Happy Sugar Baking Land

Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Bad Customers

Customers, we need them.  We don't always want them, but we need them.  I think we've all had that problem customer, the one with the unreasonable demands on our time and resources.  The one who wants to change their design two days before the wedding.  The one who doesn't understand why handmade sugar flowers cost more than real flowers.  The one that we wish had never walked through our doors!  It's alright, we're friends here, you can admit it!

I was going to title this week's Shop Talk "customer service," but that's just really a fancy way to say "doing your job" isn't it?  Or, selling your product without getting yelled at!  Customer service is just a business phrase that makes customers feel like they're important.  "Look, we're getting service!  Aren't we special?!"  No, you're a customer.  You're entering into a simple barter agreement for goods or services.  I get something, you get something.  I intend for it to be pleasant for both of us, but if it gets out of hand, "I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."  My point?  Business catch phrases are not necessarily business policy.

You know another phrase that makes customers feel important?  Who has heard "the customer is always right?"  Everyone, no?  Of course you have, it's one of the biggest mantras in retail.  It is also the bigggest lie.

The "customer is always right" is often attributed to Henry Gordon Selfridge, a business man who originally used the phrase in advertisements for Marshall Field & Co. (now Macy's).  He later went on to start Selfridge's in London and was rich and successful.  Because of this he wrote a book with the absurd title of "The Romance of Commerce."  Clearly the man adored his bank account.  In it, Selfridge lauded the ancient business practices of Greece, China, and the East India Company speckled with his words of wisdom which amounted to little more than the kind of things one would hear from a coach before the big game.  Among them was the nugget "the customer is always right" and it is a three headed monster of doom.

The intention of the phrase was to instill in your employees the idea that you should behave as if the customer is always right, even if they are not.  In other words, don't be rude.  It's not meant to be taken literally as so many entitled customers, or even worse, young business owners feel it does today.  You want you're company to be seen as putting the customer first, but in reality, your business comes first, every time.  Every decision you make should be to advance your business goals and protect your brand.  Smart customers understand that while bad customers try and exploit it.

If you are operating a small business under the idea that the customer is always right, you are destined for failure.  I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but it's true.   It was a turn of the century advertising slogan and nothing more.  It was also used in conjunction with a sizable department store where the volume of business could allow for the occasional concession to an irate customer.  But let's face it, irate customers seldom have cause.  

Don't confuse emotion with cause.  If you messed up, make it right.  If they ordered a four tier cake and you only made three, it's cause.  If the invoice says chocolate and you delivered lemon, it's cause.  If they didn't realize their future father-in-law was allergic to strawberries and they had to call an ambulance to the reception and they want to yell at you about it, it's emotion.  You smile, you listen, you secretly clinch your fist behind the counter, you will totally bitch about it later to your friends, but then you pull out the order form and point out what they signed off on (you do make them sign it don't you?) and send your sincerest wishes for their father-in-law's speedy recovery.  And remember, unless you poured arsenic in the batter, you never "ruined" someone's wedding.  That's emotion talking.

Question: Customers who like to flaunt "the customer is always right" to gain free or discounted items are generally bad customers?  True, this is a customer fact!  I will stand by that till the day I die and it all comes down to the increasing sense of entitlement that is sweeping our society.  The current economy doesn't help, but people everywhere, especially younger generations, want more for less and it's not that that is wrong by itself, it's they feel they deserve it.  A customer deserves your attention, they deserve basic human respect, but they don't deserve anything they do not pay for and as the business owner, you set those parameters.

Two of the most shocking examples of entitlement I've ever seen both occurred at the same Sur La Table about a year apart.  The first involved a man who refused to accept the answer given to him by the assistant manager.  She told him that if he wanted to talk to the store manager, he could return tomorrow and even went so far as to say he could knock on the door about a half hour before they opened because the manager would be there. He didn't like that idea and insisted they call the store manager.  When they very kindly reminded the man it was the manager's day off, he said in a very loud voice, and I quote, "Well, he has a cell phone doesn't he?  Call him.  Unless you're telling me you don't have his cell phone number, which is a lie."  

WTF?  Dude wanted to invade another human being's well earned day off because why, he worked in retail?  Maybe he should have the right to drop by the company's owner's place and use the swimming pool too?  No, of course he can't!  And he doesn't have the right to ask for someone to come into work on their day off either.  He was being unreasonable and rude and before he left, flung some misogynistic remarks at the women behind the counter.  Buying a frying pan did not earn him 24 hour access to every employee in the company.  Bad customer.

I was at the same store recently and a woman was trying to return an item.  She had the receipt, she had the product in good condition, it was a simple return.  The cashier handed her back her money and the woman said, "wait, this item is $199 and you only gave me $170."  "Well," said the cashier, "it was on sale when you purchased it, so I can only refund you the purchase amount."  Instead of saying oh, whoops, didn't notice that, sorry, the customer said, "that's unacceptable.  It's $200 and I want $200 back."  Do I need to go on?  Do I need to point out how this customer was a complete and total idiot?  No, because you're smart business people, but I will say that this customer did go on.  And on and on and on.  She wasn't going to leave without money that was never hers.  She didn't deserve it, but she felt entitled to it.  Bad customer, possible petty thief.

And the thing is, I know we all want positive word of mouth so we tend to bend over a little to make that happen, but the simple reality is, unless Oprah is standing in front of you, the average customer has neither the pull nor the ultimate drive to do any serious damage to your business reputation.  The internet is flooded with people barking about something (heck, myself included!), very few actually listen (except you awesome Shop Talk readers who are amazing!).  I had a customer storm out yelling she was gonna tell all her friends and "ruin me."  Three days later one of her friends came in and bought a cake so we obviously know the pull she has with her friends.  People still respond to positive reviews way more than negative ones.  In my experience, do not live in fear of word of mouth.  If you're doing a good job, that performance will always win out.

"The customer is always right" is like the right to bear arms.  I don't disagree with the constitutional right to own a gun, but there is no way in a billion years that our founding fathers ever envisioned the type of massively destructive weapons or ammunition available today.  Similarly, Selfridge had no clue that society would evolve 100 years later to a place where people are constantly taking advantage of each other.  He never saw a customer come in and try and scam him out of a free pair of gloves because after all, the customer is always right!  He lived in a different time.  The phrase is from a different time.  It's outdated and it must go.  

The phrase is so false because it's not about right or wrong, it's about being a professional.  The Shop Talk message has always been about acting like a professional and presenting yourself to your clients as a professional.  No one is wrong, no one is right.  There is a product and a price and a negotiation.  It's business.  If it doesn't work out, there is no failure, there is no blame.  What I hope to impart to you today is that it is okay to step back and admit that this is not gonna work out.  Whether that's you have to let someone leave angry or you recognize a bad customer/problem bride and make up some pleasant excuse why you cannot work together, it's okay.  You can't please everybody and that is a phrase I can get behind!

Now take note, I'm not writing this for customers, I'm writing this for you, the cake shop business owner.  Customers should be treated well, they should be cared for and given the best customer service you can afford, but you can ever forget that you are the professional.  Your time is important, your ideas are important, your business is important.  Bad customers are real and one who's every wish is fulfilled regardless of whether or not it was earned can negate the value of all of that a lot more than one unhappy customer.  

Just remember all the friendly, happy customers you've experienced and let go of the bad ones.  Sometimes we dwell on the negative too much.  The truth is most of our clients have been great and we have loved helping them out with cakes for their big events and I bet you feel the same way.  Concentrate on the positive, be a professional, and never let some old sourpuss interfere with how fun and awesome it is to make cakes for a living!!

 

Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Cakes and Copyrights

I started drafting this "Shop Talk" on copyrights back on July 3rd.  I can now see September from my couch!  I have never had a bigger headache in composing a post than this tangled web of double speak and vagueness known as copyright law.  In front of me is a small yellow pad filled with handwritten notes.  I had to create a whole new bookmark folder just for all the links and websites I've come across.  I've watched hours of online videos.  There is literally an endless stream of copyright information and all of that combined with my first draft of over 14,000 words (!!) has pointed me to one very simple answer: I am not smart enough to figure this out!

