The Cake Box Academy

Don't waste your time and money playing where your audience doesn't play.

I can't tell you exactly how much time and money I wasted in my first few years of business playing in the wrong spaces trying to talk to the wrong people, but I can tell you it was too much. Way too much!

I made the mistake of trying to talk to everyone about every kind of cake on every platform. It didn't get me very far, but when I started to talk directly to high-end couples in the spaces they frequented, I got results - FAST!

This is where knowing your audience and research comes in. Knowing your audience and where they spend their time will get you in front of them without wasting time and money trying to talk to everyone.

If you want help figuring out who your audience are and how you can reach them, you can download my FREE guide to selling high ticket cakes here: bit.ly/3qZK6ak

Or, head over to my private Facebook group and catch my LIVE replay on how to find your ideal clients: bit.ly/3e7W4Li

What does it say about you?

I'm talking about your bakery business brand.

A few years into my cake journey I remember my Mum saying to me "You look like one of your cakes" ... at first I confused, then slightly offended but then the penny dropped and I took it as a compliment. It meant that I had got it right!

I was living and breathing my brand. My clothes, my accessories, my designs, my style and my cakes all had similar aesthetics. They were all in alignment and speaking the same brand language.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not recommending that you run out and start dressing like your cakes, but what I am suggesting is that your branding should be a reflection of you or at least a part of you. It should be recognizable and authentic. ... and for the love of cakes, you should like it!

Are you wearing your brand or is it wearing you?

One of the biggest mistakes I see in the cake world is cakers trying to speak cake to EVERYONE!

Although in theory it makes sense that if you serve everyone then you'll sell more cakes, it rarely works out that way. Niching down until it almost burns is a scary thing to do, but it WORKS.

I know it's a big leap of faith to get specific about serving a particular type of cake to a particular type of person esp. when you have talents outside of that one cake.

But hear me out ...

When you try to serve everyone, it gets confusing. You get lost in the noise because you become just a baker who can bake just a cake. Instead, when you become really good at doing that one type of cake and speak directly to your audience, they pay attention and bring all of their friends.

It doesn't mean you'll get stuck making one cake and one cake only forever, quite the opposite in fact. You'll attract ideal clients who will then get curious about what else you can do.

If you want to know more about attracting your ideal clients, you can download my FREE guide to selling high ticket cakes here: bit.ly/3qZK6ak

Popping my branding cherry was the best thing I ever did for my cake business. It took me from selling average priced cakes to whoever wanted one, to high priced cakes to my ideal client. ... and got me sooooo many more opportunities.

Capturing an audience with an impressive looking cake is relatively easy - they speak for themselves in many ways.

But ... meh cake photos and inconsistent branding will only take you so far in your cake business journey. Esp. when it comes to marketing online.

Are you ready to pop your branding cherry and take your business to the next level?

Give me a thumbs up in the comments if you are.

That your baking business will take off this year?

I'm noticing a disturbing trend online that suggests luck and a viral video is all you need to get overnight success in business.

Yes, there might be a few miracle stories out there and yes, a viral video might (I said might) help you get more sales ... but more often than not, it's good old fashion hard work and solid systems that gets 'overnight' success.

Here are three things I learned about running an 'overnight success' cake company:

👉🏻 That 'overnight' success came 2 years after I perfected my craft, honed in on my brand, built my network and delivered my craft to countless happy clients.

👉🏻 Those viral posts boosted my ego more than my sales....and brought out the trolls.

👉🏻 Not having solid systems in place lead to burnout once my cake company started to take off.

If your business took off tonight and you woke up with hundreds of orders, would you have the systems in place to be able to handle it?

Cakes are visual by nature, so it's easy to rely on their natural ability to grab attention. ... but what if I told you that poor quality photos are hurting your brand?

Hear me out.

No, a bad photo isn't going to break your brand, but it's not going to help it either. Great quality photos have the ability to excel your brand to the next level.

Here are 3 reasons why:

👉🏻 Humans are visual creatures.
We process visual images much, much faster than text. Great quality photos catch the eye easier than poor quality photos.

👉🏻 It represents your brand
First impressions matter. In the world of social media and confusing algorithms, you should assume that every set of eyes is viewing your content for the very first time.

👉🏻 Helps on social media
Social sites downgrade your photos as soon as you upload them, so better quality photos stand a better chance of being seen.

I teamed up with many photographers over the years and based on the tips and tricks they taught me, I've put together a checklist of top tips for taking great photos.

You can grab a copy of the checklist here: bit.ly/3f2kGFO

You've got mad baking skills ... but is your branding burning your business?

When I first started my cake company in 2010, I let my cakes do the talking. I posted photos and that was about it.

To a certain extent, it sort of worked. I made a few sales based on photos that I had posted. ... but, it wasn't until I started to pay attention to what the big cakers in the industry were doing that I realised I needed to up my game if I was ever going to play in their space.

What I discovered was the business of branding! It was an incredible learning curve (one I now realise so many talented cakers struggle with), but it was so worth it!

My cakes took me so far, my branding took me the rest of the way!

I went LIVE on Friday talking about branding your baking business, if you want to catch the replay, you can join here: bit.ly/3e7W4Li

"Good branding sells more cakes!"

The quality of your cakes are important, but how you tell the world about them matters too.

If your cakes were in the news, what would the headline be?

When it comes to your branding, details matter!

Here are 5 details you don't want to miss:

👉🏻 Fonts
Stick to a couple of fonts and be sure to make sure to pick fonts that are optimized for all types of devices.

👉🏻 Watermarks
Be sure to add watermarks to your cakes so that they can't be used by copycats trying to steal your designs.

👉🏻 Style of videos/photos
Consistency is key when it comes to branding. Keeping the style of your videos and photos consistent makes them more easily recognizable.

👉🏻 Language
Speak to your audience in a language they understand. Speaking teen jargon to an an over 60 crowd isn't going to attract the clients you want.

👉🏻 Your tone
The tone of your branding's voice determines how your message is perceived. Your tone communicates your brand personality and values to your audience.

If you want to know more about how to brand a baking business that speaks to your ideal client, you can catch my LIVE replay on Facebook. (Here is the link to join: bit.ly/3e7W4Li)

Talking: How to price your cakes

Friday 12.30EST

You can join here: bit.ly/3e7W4Li

Clients not biting?

When I first started out in the world of cake, I made a rookie mistake. I assumed that my ideal client (high end brides) would WANT the cakes I was offering. ⁠

But it didn't work out that way. In order to attract high paying clients who gave me carte blanche, I first had to know what they WANTED, then solve their problem in my own unique way. ⁠

It was through listening and continuously proving that I could deliver what they wanted that I was able to build trust with my clients ...My entire business changed when I knew the answers to these 3 questions:
⁠⁠
⁠👉🏻 Who are you talking to?
⁠👉🏻 Do you know your clients problems?
⁠👉🏻 Do your cakes and services solve their problem?

Want to know more about how to find your ideal client, download my guide to selling high-ticket cakes here: bit.ly/3qZK6ak
⁠