to pay for it. Thanks again and God bless you both!!! I have just one question, what kind of policies do you have in place regarding money back for a cancellation and/or a damaged cake after client picks it up?

[@krazykoolcakes]

Thank you so much Dana! So glad you are enjoying the series! It's our pleasure! Wow! Definitely need to start charging WAY more than $100 for your work. Let's add some exponents to that number! LOL. :) Self-doubt is a HUGE stumbling block for our success. It's wonderful that you've realized that Dana. There are LOTS of clients out there who appreciate quality and professional work. With just a little patience and courage, those clients will come your way more often. You'll see how having courage and more importantly, TRUSTING GOD, will pay off. I LOVE your question about cancellation Dana and we'll be sure to use it in the next video. Our policies are that if the client cancels for any reason, there are no refunds whatsoever. Now, if they simply need to "move" the date, we're more than happy to work with them on that without any penalties. We never allow clients to pick up their cakes so we eliminate "most" damage (as we have had cake disasters in the past, it's completely inevitable), so there is no risk of them damaging the cake. However, if WE accidentally damage the cake, then of course we work out some type of "refund", "credit", or compensation of some sort. We'll be sure to cover all of this is the next video. Thank you so much for your awesome input and God bless you too! :)

[@tonyaakers5312]

Laura and Arnie, When delivery cakes your cakes are wedding cakes and party cakes with tiers, 3D cakes? The reason why I'm asking is because when I used to work at this bakery people were picking up their wedding cakes and party cakes with 2 tiers. So I really want to do the right thing especially when I'm working from home. On top of that I did 7 cake displays before I start working there and when I start listening to you and Arnie I got so pissed because I wasn't charging right for my work. I was just so happy that I got the opportunity to make window displays.

[@nsampson1738]

I did what you said and did my based price and it helped out a lot, thank you. I was wondering how you price your sugar flowers and fondant toppers.

[@krazykoolcakes]

That's awesome Nicole! We made a video on how to price cake decorations as well. I hope you find it useful. :)

[@brandyanderson7977]

Hey guys, Thank you for the series. I love them as much as my hands on class with you! I can't wait to do another one!!! Did you say you have books we can buy on the series or just you tube? you guys rock! Brandy Guilty Pleasures Cupcakes & Treats LLC

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Brandy! You're very welcome! We didn't mention any books. Jus the Cake Artist's Guide we have available. You can find the link in the "show more" section underneath our video. Thanks Brandy! :)

[@luannemccallister9642]

Hi Laura and Arnie! I'm enjoying this series a lot. I have a question that I haven't heard you cover, yet. I've had people who have wanted the decorations to be plastic toys, rather than handmade decorations. How do you handle that, pricewise? Sometimes, they'll offer to bring the toys, other times they want me to get them. Thanks so much for all you do. Love you both! Luanne

[@KasibTahir]

Luanne McCallister I would assume that you include the price of the toy ie £10 if you have to pay for it, and include the price of your time having to buy the toy from the store :)

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Luanne! Glad you're enjoying it! Thank you! We also make a lot of cakes with plastic figures when the clients can't afford hand-sculpted decorations. What I do is I provide them with the price for what it will cost ME to OBTAIN the decorations FOR THEM. This includes the cost of the item/s, the shipping, PLUS, what I will charge for MY TIME to research and order them online, AND I add a bit extra to make it WORTH my while. If they're fine with me getting if for them, then I just add the cost of all of that to the cake. I also give them the option of getting it themselves. Most the time we end up ordering if because they don't want to spend the time ordering it. Love you too Luanne! I hope that helps. :)

[@ExleyEST2009]

Oh My Goodness I feel so blessed to have y'all videos and that you guys are so openly sharing with us Thank you 😊 I was wondering about should I ask for a payment in fill or a deposit before you make the cake i feel like I'm pulling teeth when I ask for a 10% deposit but I'm worried if don't I might get stiffed bill so I don't know if I'm doing it right or not

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Stacey! You are VERY welcome! It's our pleasure! Awesome question! You need to be asking for AT LEAST a 50% deposit on your cake orders. 10% is not nearly enough. If you feel like you're "pulling teeth" just getting a deposit from them, then they really have no business ordering from you. You want to serve clients who are MORE than willing to pay you what you are asking and they need to be meeting YOUR time frames and YOUR policies. Thanks for your great question! :)

[@virginiaarceo7942]

Hi Laura and Arnie...i was wondering what happens if I get sick and i have a cake due in 4 days...I actually sprained my right foot and hurt my left knee!!..It looks like I will have to just push through it for now but maybe you have a suggestion in case this happens again.