If you want to know if you can reproduce a copyrighted image, the smart money is on that technically you cannot.  For those of you who read up on our Facebook contest dilemma last week, the safest path is to just avoid it all together.  But obviously that is not what we want to hear as a business trying to sell cakes and satisfy customers.  We want to know what we can do, we want answers and solutions.  Prepare for disappointment my friends.

Copyrights vs. Trademarks

When cakers talk about getting sued by big a corporation, without fail Disney comes into the conversation.   It's not necessarily because they are an evil group of fun haters who want little children to have horrible birthday parties, it's because their characters are trademarked.  I know the title of our post concerns copyrights, but that only covers and protects the expression of ideas.  Trademarks are the ones that cover logos and brand names and how they are sold or used to identify products and companies.  Some logos can be both copyrighted and trademarked but only if there is enough "authorship" in the logo to be considered worthy of a copyright.  Copyrights are about works of art (books, paintings, songs etc.) so something like the Nike Swoosh is more of a trademark.  That is why Disney has it's characters trademarked, not copyrighted.  They are more an image than an idea.

Why is that an important distinction for you as a decorator?  Because by law, trademarks must be enforced.  Disney has to actively monitor and obtain legal action against companies violating their trademark or they could lose it.  Trademarks are meant to wholly and completely define the image of a company and if you let someone else use it then you are saying that (in the case of Disney) Mickey Mouse does not represent your company anymore and you could lose trademark protection of that character.

So, if you're asked to faithfully recreate something that is a trademark, there is a greater risk of gaining attention.  Think about what it is they (client) want to do.  A fully sculpted Mickey Mouse, that could be a problem.  An Xbox cake?  Well, the logo is trademarked, but the shape of the console?  Not so much.  What about recreating the mop scene from Fantasia?  Just the dancing mops cleaning the floor all by themselves is part of a copyrighted film (story), but you're not including any trademarks (no Mickey!).  That would be harder to prove you were violating anyone's rights because you are interpreting a work of art which leads me to the murky world of....

Fan Art

Does the world of cake decorating fall under fan art?  That is the question I have been asking myself since I started this topic.  I live in the world of comics and walk around convention after convention in an industry where fan art is everywhere.  It is expected, so when an artist sells a sketch of a character that they didn't create (say a Stormtrooper) no one really bats an eye.  Now, you can't obviously make and sell a comic with Spiderman in it, you can't order up 5000 prints of your Spiderman art to sell online without the license, you can't charge people to come see it in a museum, but when I approach you at your booth and ask for an 8x10 of Spiderman jet skiing with Ewoks while Batman watches from the pier, no one cares.  In fact, creators are often excited to see someone else interpret their property.  So, as cake artists, are we then creating fan art?  Maybe-ish??

Prepare for the ideas of "derivative work," "parody," and "fair use!"  I really need a glossary on this Shop Talk!!  Generally fan art is considered a "derivative work," hence you are using the settings and characters from a previously copyrighted work, but in a new way through your own artistic eye.  That covers probably 90% of what most of us do on cakes.  However, it is still unlawful to display or distribute (sell) this derivative work unless it can fall under fair use!!  When evaluating whether a work could be considered "fair use," a court would look at a number of things including how much of the original work is used, the interpretive nature of the new work and most interestingly to us as cakers "the economic effect that the derivative work imposes on the copyright holder's ability to make and exploit their own derivative works."  (To clarify, a sequel to Toy Story is considered a derivative work of the original movie regardless of who makes it.)  

In other words, while it could be within the right of the trademark holder to sue you, if you made a $50 birthday cake commissioned by a client, it would take a hard hearted judge to levy a penalty against you, at least nothing substantial, because you hardly are stepping on the toes of a big corporation like the proverbial Disney.  Now, if you are advertising that cake in a magazine or catalog to the entire country, then you are definitely interfering with the ability of the trademark holder to make money off of their property and that would be trouble.  Hint: the internet goes across the entire country.

The loophole's loophole is the glorious idea of free speech through "parody."  Now, this, as far as I can tell, has not really ever been tested in the cake world, but when you think of comedic parody such as Saturday Night Live or movie parodies, the courts have afforded some pretty extensive protection to the idea.  Political cartoons have also fallen under parody when they've done things like put Mickey Mouse ears on someone to denote they're acting like a child etc.  Can a cake fall under a parody?  Honestly, you would need a pretty sharp lawyer, but I would think the possibility is there.  Time may tell.

Blame The Client!

There's a lot of common sense arguments that we could apply to these situations like "the client asked for it."  Think of my Spideman with Ewoks commission example above.  I asked for it, so what's wrong with that?  Well, did your mom ever throw that "if he jumped off a bridge" argument at you?  You're an adult, you're a business owner, your actions are your own.  You do not get to blame someone else.

I've talked about it in our posts on consultations and it remains the theme of "Shop Talk."  You are a professional, act like it.  Explain to the client how you are taking a legal risk with their request and then tell them how you can interpret that theme to give them what they want but in your own creative way.  Convince them your idea will be better, but if they say no, and you feel uncomfortable taking money for the design, remember the safe route and just say no.

The Cricut & The Cake Pan

A quick primer on the idea of "licensing" a property.  Some companies can buy the rights to distribute a copyright or trademark from the holder.  Toys, posters, coloring books, things like that.  Even beer can be licensed so say a company could brew the Danish Carlsberg recipe on American soil.  You buy the right, the license, to recreate that image or product.  So when you see super markets selling Spiderman cakes, it's because they are using decorations sold to them under a license.  Hint: if your client brings in a toy they bought for you to place on top of the cake, you didn't recreate anyone's trademark now did you?

I know a lot of you are Wilton faithful and you might be thinking, "well, what about the Spongebob cake pan I bought at the store?  Can't I use that to make cakes?"  Sure you can, but Wilton obtained the license for that image and that design based solely on the disclaimer that it is for "home use only."  They are selling you that pan considering you to be a hobbyist and legally, after that, they are washing their hands of you!  There is no transfer of rights from when you buy that licensed pan to use it commercially.  The simple answer to this then is to learn how to carve and sculpt your own cakes.  Sorry if this is harsh, but "Shop Talk" is about being a business and a professional and if you're baking and decorating the Wilton line of pans and selling yourself as a professional decorator with those designs, you have bigger problems than copyright law.

Now, the Cricut Cake is a whole different idea of licensing.  Shortly after the release of this machine, Provo Crafts tried to post on their website that the images and designs they were selling in their cartridges were intended for home use only and for crafting and hobby and were not to be used to decorate any cake being sold for profit.  The problem here is, no one owns the image of numbers.  There is no trademark holder on "7" out there!  A loosely outlined bear shape is not definable enough to warrant a trademark.  The Cricut is a tool and the for the most part, their designs are too vague and too common to be considered anything that deserves protection.  And once you start layering the cut outs and placing them on a cake, clearly you are into fair use/derivative work territory.  They also tried to do this after they sold you the product.  There's a reason we cannot complete a download of software without clicking "agree" on the user agreement.  You cannot backdoor someone into a contract.  Provo has since backed off of this because simply put, it is virtually unenforceable. 

The same goes for your generic Wilton (or other brand) cake pans.  A ball is not a trademark.  A skull, a train, a castle, these are all too generic to be protected.  Remember, Wilton is washing their hands of you after the sale, not trying to enforce any laws.  It is the licensed products of trademarks you have to be careful of.

Beyond The Cake

This is a little off topic from decorating, but I did want to touch on copyright issues in other areas of our business, specifically, our shop names.  There's a decorator in Australia who calls herself "Grace of Cakes."  I'm sure she thought this was super clever, and while I don't know about the international copyright laws or how Food Network and the producers of Ace of Cakes protected themselves, clearly this is flirting with a lawsuit.  It's like if I opened a theme park in Anaheim and called it Mizneyland.  Okay, they're gonna catch on.  If you make cakes using a Cricut and you market them on your website as your "Krikut" line of cakes, they might catch on.  Calling Spongebob "Spongerob," they're gonna catch on.  Simply put, be your own person, don't mimic someone else.  We have a hard enough time with copyrights in decorating, we don't need to invite that into our own brands!

My Brain Hurts!

In summary, the thing about all of this is scale and exposure.  Supermarket chains need to use pre-approved licensed products because they are large and attract attention.  If you're shop is next to Disneyland, you could attract attention.  If you're in New York or a major city, you could attract attention.  If you are doing a 5 foot tall Donald Duck for Make A Wish, you could attract attention.  

But, if you are just a local bakery and you have the occasional client who wants a birthday cake for 20 kids with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle piped on it, and you don't use that image to promote your business or add it to your example books, you should be okay.  I'm not saying you won't get sued, but discretion is key.  It will also be helpful to hone your ability to interpret a theme.  There's lots of ways to use color and the imagery associated with a trademark without recreating the protected symbol.  Because after all, you want to market your abilities and artistic sense, not someone else's right?  

But know this, if you're making money off of someone else's property, they have the right to come after you, period.  Managing your risk is the best option. 

Now, this post was, like I noted earlier, significantly longer in my first draft.  We're treading on legal subjects and I am no lawyer.  If you have one, consult them for their "real" opinion.  All I tried to do in this final draft is give you some talking points and buzz words to use in your own research.  My final advice is nothing more than that, advice.  

Please, please, please share your own experience and stories and research in the comments below!!  The more we can all talk and share our thoughts on this very tricky subject, the better it will be for all of us.  If you found something that contradicts what I've written, please let me know!  This is only the beginnings of a very long conversation and I am one very moderately intelligent man trying to make heads or tails of it all;)  Best of luck to everyone, especially me!!

And next week on Cake Talk, if I can stop my brain from throbbing after copyrights, we will discuss the customer!

Running Giveaways on Facebook

To say I was ignorant of Facebook's views and regulations on running any form of promotion on our Merci Beaucoup fan page would be a lie.  I cannot plead insanity nor incompetence.  I've known for awhile that, due to some misguided liability concerns, Facebook basically prohibits any and all contests on their site unless you use a third party app.  Even then, it is easy for them to turn around and claim you're doing something wrong.

Most of the third party apps also require payment and end up being cumbersome and annoying.  All we want to do is have fun with our fans and friends and engage each other in conversation etc.  The stuff we give away in quizzes is small and usually left over from something else we've done.  It's not like we're offering a cruise!  But we cannot collect any form of information via FB, even though they collect and distribute our information on a daily basis.  No answers, no emails, I can't even write a winner's name down in a post.  Nothing.  So, we cannot do little giveaways on Facebook any longer.

Instead, we will be doing all future contests etc. on here, our blog.  A safe heaven where I can do whatever I want without worrying about a nervous multi million dollar internet company destroying all my hard work to build our page because they don't want to get sued over me mailing out a fondant leaf cutter.  Will it be more work on our end?  Absolutely.  Will it be more work on your end?  A little, yes.  I can post a link to our contests on Facebook, but after that, everything will have to be run through the blog.

If you're confused yourself about their policies, check out this article.

The genesis of this comes from a lot of stepped up activity by the Facebook police including accounts being temporarily banned at an alarming rate.  I've yet to hear of anyone with a deleted account, but that's probably because they've been deleted!  We have over 3,100 fans, and I can't risk losing that to a knee jerk FB intern.  We still want to be able to build a community on FB and interact with all of you, we just have to move our contests.  

Today I posted our first quiz on Tumblr and it has caused great confusion for both myself and all of you.  I'm sorry about that, blame Facebook.  Even as I was trying to do things correctly and steer you over to Tumblr, I got a message from FB about their promotion rules.  A warning essentially.  It sucks, and I wish we could all just have fun on there without Big Brother pooping on the party.

What is ridiculous is all they have to do is develop a simple promotion app with a disclaimer on it that we could all use easily but instead they are hooked in with third party developers including one they funded.  As far as the internet has come, there is still a lot left to be desired.

As far as the referral contest goes, I don't know yet.  Technically, because it requires the use of a Facebook function (the "like" button), I don't think we can continue with it, but I'm not prepared to let those who worked hard to help us out go without reward, so we'll figure all of that our very soon I promise.

And damn them all, I am stepping up our contests shortly too!  We're gonna have a Halloween contest with a trophy and everything!!  

Thank you for your patience everyone and your participation.  We'll sort this out so we can all just have some fun again soon.  Sincerely,

Reva & Mic

Silly Cake News: Vodka, Obama, and More Robots!!

So, who watched Duff's new show this week?  Me neither.  But I did troll the internet for some SIlly Cake News!!!

First up, nothing gets sillier than flavored vodka.  Seriously, have you looked at the vodka section at a BevMo lately?  No one needs bubblegum flavored booze and while bacon is awesome, keep it out of my cocktails please.  But now, you can have your cake and drink it too!  (Sorry, could not resist that pun!)  Pearl vodka is releasing a wedding cake flavored variety this September and your drunk uncle you didn't want to invite to your wedding anyway could not be happier!  Pearl claims the $12.99 a bottle vodka is "carefully infused with all the enchanting and lush decadence of today's most mouthwatering wedding cakes."  First of all, gross.  Secondly, super gross.  Call me old fashion, but I prefer my vodka out of a skull.

Sadly I could not find an actual picture of President Obama's 50th birthday cake, but I did find evidence that with a couple of clicks on Go Daddy, you can literally start any weird fringe website that you desire!  Enter Yes We Cake!!!  That's right, add one part campaign slogan, two parts culinary obsession and a little bit of public office, shake vigorously and you get a website dedicated to nothing but Barack Obama themed pastry.  Highlights include a stack of donuts with a little Barack on top and an edible image of the first family.  There is also a random picture of a Gene Simmons Kiss cake?  Peruse, enjoy, feel the sugary patriotism flow through your stomach!  And then get creeped out by the Madame Tussauds wax Obama birthday bash.  Cakes by Retro Bakery in Las Vegas.

And finally today, the robot invasion of our industry continues.  Those mechanical, soon to be fully sentient jerk-bots made us cookies last week but this week they have the audacity to slice into a cake!!  Two crazy Belgiums took a whole lot of LEGOs and a LEGO Mindstorm processor and created a robot who can slice perfectly even slices of cake with an old tin can lid.  Perfect slices!!  You can't have perfect slices, that just destroys everything good and wholesome about cake!!  I always need a bigger piece than my sister, ALWAYS!!!  Damn you robots....  Click the link for a video of the bot in action.

Alright, short and sweet this week, and no, I did not intend that pun.  Enjoy your weekend folks!!

Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Networking

Really, this should be Chapter 1 in the "Shop Talk" book, and maybe it will!  Networking is the cornerstone of starting any business, one you will probably engage in before you even start selling your wares.  Your relationship with your industry and the business community around you is as important, if not more so, than your relationship with your clients.

Wait, hold up a second!  I should ask, does everyone understand how networking is different than marketing?  Marketing is selling your business to potential clients (customers).  Marketing is about generating revenue by creating awareness and positive buzz about your business to people looking to open their wallets.  Networking is business to business (B2B).  It is creating a web of colleagues and peers, like minded business owners and connected businesses.  For a cake decorator examples include florists, caterers, photographers, and cake suppliers.

Can you market to those you network with?  Absolutely!  Unless it's another cake decorator!!  It drives me crazy when I see shops posting on Facebook pages like ICES with comments like "hey, looking for a delicious cake? Call me."  No.  I make them too, that's why we're here, to talk about cake, not try and sell it to each other!  Okay, pet peeve venting over, on to the show.

Enter the Chamber

I recently had a conversation with one of my nearest and dearest friends about a coffee shop she was opening in Brooklyn.  She was asking for advice on getting her name out in the community and such and one of the first things I said was "join the chamber."  Now, the caveat is, if you don't have a brick and mortar shop, don't spend the money unless you really plan on participating in all of their events.  But if you have a shop, it can give you some traction, especially early on, with the local business community.

First of all, you'll get a plaque.  Plaques and awards and official looking documents always lend an air of legitimacy to your business.  Plus, they're cool.  Customers will trust you more with a chamber seal hanging by your register.  Second, they will promote and attend your grand opening.  At our grand opening, we had at least 40 chamber members (looking for free cake of course) and were presented with proclamations from the city and the county.  Sure, they're in a drawer as I write this, but if I got a frame big enough they'd look great on the wall!!  Third, the chamber is in with the local papers and will announce your grand opening with them and probably the paper will send a cub reporter out to photograph and cover your opening.  They usually have someone assigned to the chamber so you'll now have a contact at the paper.  Fourth, the chamber is filled with successful business owners who like to throw parties.  Lots of fundraisers and events for you to attend and shake hands or even better, bring your sweets to and win over the crowd!  

Our chamber had monthly breakfasts at various locales where we would meet up to hear about news from the community.  Each member then got 30 seconds to stand up and do a little "commercial" about their business.  For us, this is what really helped grow our profile in the community and raise awareness of what we do.  Meetings like that work to create a small army of business owners that can represent you in the community as they market and network during the course of their business day.

A couple warnings starting with you make cakes, be prepared for the donation phone calls!  You will get hit up for a lot of donations.  Make sure they're real donations for real events and that you're not being taken advantage of by some chamber member who wants a birthday cake.  Deliver to the event, not the chairman's house;)  Secondly, not all chambers are as good as ours.  We have an active chamber that strives to be a part of the community, you might not.  Research your chamber and if they seem like a dud, spend your networking budget somewhere else.  Of course, if you have the money, you could just join to get the plaque!  And finally, you get what you give.  Just signing up isn't enough, you need to participate.  Hint: one meeting every fourth month is not participating.

Group Therapy

Especially in larger cities, the networking group is a common sight.  They have titles like "Business Pros of The Lower Valley" or "Springfield Business Professionals."  They like the word "professional!"  But you get the idea, it's a club comprised of local business owners.  A good group will be a cross section of businesses from the entire selected area, not just the "fancy" side of town.  You will rarely find members from national chains like Target, but you'll probably see franchise owners alongside the mom and pop store fronts. 

Once you recognize the networking groups in your city, you will need to decide which one(s) to join.  Some will require a fee, some have application processes and interviews, some have wait lists, others might be aimed at businesses with a certain level of annual revenue (the fancy side of town folks).  Ask to see a mission statement (if it's not online already), talk to members etc. and make sure the group is a good fit for you.  Will you get enough out of your involvement to make it worth your time?  Do you even have the time to make meetings or attend events sponsored by the group?  You need to interview them as much as they will interview you.

Enter the sub category, and possibly the most useful to you as a cake business, of the wedding specific networking group.  A more accurate description would probably be a "referral group."  We all know what Wedding Wire is right?  Well, think of Wedding Wire on a localized scale.  These groups will be a collection of every vendor a typical bride and groom will need to plan their weddings.  Members are usually required to refer each other as they meet with potential clients and some groups might even offer incentives to do so.  There are wedding networks that only allow one business per category, such as cake, and others that will allow two or three.  If they have a dozen other cake shops already, joining won't do you any good.  A hint of exclusivity is a good thing...

...but it can also be a negative. I'll be honest, I have mixed feelings about these groups.  While the informal and "honest" world of networking with colleagues is one thing, the gang mentality of a group of wedding professionals can create a closed circle of localized bullies that is neither good for clients nor the business community as a whole.  I guess it all depends on what side of the fence you fall, but I've kept deposits because a bride's florist talked smack about us during their consultation and convinced her to cancel us in favor of their group's cake maker of choice.  Sometimes knowing the group your considering can also mean knowing those outside the group.  Make sure you're not joining up with one that engages in such anti-networking activity.  Everything is a client's choice, so you will work with every florist in the industry at some point.  You don't want to show up to a delivery to find a florist with a grudge because of the way your group operates, especially if they're bringing flowers for your cake!  You will represent the group and the group will represent you.  Choose wisely.

Handouts

Make a list of the types of businesses where some free samples could go a long way.  Teachers and realtors, the types of folk who have a lot of contact with the community.  Network with them, and you've got a believer who will spread the word all over town just like what you did with your fellow chamber members.  Added bonus: This is a wee bit of marketing too as it never hurts to have a realtor who likes to send sweets to their clients!

Business Cards

Thanks to Vista Print, this is often the first thing you will do when you decide to start your business.  Designing your business card is a step to legitimacy and boosts your confidence as you move toward the world of the self employed!  You don't have to be this guy, but don't just jump on the cheapest and quickest card you can.  If you hand over the Avery 5371 printed at home, it says you're not serious yet, you don't have the infrastructure to handle the business I could send your way.  Same goes for the free Vista Prints.  Upgrade to the glossy at least!

This article on Webdesigner Depot has 100 creative cards that should give you an idea of how much of an impact your card can have on your networking dollar.  Plus, it's fun to see the crazy ones like this:

There's so much involved in successful networking, I don't think I could even call this "Networking 101!"  It's more like 41!  Just remember that every time you step out to represent your business, there is potential to network.  No matter how unconnected someone's business might seem, they're trying to create their own slice of the American dream just like you and they could have an idea or a connection that you've never thought of before that will help both of you.  Never forget, you're not just a cake decorator, your a business owner.

Next week on Shop Talk, we discuss the awkward world of customer relations!!

Silly Cake News: Robots, Assualt & So Long Lazy Cakes!!

Most of our friends are laughing it up at the ICES convention this weekend, but alas, we are stuck here in sunny California.  It's a hard life.  However, before I can head out to enjoy my beloved home state, I am here in front of the trusty Apple iBook to deliver the gospel according to Silly Cake News!

While I don't believe we'll be lining up in the unemployment lines cursing the automation of cake decorating anytime soon, I for one lament the use of robots in the culinary arts!  I always thought cake would be the one part of our humanity they could never rob from us those soon to be our dark overlord jerks!  I might be wrong.  Enter "Bakebot," a project at MIT where students have taught/programmed a robot to bake a batch of cookies from scratch.  Because you know, that robot that just slices up the Toll House tube is so last year!  Click through the link for video of the bot in action, it's fun to watch but I do plan on blowing up the Bakebot to spare parts in a surgical strike this weekend.  Wait, it also fetches beer from the fridge?  Hmmm.... maybe we'll come to an uneasy alliance afterall Bakebot.

Oh thank you crazy woman from Utah!  I can always count on some whacko to use their wedding cake topper in an assault charge.  It makes sense really.  Every time I see one of those precious moments toppers, I desperately want to smash it against a wall!  Those big eyes are creepier than Cakebot whipping up snickerdoodles!!  But this woman literally tossed her topper at her husband and then picked it up and launched it off their balcony to the ground below.  Any guesses on what he did to incite cake rage?  No really, any guesses 'cause the article doesn't say.  I'm going with forgot to buy milk?

Do you guys remember when we talked about Lazy Cakes in a previous Silly Cake News?  They are the relaxation cupcake that is a thinly veiled attempt to make you think you're eating a pot brownie.  Their tagline is even "Relaxation Baked In," with the word "baked" highlighted in a different color.  Subtle.  The thing is though, it's not pot, it's actually filled with melatonin, a chemical your body produces naturally and that makes you sleepy.  Users of the Lazy Cake have claimed bouts of sleep lasting upwards of 10 or 12 hours!  Well, as it was to inevitably turn out, the FDA has a wee bit of a problem with the amount of melatonin inside the brownies.  Technically they've only been warned but part of that warning was "we can seize your product off of shelves at any time."  I'd like to see them shut down Bakebot!!  The robot apocalypse starts with one melatonin laced brownie!!

On a final note, I've talked about the video game Portal on here before and their famous in-game graffiti, "the cake is a lie."  Jinx.com has a shirt with that theme and now they have a sticker!  For a modest $2.49 per sticker, you can cover anything you wish with the empty promise of cake.  Mixers, tool boxes, delivery vehicles, clip boards, that hole in your kitchen wall from when you couldn't get your royal icing to come out right... the possibilities are endless!!

Alright, get back to baking cakers!  I'll be back next week with more time wasting glimpses into the world of cake.  And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and our new-ish Tumblr page!

Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Human Resources

Welcome back to another edition of Shop Talk here on Merci Beaucoup's official blog, Happy Sugar Baking Land.  I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for the tremendous response to this blog series!  You've all been really kind and the compliments etc. make this cake spouse feel very good!  And because of all this, I will have a big announcement concerning Shop Talk very soon, so keep reading! Now on to the show!!

Hopefully, you are growing your business at a nice steady pace and developing a strong foundation.  If so, this will undoubtedly lead to you needing help.  No, I'm not talking psychiatry, but if you need a number for that, let me know;-)  I'm talking about the complicated and frankly frightening world of employees!  Careful, they bite!

We were very lucky, as you saw on Amazing Wedding Cakes, in that we could turn to our friend and colleague Marc.  We knew him both personally and professionally and that we could depend on him to provide Merci Beaucoup with quality workmanship.  Unfortunately for all of you, not everyone is gonna have the kind of collaborative relationship to call upon that Reva and Marc share.  That means you're gonna have to put on the "big kid" pants and venture out into the scary world of human resources!!

Do Your Homework!

Before you start getting into all the possibilities of being a boss, do your research!  There are waaaay too many variables for me to get into in this little blog, but make sure you gather everything you need to properly employ a fellow caker.  Double check insurance rates and requirements, payroll regulations, will you be offering any benefits, how do you plan on handling reviews and raises, overtime, breaks and lunches, contracts and non disclosure agreements, non-competition clauses, ADA requirements, and on and on and on.  Every city, every county, every state will be a little different on all of this.  If you have a lawyer, consult them.  Make sure you do everything right as much as possible.  

I will offer that an area young bosses make big mistakes is in breaks and lunches.  I was a manager at Lifetouch, the school portrait company, and corporate mistakingly advised us on when our crews should take lunch.  It was like a 15 minute mistake, but it was a 15 minute mistake that happened every day for 30 employees over 2 years!!  Our little territory ended up paying out over $50,000 to rectify that mistake in meal penalties and overtime etc.  The simple lesson, do your homework!!!  If you don't understand something, ask a fellow business owner or consult an expert.  Ignorance will never relieve you of liability in a lawsuit.

Interviews

Before we get to the "who" you should consider for your young "padawan" (Star Wars nerd test), let's discuss the process of actually figuring out if they're the right fit.  

My biggest complaint about the world of getting hired these days isn't the internet or the economy, it's that the people in charge of hiring are basically ignorant morons.  Is that harsh?  No, it's true and if you've had an interview in the last decade you know I'm right.  I cannot, no, I can tell you how many times I've been turned down for a job only to find out that the person they hired quit or was let go within a week of starting that position.  Five.  Five times I've been told I'm not right for the job only to discover they hired the wrong person for the job.  

Most "Human Resource Managers" B.S.'d their way into the job or the big boss just handed the responsibility of shaping their company to some low man on the totem poll.  They have no clue how to actually read people or evaluate their worth.  Here's a clue, if they have a question sheet ripped from "Hiring for Dummies," just walk out.  

Don't be that brand of ignorant moron.  Do not print out some form from the internet and expect it to tell you anything about the person sitting across from you.  This isn't a bank.  It's not Wal Mart.  We make cakes, a very personal, creative industry, so sit down and chat.  Look at their portfolio, ask them about their classes, their favorite shows and cake decorators, their inspiration, get to know them.  If you want to ask them to do a little test, you can, but again, I don't know how much that is gonna to clue you into their ability to represent your bakery.  You can earn skill, you cannot earn passion and creativity.

Reading Resumes

This section is as much for shop owners as it is a warning to job seekers.  I minored in English at university, but I majored in Communications.  So, how one attempts to contact me can either impress me or turn me off real fast.  

Rule #1: Typos.  This is just unforgivable in this day and age.  When I see a typo, I either think they couldn't be bothered to proofread their email etc., or the autofill on their iPhone sabotaged them... which they then failed to proofread.  If you can't take the time to proof your cover letter, why in the world would I think you were worth hiring?

Rule #2:  Grammar.  This is tough, because there are cultural and generational divides when it comes to slang and tone and a whole bunch of other things, but truth be told, I'm a grammar snob.  I easily trash a dozen emails a week, from potential clients even, because they have written me something so incoherent, so backwards, that I know I cannot communicate with this person.  Again, if you don't proof or care about the quality of your English, why would I want to work with you?  Not to mention, chances are you're not going to take the time to read the careful email I'm gonna send you back, ignoring my inquiries and directions.  Hence, now I'm wasting my time.  You're not writing a text, you're not emailing your buddy, this is business.  If you can't write in a professional, respectful manner, following the most basic rules of grammar, don't bother writing at all.

Rule #3:  Don't pad!  I know the difference between taking a class at Michael's and spending two weeks with Ron Ben Israel.  I also know what you did in the pastry program at Le Cordon Bleu.  Let it speak for itself, don't list your day on sourdough in your skill set!  Simple, concise resumes that honor the experience are best.  You're not gonna convince me you are a pastry chef after your 4 months at a Panera.  Just be honest and let me decide if you have the right experience.  

Interns

One positive from the cake boom of the 21st century is that there is an endless supply of pastry school students looking for internships.  Use them!  We've had a few in the past and they're great.  They want to learn and generally understand the importance of doing some of the lower end duties so they can get the total experience.  Make sure the local schools know who and how to contact you and chances are, they will.  Hit up the junior college and get in touch with your local Wilton instructor.  

There are paid internships (do your research!) and that can be a good way to go as well as it will attract better talent, but most interns will be students and will work for free.  As such, treat them well!  You will need to offer them a reason to be there, teach them something.  If you're not at that point in your career, an intern is not for you.  You have to offer them value as well as getting free work out of them.  Ask them what they want to learn and if you can give that to them, it's a good fit.  If they want to learn buttercream flowers and you're strictly a fondant person, neither of you will be happy.  Not to mention, it's probably a good idea to buy them lunch once in awhile!

Now, the downside is most of these interns will only be with you for a short time, but there is always the chance you will hit it off and they'll return come graduation!

Freelancers

Another way to go is to find a freelance cake decorator that you can call in when things get crazy.  Enter Marc.  Marc worked for us on a freelance basis.  He actually works for a number of people and if you have the skill and don't want to open your own shop, it can be a fun and exciting way to go.  As a shop owner though, if you happen to find a freelancer you trust, you need to set up guidelines concerning the ownership of the work, posting photos online etc.  A freelancer can leave at any time, but they shouldn't be taking your intellectual property or even worse, your client list with them!  Thankfully, 99% of you will never actually work with a freelance cake decorator, so you don't have to worry about it, but I wanted to make you aware of the option.

The Regulars

Now, if you plan on hiring the traditional employee with the wage and all, do your homework!!  Not just the do's and dont's of HR laws etc., but make sure you know your budget and whether or not you need full time or part time, weekends only, all of that.  Evaluate your needs.  Freelancers can come in whenever, interns can be moved around class schedules and the like, but an employee needs a schedule and they expect a schedule.  If they are relying on the job to pay bills, you can't wave them off the day before their shift because you don't have the work or money to pay them.  They will quit.  

And much like interns, employees need to learn.  I'm not big on reality TV (insert your "but aren't you..." comments here) but one show I really enjoy is Tabatha's Salon Takeover.  She's a no nonsense business woman and her advice to these hair salons is universal.  One thing she always stresses is the need for each salon to have an educator, someone who either once a week or once a month holds a training session for the staff to go over and teach technique.  We should be doing the same thing!  

A properly trained employee is an asset, one you have to stop and explain things to all the time is a liability.  Make time outside of your normal business hours to hold classes with your employee(s) and bring them up to speed.  Watch videos with them, learn together, just make an effort to progress their skill.  You'll earn loyalty and improve your business.  Remember, when they get good, you can take days off!!!

The Bad News

If you take on employees, at some point you will have to unload employees.  It's just the natural order of things.  Now, I don't know all the rules, and they will vary depending on your state, county, city etc. (do your homework), but make sure you understand the rules for firing someone.  And no matter how you word it, you are firing them.  Don't dress it up and pretend you're doing them a favor.  You're not, but you can be a compassionate human being and give them what they need both physically and emotionally to move on. 

At one time I explored a certain MLM opportunity with an insurance/financial institution.  I spent a couple days in a classroom setting learning about insurance procedures and while I bowed out shortly after, the teacher was a fascinating guy who had once worked security at a big, west coast Washington Mutual campus with about 400 employees.  He would tell me these stories about firing people that were amazing and he got called in to testify often when former employees would sue WaMu.  See, there are all kinds of things you cannot do when firing someone.  For example, did you know you cannot do it in a room with the door closed?  You also cannot sit between the employee and the door.  Basically, there can be no blockage of exits!!  Crazy huh?  He had to testify that that stuff didn't happen.  I doubt you'll have these situations in your small shop, but you never know.  Do your homework!

Again, I cannot stress enough that human resources is a strange and complicated labyrinth.  Not the fun Labyrinth with David Bowie and Muppets, but a murky, confusing one with all kinds of traps and pitfalls to make your life miserable if you allow it.  Follow your gut when hiring, and remember that personality and a happy work environment can overcome talent most days of the week.  Just do that homework, consult those who know, and make sure your ducks are all lined up in a pattern that ducks would like.  I think the row make 'em nervous. 

Next week we talk shop about something your shop needs talking to about!!

Silly Cake News: Comic Con, Shirts & Cupcakes (Plural)

Friday.  Silly Cake News.  It's happening.  Keep reading!

There are definitely those days when I think to myself, "well, if I could just rob one bank..."  I wouldn't be greedy, just one of those bags with the big dollar sign on the side is all, just a little playing around money officer!!  But I can safely say I've never thought "let's rob a cupcake shop with a syringe!!"

That is exactly what happened in Denver as a man entered Gigi's Cupcakes and grabbed an employee, threatening her with a blood filled syringe!  He claimed it was full of his "AIDS blood" and to open the register.  The man was clearly delusional as cupcake shops never have any money in them.  He made off with about $300 and a dozen red velvet.  Police are believed to be looking for a "transient" man mumbling to himself, "I don't get what the big deal is, it's just red colored chocolate cake."  But in all seriousness, we're glad no one was hurt at Gigi's and everything is back to normal.

Ladies, do you love Halloween?  Do you love cupcakes?  Have you ever wanted to dress up like Katy Perry?  Well, you're in luck!!  Totally Costumes has announced the Katy Perry California Gurl Cupcake Adult Costume!!  I think the name could use some work, but come October 31st, and with a regiment of lettuce and water and 8000 sit ups a day, you two can look like this:

Of course, if all this silliness makes you think, "I should buy something," then have I got a t-shirt for you!  From Busted Tees, comes this warning of the pure evil of the cupcake!!

This simple statement says it all.  Cupcakes will kill us all!!  It also make me think of that line in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World where he says "bread makes you fat?"  Always makes me laugh.  Cupcakes on the other hand, are bad.  The proof?

LAUREN CONRAD TO OPEN CUPCAKE SHOP!!

In an attempt to drive cupcake lovers off of bridges from Glendale to Santa Monica, reality pariah star Lauren "best selling author" Conrad is said to be scouting locations to open up a cupcake business in Los Angeles.  This begs one question, WHY, DEAR GOD WHY?!!!!  Is she trying to prove the age old adage, never trust a skinny chef?  I doubt Lauren has ever eaten a cupcake, let alone knows how to bake.  Wait, let me change that, I doubt Lauren has ever digested a cupcake if you catch my drift;)  What really sucks is that it will probably be a huge success as "star" struck "Hills" fans flock to eat recipes from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook and buy some crappy shirt with a script font and clip art.  You're reading our Shop Talks right?  Cause that was a BURN!!  Boom, you just got served LC!

Alright, let's wrap up with something near and dear to my heart, in other words, the anti-Lauren Conrad!  I'm talking about San Diego Comic Con International!!  My annual pilgrimage to all things nerd, geek, and dork is filled with comics, meeting awesome folks, networking, food, and a depleted wallet.  It is also a blurry week where literally hundreds of things are happening that you will never know about until you get home and check the internet.  Exhibit A: Marvel held a cake competition?

Yep, me, the world's most famous cake spouse (patent pending), had no clue that Marvel Comics joined up with Cakes.com and Deco Pac to hold a cake competition.  Photos of entries were submitted to Marvel's website and then fans voted on their favorites.  The top 3 vote getters were invited to San Diego to compete on Sunday.  Oh, that's it!  I wasn't there Sunday.  Not sure where they competed, but it looks like they might have been on the main floor which would've been crazy, but the winner was not featured in the article I found so all I have is this shot of the second place team from Dizzy Desserts.  Captain Cakemerica!!

I hope Lauren Conrad can take some time from awkwardly staring off into the middle distance while lunching on a $40 salad with her best "frenemy" to compete next year!!  I'd love to see what she does with M.O.D.O.K.!!  

Alright, this week's SCN has left me emotionally exhausted.  Here's to the weekend everyone!!

 

Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Branding Part 2 - The Logo

Let's get logo my friends!!  That was supposed to be like "let's get loco" only I said "logo", get it?  Man, tough room.  Maybe I should go back and re-read the first part of Branding on getting too cute ;)  Do as I say, not as I do, right?

Well, what I said to do was carefully select your name, and now that you've overcome that hurdle, it's time to visualize that name into a logo!  You'll need an image that represents your company on everything from business cards to shirts to web pages and maybe even a tattoo!!  Seriously, anyone tattoos our logo on them, they get a free cake and that's a challenge!  But if you're more traditional like say, letterhead traditional, then choosing your logo is as important as choosing your name.

Logo-a-go-go!!

Remember our "iconic simplicity" theory from "Branding: Part 1?"  It might go double for logos, even triple.  Take for example the golden arches of McDonald's.  In any language, you know what that is and what awaits you behind the door.  I don't even have to describe it to you, you can see it in your head.  Mercedes Benz, it's in your head.  Apple, it's in your head.  Pepsi, it's in your head.  Even Starbucks has altered their logo recently to remove "Starbucks" because their mermaid has become so recognizable!  That is success!  

I'm not saying you can control how iconic your logo will become, let's not pretend we're gonna develop the infamous lips design of The Rolling Stones, but you can certainly take steps to avoid some common pitfalls.

To Clip Is Not Art!

Let's not beat around the bush, Rule #1: avoid clip art!!!  I just did a simple search for "wedding cake clip art" and within a a few minutes found multiple people using the same generic cake clip art in their logo.  You are turning me into an ad for Google people!  If it's free and it's clip art, someone is already using it!  Find a friend, find a relative, do a trade with a local artist or an art student, but get something that is yours, not yours and mine and ours.

A Clip Art Tale of Woe:  Soon we will elaborate here on our first shop, the now defunct Michele Pastry Cafe, but that is a long story filled with lessons for us all and will have to wait.  But there is a lesson in clip art to share.  When we were looking to brand the new shop, we worked with a young graphic designer who took our color scheme and came back to us with with a cute little cake logo with a butterfly in a soft blue palette, I even thought she snuck in an "R" for Reva on the side.  However, about a year after we closed Michele, an artist friend of mine saw it and said "oh, I just saw that on a new clip art program I got."  Sure enough, a higher end clip art program was offering that butterfly.  Now, I will give it to our "designer" that at least she didn't use some freebie from the web, but still, we were lead to believe she created this just for us when all she did was cut and paste and send us a bill.  Anyone could've had that logo.  

The Hummingbird and The Cupcake

That's why when we were gearing up for Season 3 of "Amazing Wedding Cakes," we had this logo created:

We are beyond fortunate to have such a wonderful friend in artist C.J. Metzger.  She took Reva's whimsical sensibilities and meshed them with her own vision to come up with our little hummingbird trying to get a sugar buzz off a buttercream rose.  You fly that fast you need some sweets don't ya?  It's simple, it's original, it has the ability to portray what we do even without words.  It's kind of funny too, since we're not really a cupcake place (we rarely do them), but for the scale of the bird and the simplicity factor, that is the direction we went.  

And now it is everywhere!  We make buttons and shirts and business cards and headers for websites and on and on and on and all with the peace of mind that C.J. gave us something truly original and with the potential to become iconic. 

Art Patronage

Whether you have a friend or colleague willing to work on the cheap to create your logo or you need to hire someone, it's important to open up the communication.  C.J. is a friend, so it was easy to work together.  She gave us 4 pencil sketches to chose from before she painted up the piece.  Yes, our logo is actually an original painting as well that hangs in our living room!  Get options.  Don't just accept the first thing down the pipe if you're not in love.  If the design isn't working out, ask what other ideas they have.  

One thing you want to make sure to tell your artist is to limit the colors used.  When it comes time to print, if you have a dozen colors, it can get pricey.  Since ours is a painting, to recreate it in full and faithful color would require a 15 color process!!  For a shirt with that screen print. we'd have to charge like $40.  Whoops!  So we have to have it slightly altered digitally to mute some of the colors and bring it down to a more manageable number.  Darn that cute hummingbird!

When it comes time to receive your artwork, don't forget to ask for it in a number of different file formats.  You should be getting a JPG, a GIF, a PNG, and a PDF at least.  As you maneuver through different printers etc., they will use different formats, so be prepared for every occasion; have a low res and high res version available.

Putting the Font in Fondant?

Let's discuss your type of type!  Let's face it, our industry is all about frills and curves and lace and delicate imagery.  From scroll work to Lambeth piping, the ability to work in intricate patterns is what can really separate the beginners from the pros.  However, the exact opposite can be said for your choice of font!!

My drawers are littered with old business cards in which we went with some pretty script font with a fancy name like "porcelaine" or "renaissance."  All of these cards have one thing in common, they're impossible to read!  Script fonts look pretty and all, but the smaller the writing gets, the thinner the lines are and therefore, harder to read.  If someone can't read your name or title or phone number or, *gasp*, your company name, you're in trouble.  Always give it the business card test.  This will be your smallest form of marketing, giving out thousands in a single year, so you have to be able to read it at that scale.  It needs to be bold and clear, save the fancy script for invitations to your grand opening!

I'm staring at a box right now that has "Lowe's" on the side.  (It's filled with styrofoam cake dummies if you must know.)  They're probably 2.5 inch letters and I could read this box from 100 yards easy.  Think about Starbucks or Target and how big and blocky they are.  I'm not saying you can't find a more "artsy" font to use, but if it won't let you raise it's size to 72 pts. or higher in your word processor, it's probably not a good idea!  Research fonts (not just the ones in the pull down tab in your word processor!), there are thousands and thousands, and pick something that is a good medium for your style sensibilities and the need for it to be legible.

Examples

When I was pinning up note cards to the board with "Shop Talk" ideas, it was this logo from 4 Goodness Cakes in Texas that inspired me to break up the "Branding" card into multiple parts, giving logos there own entry.  A great example of simplicity and brand recognition, the first thing I notice is the color palette.  We are guilty of this more than most, but the cake world is filled with pinks and light blues and browns to the point of being cliche.  Here we get a nice blue and green combination, a little more masculine or perhaps "powerful" is a better word.  You also get that oversized "4" which to me, is reminiscent of your local news channel's logo, something we are familiar with and that instills a level of comfort.  The cake shape tells you all you need to know and the type is bold and easy to read.  All in all, when I saw this, I thought it was an excellent logo, easy to print up on shirts and merchandise and I can see it hanging on a sign or the side of a van.  

Another logo that struck Reva's eye recently was this cute one from Ruth Rickey.  Her exact words were, "it's Ruth!"  Crafting your brand in your image can be a real homerun, like this one.  It is cute and puts a face on a company that also bears her name.  And notice the limited color palette on both of these?  Easy to print!  How about the font?  Bold and readable!  I love it when my genius is backed up by other people's genius;)  

Pay Later or Pay Now!!

If you cannot afford or find an avenue to get your perfect logo right away, then by all means don't toss money at a temporary fix!  No, clip art is not the answer, but if all you can do is grab a line art cake and type over the top of it in an online photo editor, then save your cash now for something better down the line.  You don't want to have to change your logo in 2 years because you couldn't get what you wanted in the first place.  It's an important step for sure, but patience will pay off in the long run if you're tight in the bank account.

Alright, that's all I've got on branding for today!  Tune in next week for more Shop Talk when we discuss... something!  I really don't know what yet, I haven't decided, but you know me, I'll blabber on for 2000 words without fail;)  Have a great week everyone!!!

 

Merci Beaucoup at Cake Camp 2011!!

Well, we are about to pack up and head over to Las Vegas for a little Cake Camp action!  Reva's been wanting to find the time to attend this event since she was in culinary school, but this is the first one we could actually make.  That girl just loves to take classes and meet her colleagues and learn and have fun with cake.  She is just a major cake nerd at heart.

Needless to say, Reva is super excited!  And so are our fans!!  And so are we to meet our awesome and excited fans!!  So, if you're heading out to Camp this week, here is the official "stalker" schedule of Reva's classes.  

• Fri. 8 - 11 am:  "Rock-n-Roll Flowers" 
• Fri. Noon - 5 pm:  "Cloud Castle" w/ Debbie Brown (one of Reva's personal cake heroes)
• Sat. 8 - 11 am:  "Stealing Dessert"
• Sat. 2 - 3:30 pm:  "Cupcake Chandeliers"
• Sat. 7 - 9 pm:  "Wedding Cake/Gown Embellishing"
• Sun. 8 - 9:30 am:  "Sugar Sequins & Sparkling Jewels"
• Sun. 10:30 am - 12:30 pm  "Standing 4-Legged Animal Cake Stand"

And of course, we'll be walking around all weekend handing out our special Cake Camp button and we'll have shirts for sale and stories to tell and pictures to take!!  We hope to see you there and check back right here and on our Facebook page for updates from Camp, videos etc.  Vacation!!!!

Merci Beaucoup Shop Talk: Branding Part 1 - The Name

Hands down, one of my favorite TV shows right now is Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory on MTV.  I actually worked in the skateboard industry out of college (where a lot of my concept of "branding" was born) and met Rob a couple times.  He's a smart, charismatic dude and a sharp business man.  On one episode of the show, he tells his cousin Drama, who has his own clothing line called Young and Reckless, that he has to "live his brand."  They play it up in the show as meaning he needs to do crazy stunts, but when you look into the heart of that phrase, it's pure gold.

You have to live your brand, you have to be dedicated to it and love it and flaunt it at all times and that can become impossible if you're brand blends in with everyone else out there in the market.  Before you start your business, you need to give serious consideration to the who and the what of your future brand, you need a strategy. 

What's In A Name?

The answer is everything.  It's all in the name!  Take for example ours, Merci Beaucoup.  How did we come up with it?  The short answer is it was on a stamp Reva was using to mark her cake boxes.  The long answer is we wanted something French, something that evoked the rich history of pastry from that nation.  We loved the Eiffel Tower and the fleur de lis as design elements and we knew that if we used a foreign language, it needed to be a common enough word or words that the majority of English speaking Americans would get it.  We could debate how successful we were with that last part as more than a few people called in the early days asking for "Marcy," but it's been pretty good otherwise.  

Philosophically, the name Merci Beaucoup fits into our concept of dessert being a sweet "thank you" at the end of the meal.  A wedding cake in particular is a way to thank your guests for attending your special day.  Simply put, we're helping you say "merci beaucoup" to your friends and family.

So let me ask you this, did you put that much thought into your name?  Or better yet, do you think you've put enough thought into your name?

Originality

I love our fans, you guys and gals have given us so much love and been so awesome.  We are proud to be a part of this cake community, but sometimes... sometimes you baffle me.  I recently asked people to link to their pages on Facebook so I could find them and "like" them back.  More than a few required me to search their business name to find their page (see "tagging" in our Social Media post!) and I got back about a dozen businesses all with the same name or a very close rearrangement of it.  It took a lot of effort to find the correct page.  Before you commit to your new brand, Google it.   

I think most of you know that Reva spent a short time working for a place called The Cake Divas.  At that time, they were in a back and forth over trademarks with a woman who called herself The Cake Diva.  What's in an "S" right?  Well, as of an hour ago, a simple Facebook page search turned up nine different businesses using some form of "cake diva."  Beware the buzz words of our industry!  Beware using titles like diva or boss or princess.  Do your homework, don't fall into a crowd.

The Artist Route

Awhile back an artist buddy of mine, the great Otis Frampton, Tweeted something to the effect of "if you're an artist online not using your real name, you're an idiot."  Now, I'm paraphrasing Otis' words, he's much too nice to call you an idiot, but his intention was clear: if your brand is yourself, you shouldn't be confusing potential clients by also marketing a persona. You have to chose, one or the other.

