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Cookie Decorating for Love and/or Money?

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If you've been making cookies for a while, chances are your friends and family have said on more than one occasion, “You should start a business and sell those! You're so talented, you'd make a fortune!” You then listen to that phrase (sometimes over and over), and you start to dream about your little cookie shop. You can see the pink and white-striped awnings over the windows, the vintage mismatched tea set you're going to serve things on, the little corner where mothers can bring their children to have a play and enjoy some beautifully decorated treats. Some people will follow the path and make those dreams into a reality, and others will decide it's not for them – while a third group will want to make the dream happen, but will only see obstacles in their way.

Having myself been the dreamer, then the doer, and now the business adviser, I have experienced and seen lots of businesses open to great fanfare. Some succeed and some do not, but the interesting thing is how many of them started with the owners not really intending to be in business at all. I've seen some “businesses” and "professionals" selling some pretty terrible products, and some “hobbyists” and "amateurs" whose talent is breathtaking.

So what's the difference between all those terms? Let's start with this - what makes someone a "professional" and another person an "amateur"? In some industries, there are actual rules about this: a pro must have participated in so many events at a certain level, or be eligible through the rules of some industry governing body. In the cookie world, we don't have any such measure, as talent and skill in this industry are so subjective and we have few, if any, real governing bodies. Personally, I think the difference is in decorating skill level, and also in teaching skills - if you're at a level where others seek you out to teach, I would consider you to be more professional than amateur.

The term “hobbyist” is an interesting one because I've seen it used to drag people down - “What would you know, you're just a hobbyist!” And I've seen people use it as their excuse for not operating correctly - “I'm selling my cookies, but I haven't registered my kitchen because I'm really just a hobbyist.” It's a term that I think gets very emotional on both sides of the equation, because we somehow equate being a hobbyist with a certain level of skill. To me, being a hobbyist has nothing at all to do with skill. A hobbyist is someone for whom making cookies is NOT about making money AT ALL. This means they don't take money from other people for their products, they don't have business cards, and they don't have a Facebook page or website from which they sell. Making cookies is, for them, just a source of joy and fun - a hobby in the traditional sense of the word, meaning that's how they spend their time outside of their work hours.

A business owner is different. She is selling her cookies to other people, exchanging money or services for her creations. A business owner might be someone content to only have one order a month, someone who only sells to her family, or someone who is working on her dreams of opening that pretty store. Skill level does not come into it at all – it's about what is happening to the product after it's made, not the product itself. I've met some incredibly talented cookie makers whose skills could in fact be sold, but who choose not to go into business because they simply aren't interested in the responsibility that comes along with it. They really enjoy their “day jobs” and have no desire to leave them, no matter how wonderful their cookies are or how much joy decorating brings them.

The point I'm making here is: you do not have to be anything you don't want to be. No matter how much your sister says you should sell those cookies, it's perfectly okay to say, “You know, I love doing them, I just don't want to be in business with them,” and then just smile when she tells you that you're crazy for missing the opportunity. There is no shame in being called a "hobbyist", as the term is not a reflection of your skill or passion – it's just a word used to define the boundaries you place around your desire to go into business.

So, are you in it for love or money - or both? This is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself if you're considering taking the leap from "hobbyist" to "business". 

Michelle Green is the author of The Business of Baking, the blog that inspires, motivates, and educates bakers and decorators to pursue their sweet business goals.

Photo credit: Michelle Green

 

 

 

Note
: This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To read more Cookie Connection business posts, click here or here.

 

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Michelle - thanks so much for posting to the blog! Agree with all said - especially the point about setting boundaries for yourself when starting out. I see you've got some other business-minded articles in the blog queue for us that build on this post. I can't wait to start doling them out!

 

P.S. I'd say that, by your definition, I'm in it for both love and money. I only wish the money part was as big as the love part! 

Great read!  I definitely am in the hobbyist camp.  I really enjoy making the cookies that I want to make.  I think if it was a "job" I would lose some of the joy.  I just wish that I had a really good response to people that ask if they can pay me to make cookies for them.  For friends and family, I tell them I will do it for love but not for money but when casual acquaintances ask, I am often at a loss for a reply. 

Thank you for a very interesting article. I call myself a "cookie hobbyist" though I organize workshop several times a month. I love decorating cookies but I don't think I can do that 5 days a week.

I do or did it for hobby and love, I enjoyed it.  When my Friends tell me I should start a buissnes.  It ended the joy, I started to be stressed, because instead what I wanted to do, people came with pictures I don't know where they got them so I could reproduce the same, it was not fun.  I had no time for my own designs or ideas. 