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Virginia! Oh no! I'm so sorry you hurt your knee! Thank God you're not actually sick though! :) I hope you feel better soon! I've been there and I just stuck it out. I hate cancelling on clients and have only done it when I am completely unable to do it (like my Mom being in the hospital, etc.). It helps to know someone in your city that can offer you help last minute. I have several other Cake Artists here in my city that have helped me out in dire situations. I hope you're able to pull through Virginia! God bless you. :)

[@virginiaarceo7942]

yes..i will be pulling through..slowly but surely..lo lthank you

[@judybigney8016]

Thanks for answering my question regarding quoting....it was very helpful! Next!!! Lol! Do you get license approval when making popular characters? For example, Mickey Mouse, etc. If so, how do you do it.

[@krazykoolcakes]

You're very welcome Judy! Thank you for always asking such awesome questions! :) We personally don't concern ourselves with copyrighted characters. I know a lot of people freak out about that stuff, but we choose to not worry about it, as do many many other Cake Artists. :)

[@judybigney8016]

Ok, thanks again!

[@kiddoscastaneda8274]

thank you for this series videos thank you thank you thank you a million times and my question for next video is: what is the percentage you ask for deposit? and if they need a base or any plastic, acrilyc accessories what its the deposit we ask for on that too and thanj uou in advanced thank you again for this videos and i love you guys

[@krazykoolcakes]

You're VERY welcome Yesenia! Thank you for being with us! GREAT question Yesenia! Thank you! We personally don't provide any stands (other than the presentation board our cake comes in) or acrylic accessories (we purposely avoid those orders because for US, they're a pain in the butt... LOL), BUT, if YOU choose to provide/offer those extra accessories to your clients, then be sure to require a 1/2 deposit on everything. You want to include those things as part of the final cake price. Can't wait to discuss your question in next week's video. :)

[@kiddoscastaneda8274]

thank you

[@flamingomtn]

Do you do Christmas gingerbread houses? Would you be able to offer any pricing structure guidelines for that? There's a video of it on my KZbin channel. It's 8"x8"x8" on a 14" board. I made it for fun at the shop in my down time and now we have no idea how to price it fairly.

[@krazykoolcakes]

We don't make gingerbread houses but just like cakes, you must factor in the amount of time it will take you, figure out what you need to be paid for all of that time, PLUS on top of that your materials, ingredients, etc. :)

[@jeannetteortiz6604]

Yes that happen yo me not to long ago, the lady ask me for a quote for 7 cakes...and when I gave her the final price...she never wrote back to me...and this was going on back and forth for 3 month.

[@krazykoolcakes]

Sheeesh! LOL! :)

[@LILTRAVIEZA14]

Hi Laura and Arnie, i have a quick question im having trouble with my cakes to where they get over done from the outside and edges and im not sure why, they seem to take longer to cook in the center can you please tell me what im doing wrong?

[@serendepity7]

claudia elizalde Hi! Maybe try to turn down the oven temperature. If it's to hot, the outside of the cake ist already burned but the inside is still gooey (Same principle applies to cooking e.g. a steak). You could also try bake even strips (or a self made version of those) to cool down the outside layers or the metal core gadget. Hope it helps!

[@krazykoolcakes]

HI Claudia! I agree with everything serendipity7 suggested down below. Turn down the heat and bake slower. Make sure your cakes are in the center oven as well. :)

[@ArielLamontagne15]

Do you usually require a deposit? especially when it is a new client or larger order?

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Ariel! We always require either a deposit or full payment on a cake at the time they place the order. No matter if it's a new or existing client. :)

[@rosaspringer7908]

Hi Laura & Arnie. congratulations, I like you videos, good Tutorial. I am amateour, I am learning. I dont know how to make the sells. would you pls inform me how May I start. I am doing cupcakes. I do them for my church for free twice. One person asked e for the price because she liked it last time. There is nothing done yet. would you pls give me soe tips? thanks

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Rosa! Thank you so much! That's a great question. Where to start is a BIG question and it has LOTS of answers. We'll be covering this topic "How To Start Your Cake Business" in a future video for sure! Definitely start getting in the habit of NOT doing orders for free. I understand it's "church", but you can still charge people you know from church for your cakes and cupcakes. Act on your orders quickly. If they ask you for a quote, provide them with one quickly and take the order quickly. Word of mouth is the BEST way to start your business quickly. :)

[@loveaange6576]

thanks Laurie And Arnie :)....how many servings are in a 6 in 8in 10in 12in cake please....thanks

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Ange, That completely depends on how many layers of cake you make per cake tier and how you slice them yourself. Please check out our "How To Make Your Own Cake Serving Chart" tutorial if you need help with this. :)

[@ToveBat]

I have a lot of questions about the payment. I made the experience that my customers (mostly coworkers, I have a normal day job :-)) pay much later than they receive the cake and sometimes I need to chase them that I receive the money. Apparently they think: Oh, we're colleagues, she can wait. But no, I was thinking about taking deposits from them in the future because I'm done chasing my money. Do you have tips how to avoid that?

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Jeanette! Your experience just proves why it is so important to make sure you receive a deposit and/or full payment before even lifting a finger on a cake order. Even if they are co-workers, they still need to pay you like any other client. No special treatment for them means peace of mind and no hassle for you. If you make sure you are paid in advance, you'll never need to chase anyone. I can't wait to talk about this is next week's video. Thanks for your input Jeanette! :)

[@ToveBat]

So looking forward to the next video!! And also, you guys helped me a lot overthinking my pricing and opening my eyes! Although I know I still don't charge enough as I should, people keep asking me how to lower the price :-/ Love you both

[@krazykoolcakes]

Thank you Jeanette! We are too! The people that ask you how you can "lower the price" should not be your clients. My suggestion is that you CHOOSE just to not deal with those people. LOL. If you KNOW you're still not charging enough.... why don't you START charging correctly for your work? Don't be afraid. You CAN DO IT! :)

[@ToveBat]

Thank you :-) The problem is my lack of confidence! I'm afraid the client is not happy with my work and therefore I charge less because I'm scared the cake will not turn out great. Although all my clients were happy so far, no one ever came to me and said they weren't happy. I should listen to my boyfriend, he also says I don't charge enough :-P

[@krazykoolcakes]

You're welcome Jeanette. What you just basically said is that you're afraid of something that DOESN'T EVEN EXIST... Nobody has ever complained, however, you continue to undercharge because of something that you've created in your own mind, correct. NOW you know that none of that is true so there is no EXCUSE, yes excuse, to continue to undercharge. Yes, you should listen to your BF, but more importantly, listen to YOURSELF. You KNOW the reality of the situation and that is that your work is WORTH it and your clients are HAPPY with your work. GROW your confidence and everything will change. Please check out the link underneath this video in the "show more section" and check out my Cake Artist CHALLENGE. It will help you. God bless! :)

[@henryjames9343]

so true I get a lot off face book like that and I would send my number and tell them to call some call some don't I get them telling me how much they want to pay I just drop it or I get some wanting the world for not even cost

[@krazykoolcakes]

That's so funny when people tell US what they WANT to pay.... LOL. I'm thinking to myself... "that's nice...". LOL. :)

[@aliciasanchez4212]

Hi.Laura.and Arney..do.I need a pc.for the webinar? I just count with my cellphone :)

[@krazykoolcakes]

Hi Alicia! You can participate in the webinar via your SmartPhone as well. You'll just need to download the free Google Hangouts app onto your phone. Lots of my participants join in via their smart phones or tablets. I hope to have you in our next one! :)

[@aliciasanchez4212]

Krazy Kool Cakes & Designs thanks Laura!! once more your videos are the best :)

[@krazykoolcakes]

Thank you Alicia! Hope to have you in our next webinar. We're NOW REGISTERING. :)