If your brand is you and you want to establish yourself as a cake artist, then using your name is a great idea, but don't go overboard.  You don't need to be Princess Sheila's Cakes.  Sheila's Cakes is just fine.  You don't need to inject common adjectives like "yummy" or "sensational."  If you choose to use your name, then keep it simple, keep it direct.  If you specialize, like cupcakes or cake pops, include that but don't mislead either.  Don't call yourself Sheila's Perfect Pastries if you don't actual make pastries.  And hint, cake pops are not a pastry.  Okay, now that I've annoyed someone named Sheila out there....

Remember to Google!  If you have a common name like Jenny, I'd bet you good money there are at least 20 variations on "Cakes by Jenny" out there already.  Reva is not a common name, and there is another woman out there operating as Reva Cakes or something like that.  Luckily, we chose Merci Beaucoup, but if you want the personal touch, be open to try new things like initials etc.  Explore, play, write a hundred different ones down and take a poll of your friends.  But most of all, through all my advice especially, chose something you're comfortable with!  If you're gonna use your name, you've got to be proud of it!

Quick quiz: what is the name of Buddy's shop on "Cake Boss?"  Even if you're a super fan, you might have a hard time deciding if it is Carla's or Carlo's.  The fact is TLC has marketed him as the Cake Boss and while there is no doubt as to the benefit to his business for his time on "Cake Boss," the average viewer (not super cakers like you!) has no idea what his shop is really called.  Not to mention, someone didn't Google!  The Cake Boss bakery software has been around longer than the show.  Conflicting brands anyone?  

I see the same thing here in L.A. with High Voltage tattoo.  That is Kat Von D's shop widely known as "L.A. Ink."  High Voltage is painted across the top of the shop, but they still have a giant window sign of the "L.A. Ink" logo, or else no one knows it's her.  She has Kat Von D, High Voltage and L.A. Ink, three brands fighting for attention in one small store front!  Yikes!

The Cutesy Route

The subheading for this should be "beware your own sense of humor!"  I call this the "Site for Sore Eyes" syndrome.  At this point in time, there is no play on words, nor cute spelling, nor witty baking reference that has not been used somewhere in the world.  We've all seen the "cup cakery," we've all been willing to "bake your dreams come true," we've all "got what it bakes."  We've seen "Kakes" and we've seen "Kups."  There's nothing wrong with trying to be witty, or of course being true to yourself and your new brand, but the cutesy route is kind of like the Dark Side of the Force; once you start down that path, much evil awaits you.  You need to think twice, think thrice, then think 22 more times before committing to the cute, or even worse, the "kute!"

Example:  I will change the names for their protection, but I recently came across a name that was akin to Karla's Cake Kreations.  Thankfully, they avoided a horrible mistake in calling it "Karla's Kake Kreations," better known as the KKK!  But what did happen was they got cutesy with the spelling of one word and not the other. You have to think forward, you have to cover your angles.  "Cake Kreations" looks awkward and like perhaps you actually think that's how you spell "creation."  This isn't switching the "R" backwards in Toys R' Us!  Purposefully misspelling a word is a bold move, and one that can give the impression you're not a serious business owner.

Being too cute can lead to a feeling of unprofessionalism and if there is one recurring theme in these Shop Talk blogs it is that to be a serious business owner, you need to present yourself as a professional.  The choice is yours, the portmanteau possibilities abound, but think and Google and make sure it is a brand you will feel proud of in 10 years.  That is to say, something like "iCakes" is probably not the best option.  Plus, Apple will totally sue you ;)

Embracing Your Environment

Honestly, I gotta say, Charm City Cakes is a brilliant name.  You can basically never go wrong with a nod to your neighborhood, city, or state.  Not to mention the three "Cs" offer up some interesting logo possibilities.  Interesting street name?  Use it.  Love your neighborhood?  Use it.  Empire Cakes, Rose City Cupcakes, Five Burroughs Cakes, Panhandle Pastries, Great Lakes Cakes, Big D Cake Pops, Windy City Sweets, 4th Street Bakery, it goes on and on.  I just made all those up, but chances are, I could Google and find at least one of them in business today.  Geography is a great way to create a sense of community and immediately involve yourself with the locals.

KISS

Keep it simple silly!!  This is a lot coming from a guy writing you a 1500 word essay on naming your business, but the goal of any great company is to be as iconic in simplicity as possible.  Ford.  Four letters and yet one of the greatest brands ever created.  Sony.  Coke.  Apple.  Gap.  Elvis.  They don't even tell you what they do in their name, but the brand is so strong, you read that list and think electronics, soda, computers, clothes, music without thinking twice.  It doesn't matter what you're selling, the easier it is to print on a sign, the better.

Putting "cake" or "bakery" in your name is not a bad idea, but don't list everything you do like your filling out a resume.  A (bad) example would be say "Mike's Midtown Cakery and Cupcake Shoppe: Purveyors of Cake Pops, Cookies and Designer Treats."  Where should I have stopped?  "Mike's Midtown Cakery" right?  That pretty much said it all, I didn't need to spell out all the other stuff and frankly, calling it a "cakery" implies I make cakes, adding the other stuff is confusing my business model.

Another way to look at the KISS rule is too much dilutes your brand.  I see a lot of smaller cake people also offering things like party planning.  That's great!  Run two businesses, but don't cheap out and try and market them together.  "Joe's Cakes and Event Planning" sounds like you're not sure what you want to do with your life and therefore, maybe you're not that good at either.  It's like having your dry cleaner double as your notary!  Business cards aren't that expensive, have one for "Joe's Cakes" and one for "Parties by Joe."  

So, have your name yet?  Wanna rethink it?  Feeling doubtful about the potential power of your brand?  Good.  If you want to succeed you need to be tough on yourself, you need to be willing to accept your mistakes.  Picking a name should be hard, it should take time because it's the foundation for your entire brand.  And when you do decide, love it, share it, live it!

In two weeks we'll return with Part 2 of our Branding discussion where we address the finer points of choosing your logo!

Silly Cake News: Monaco, Protests, Worlds Records & Local Reality!

TGIF, so bring on the Silly!!! 

So listen, Will and Kate's wedding was amazing, wasn't it?  We stayed up all night and watched the whole thing and had a great time Royal watching and then, well.... then the cake picture came out.  Frankly, we were underwhelmed.  For the wedding of the century, it just wasn't as grand and epic as we were hoping.  Apparently, Prince Albert of Monaco and his bride Charlene agreed with us!  Bring in the cake crane!!

Holy smokes!  That cake is so big, it has a landing platform off the side for another cake!!  That cake is so big, I keep waiting for Andre the Giant to pop out of it!  That cake is so big, it might even make Charlene forget Albert is bald!  Now, obviously, looking at that cake heli-pad there I suspect some shenanigans as far as how much of that is actually cake, but nonetheless, bravo Monaco!!!

Last week in Silly Cake News, we showed some protesters in Uganda getting their cake taken away by party pooping soldiers.  Well, turns out protesting with cake is becoming all the rage!  In Sheffield England, a group opposing proposed changes to the country's National Healthcare System (NHS) celebrated the program's 63rd birthday with picket signs and cake!  One more cake heavy protest and I think we'll have to start writing folk songs!

World records and the food industry go together like me and a taco stand!  Name a food or a dish and chances are there's someone who wants to make it bigger or eat more of it than anyone else.  Brooklyn based "Cake Man Raven" has his sights on setting the bar for the world's largest sculpted cake.  With a planned 15,000 servings and covering 600 square feet, this cake is being offered up for the 100th Anniversary of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity taking place in Indiana.  All the stats on this red velvet flavored monster can be found in the article, but needless to say, his supply bill might be longer than the cake!  Can't wait to see the photos.

Speaking of World Records, the bakery behind the giant, Superdome encircling (twice) king's cake from an earlier SCN will be telling the tale of their own world record on a local, New Orleans based reality TV show!!  Haydel's Bakery in NOLA will be featured on 8 episodes of the poorly title "Piece of Cake" on WVUE Saturday nights.  The premiere episode is all about that enormous king's cake and the producers are hoping the show will be a gateway for getting on national TV.  So, with local cable cake shows now, can we call in the "jumped the shark" reference?  Haydel's is a great bakery though, and we wish them all the best.

That's it for this week cakers!  Have a wonderful weekend and hey, next week is Cake Camp in Las Vegas!!  See you there!!