 

Originally Posted by Mily:

I do or did it for hobby and love, I enjoyed it.  When my Friends tell me I should start a buissnes.  It ended the joy, I started to be stressed, because instead what I wanted to do, people came with pictures I don't know where they got them so I could reproduce the same, it was not fun.  I had no time for my own designs or ideas. 

 

Interesting comment - I felt the same way about working to others' specifications all of the time, which is why my business no longer centers around filling customers' orders. My cookie business is now strictly about teaching, which allows me more creative freedom with less haggling over prices.

 

That said, I think there are some sub-questions to explore here about how one defines a cookie business, if one goes into business! Is it selling just cookies? Or is it selling cookies along with other baked goods? Is it teaching? Is it some combination of teaching and baking/selling? When I did sell cookies, I also sold many other baked goods, but especially cakes. It's much more difficult to make a business profitable when your product mix is solely lower price point-items like cookies, which also happen to be incredibly labor intensive. A single cake, depending on the size, can command so much more money and be almost the same amount of work (or less) as a few dozen cookies.

Last edited by Julia M. Usher
Originally Posted by mrshugs:

Great read!  I definitely am in the hobbyist camp.  I really enjoy making the cookies that I want to make.  I think if it was a "job" I would lose some of the joy.  I just wish that I had a really good response to people that ask if they can pay me to make cookies for them.  For friends and family, I tell them I will do it for love but not for money but when casual acquaintances ask, I am often at a loss for a reply. 

I totally agree, making the cookies I want to make is what truly let's those amazing hormones run freely through my veins. Making cookies other people want doesn't sound very enjoyable..., though I would love to give classes sooner or later to teach other people to make the cookies they want for themselves

 

As to what to reply if people ask you if they can order cookies for money, that's very easy, at least where I'm from - I am simply not allowed to. Legal authorities have seen it fit to only allow the production of special bakery products to trained and acknowledged bakers. Which I am not. I am sure there are some regulations were you live you could use as an excuse the next time someone asks

Last edited by Julia M. Usher
Originally Posted by mrshugs:

Hi Mrshugs.

 

It's really hard,isn't it? They just want the best for you -they're trying to be encouraging. I think the best answer is the one you already gave - "I just want to make the ones I want to make, without being bound by limitations of having orders to fill," and leave it at that.  

 

Good luck! - Michelle

 

Great read!  I definitely am in the hobbyist camp.  I really enjoy making the cookies that I want to make.  I think if it was a "job" I would lose some of the joy.  I just wish that I had a really good response to people that ask if they can pay me to make cookies for them.  For friends and family, I tell them I will do it for love but not for money but when casual acquaintances ask, I am often at a loss for a reply. 

 

Thanks everyone for the positive comments and support - it's really hard when we want to keep a hobby just that, a hobby! Plus as many of you said, once it moves over to the realm of business, there is a part of it which changes emotionally, not just financially. There can be a real pressure to get into business these days! 

 

As I often say, the more successful your business, the less cookies you make - because as their business grows. it's inevitable that business owners will spend more time on business and less time on hands on product.

 

Michelle

The word hobbiest can imply someone needs to get better before they become serious, or it can mean they are a total cookie fanatic. If you suspect I am talking about you, count yourself as a fanatic, lol. I think of a hobbiest as someone who belives the pleasure of doing it is the reward in itself. (Although I do have to admit it's a nice little high when I give cookies to someone and they love them.)

A professional is someone who is doing it for profit, and someone who wants to but is not ready yet, I would call an amateur. Of course, this word can mean many things as well. When an athlete competes in the olympics we call them an amateur, despite the fact that they may be the best in the world.

I prefer to think of myself as a cookie artist, because the creative side is what I love. If I ever get really good, I guess I could call myself a cookie artisan. It's a safe term, because I could choose to sell my artwork at some point, or never. The big bonus is that when you are an artist, people expect you to follow your heart and creative ideas, your muse. They won't expect you to make copies of other artists designs. If they do, be sure to look insulted, as if you would never stoop to that level.

When people tell me I should sell my creations, I simply smile and say I have other things I want to accomplish professionally, and thank them for the compliment. Sometimes you just need to say you're not interested, and stand firm. If they ask to place an order for themselves, I explain that it takes days and a lot of work to make them, and that I would have to charge them so much it wouldn't be worth it.

If they push it, I quote them a ridiculous price, which usually does the trick. After all, more than $100 for a platter of a dozen cookies is more than most people will pay. If anyone ever agrees to it, I will be sure to let them know there is a hefty additional fee for custom designs, lol. After all, I will be making cookies for fun anyway. If they want to bribe me to share them, I guess I could suffer through it.

This is a really interesting article - much food for thought! I'm definitely (and legally) a 'professional', because I'm registered to bake from home, and sell my cookies. But I'm in the lucky position of not having to depend on the money, so I don't have the pressure to build the business to an extent that I wouldn't enjoy. And sometimes I feel I should stop the sales and become a hobbyist, because I don't enjoy being given a brief that I'd never tackle by myself, I find it quite stressful in fact.

 

But then it's often those briefs, often bizarre sounding things, that I've ended up most proud of because they've forced me to stretch myself, to work through problems that I would otherwise have turned away from. 

 

But I shall always, always, turn down down requests for Minecraft!!

Pricing is definitely a challenge.  Just this week I ran into this problem with 3 different orders.  I did too much work on the first order for the price I quoted and then was caught needing to replicate the work on on two additional orders.  Glad to have the orders but need it to be profitable!  I did figure out to quadruple my cookie dough recipe, roll out several sheets and freeze in air tight bags.  It was so nice to just pull out a sheet and go!!
Originally Posted by Mily:

I do or did it for hobby and love, I enjoyed it.  When my Friends tell me I should start a buissnes.  It ended the joy, I started to be stressed, because instead what I wanted to do, people came with pictures I don't know where they got them so I could reproduce the same, it was not fun.  I had no time for my own designs or ideas. 

 

Interesting comment - I felt the same way about working to others' specifications all of the time, which is why my business no longer centers around filling customers' orders. My cookie business is now strictly about teaching, which allows me more creative freedom with less haggling over prices.

 

That said, I think there are some sub-questions to explore here about how one defines a cookie business, if one goes into business! Is it selling just cookies? Or is it selling cookies along with other baked goods? Is it teaching? Is it some combination of teaching and baking/selling? When I did sell cookies, I also sold many other baked goods, but especially cakes. It's much more difficult to make a business profitable when your product mix is solely lower price point-items like cookies, which also happen to be incredibly labor intensive. A single cake, depending on the size, can command so much more money and be almost the same amount of work (or less) as a few dozen cookies.

 

For me, I don't mind doing what the customer brings me, When I get a squeal of delight from them when they see the finished product that means more to me than the money (although I like that part of it, too!)

Originally Posted by Cottage Celebrations:
Pricing is definitely a challenge.  Just this week I ran into this problem with 3 different orders.  I did too much work on the first order for the price I quoted and then was caught needing to replicate the work on on two additional orders.  Glad to have the orders but need it to be profitable!  I did figure out to quadruple my cookie dough recipe, roll out several sheets and freeze in air tight bags.  It was so nice to just pull out a sheet and go!!
Originally Posted by Mily:

I do or did it for hobby and love, I enjoyed it.  When my Friends tell me I should start a buissnes.  It ended the joy, I started to be stressed, because instead what I wanted to do, people came with pictures I don't know where they got them so I could reproduce the same, it was not fun.  I had no time for my own designs or ideas. 

 

Interesting comment - I felt the same way about working to others' specifications all of the time, which is why my business no longer centers around filling customers' orders. My cookie business is now strictly about teaching, which allows me more creative freedom with less haggling over prices.

 

That said, I think there are some sub-questions to explore here about how one defines a cookie business, if one goes into business! Is it selling just cookies? Or is it selling cookies along with other baked goods? Is it teaching? Is it some combination of teaching and baking/selling? When I did sell cookies, I also sold many other baked goods, but especially cakes. It's much more difficult to make a business profitable when your product mix is solely lower price point-items like cookies, which also happen to be incredibly labor intensive. A single cake, depending on the size, can command so much more money and be almost the same amount of work (or less) as a few dozen cookies.

 

when I sold cookies, it was for events, so I sold the cookies, the cake and/or cupcakes.   Now a lot  of people sells desserts in my neighborhood, and some are very talented.  It's a good idea to give clases. Many years ago I gave a small class to my classmates from other class, it was my first and a good experience, but I don't have a kitchen to invite every body for that (must add minisplit because we reach 45°C and sun really shines here so I must cook at nights).  Allways when people ask me about how I do something I  love to tell.  I sold some cakes alone and cheese cakes too.

 

 

 

Last edited by Mily
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