I receive many phone calls from people, mostly young women, who have decided after watching Ace of Cakes that they want to be cake decorators. They ask questions and talk about how fun it seems and how should they go about starting a business. Usually friends and family have told them, “You are great at this, you should do it for a living.”
Unfortunately, I think most of these people see the romance of the idea and celebrity successes.
That is, until I quickly introduce them to the reality.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a great field. I love what I do and wouldn’t do anything else. Okay, to be honest, after 27 years, I don’t think I am employable in any other field. Regardless, baking (whether working for a bakery or owning a bakery), is not a high-paying or glamorous field. You shouldn’t become a professional baker for the money, but rather do it for the passion of doing it.
Here are the facts according to my experience:
You work nights, holidays and weekends since that is when people schedule their celebrations.
Your refrigerator doesn’t ask permission to quit working. It just does. And, at the least convenient moment.
Your friends and family have to buy your cakes to help you make a living.
Equipment is expensive.
Your legs and back will not thank you for those 20 hour days. And, there are more then these kind of days than you would ever dream of.
Burns and knife scars do not make lovely fashion accessories.
Really, trust me on those last two.
I love what I do. I get to play with cake and make people happy. My job is a gift.
It’s just not a one size fits all kind of gift.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment