Signs your cake business is experiencing growing pains and what to do about it

September 27, 2019September 27, 2019 Lesi

Growth, for many creatures in nature, is anything but graceful.

It can be a very painful process involving a shedding of old skin to be replaced by something new, or sometimes a shedding of old bodies completely (the metamorphosis of the beloved butterfly being one of the most violent, and the most beautiful).

The growth of a cake business owner can be even less graceful, usually because their resistance is so high

Business owners fear change because it’s uncomfortable, it takes time and skill to implement a new process or a new way of operating. Maybe they really don’t want to evolve their business and they want to keep the status quo. I call this reluctant growth…it’s very slow and arduous.

If they wait too long, however, the Universe eventually will force them into it (and that’s when things get really messy!)

There are subtle signs that you are being called to grow, like:

Not sharing your website because it doesn’t accurately represent what you do or your level of expertise.
Becoming inconsistent in your marketing because you’re tired of sharing the same things, or ideas have just “dried up”.
Feeling like you’ve plateaued and when you try to expand or grow, you end up back where you were.

When these signs are ignored, then inevitably the universe starts to give you less subtle signs like:

A health crisis – you or a family member gets sick or hospitalized forcing you to step back and evaluate if your business is sustainable for your lifestyle or even if you want to carry on in the cake business at all.
A sudden collapse in your business model – suddenly things aren’t working the way they used to or your clients are steadily disappearing.
A loss of motivation – you are considering going back to a traditional job despite how well your business is doing “on paper”.

These signs are an invitation for you to upgrade and step into something better!

It’s challenging when you are experiencing these growing pains, you are deep in the middle of “the problems” and it’s very hard to have the perspective it takes to shift your mindset to business growth.

You may think the challenges will pass, it’s all just a phase and if you tread water long enough things will eventually get easier.

What you may not realize is that, there’s a better way!

When you can take a step back and see what the universe is calling you toward. And sometimes you need some help figuring this out. You may find that you’re working way harder in your business than you need to.

When you surrender to the change, then we can figure out what is blocking you and get clear on what you truly want. From here it’s a matter of making subtle shifts in your business and brand to align with your next level of growth.

The first step is recognizing that it’s time for you to upgrade, from there things get a lot easier.

If you feel like this post is speaking to you, then maybe it’s time that you answer the invitation to grow into the next chapter of your cake business.

I currently have a few free consultation spots available for those that are ready to take action, fill out the application and let’s set up a time to chat.

More awesome cake business ideas

Corporate Event Cake – Are You Ready For It?

June 6, 2019June 6, 2019 Lesi

You will Never Feel Ready!

I was standing outside the main entrance to Silverhill Acura in Calgary.

My palms were sweaty and I felt nauseous, like I was going to throw up.

I had just put the word out that I’m doing large scale corporate cake design to local businesses and as luck would have it, a major car dealership wanted a quote on a life size car made of cake!

I had no previous experience making this size cake, at the time I was alone in my business.

Until this point, I’ve never made a cake bigger than a traditional size wedding cake!

Sure, I was confident in my skills as a cake designer. But I was as green as you can get in the super high end, feeding thousands cake world.

So when I was invited to quote for a life size cake replica of a car, my first thought that popped into my mind was, “Noooo! I’m not ready yet!”

I mean, c’mon.

Couldn’t this opportunity show up just a little bit later – when I finally figured out what the heck I was doing?! When I was more prepared?!? When I felt more READY?

But here’s the truth…

You’ll never feel ready if you listen to your fear-based mind.

When I finally stepped foot in the doorway of that car dealership, I made a decision from my heart that I was going to go for it anyway. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And, let’s face it, I wasn’t getting any younger.

I knew I’d regret it forever if I let fear, insecurity and lack of readiness hold me back from finally doing something I truly wanted to do. More importantly, I knew saying yes would help me GAIN something else I wanted…

A path to speed up my results and grow 10X faster than doing things I was comfortable with.

Think about it…

Immersion in the corporate events environment would force me to gain skills and grow as a cake designer and business person at least 10-20X faster than stumbling around and continuing to do what I had been comfortable with.

I took a deep breath and went through with the meeting, sweaty palms and all. And guess what?

I eventually booked the job.

That ONE decision to say yes to my dream – waaay before I was ready – was the launch point for what became a successful and soul-enlivening career in cake design.

In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say…

That choice to start before I was ready, transformed the entire course to my business and life.

One brave choice meant that I got to put together a team, tackle a project that was 100’s of times bigger than anything I did in the past. There were some bumps in the road initially because like so many customers they thought they wanted something until they found out how much it actually costs. The first quote was for a life size car cake they wanted to display in the showroom and serve to customers…the cost…$40,000!!!

It was back to the drawing table a few times, then we landed on what their budget was and I created a cake for their Stampede party that fed over 1000 people. I received a lot of recognition and publicity out of it and not to mention the $8,000 cake sale!

It gave me the confidence to consistently create many awesome cake creations which eventually lead me to teaching sold out specialty cake design classes and founding a cake design school.

Over the years, I’ve continued to use the Start Before You’re Ready strategy and It’s produced incredible results every time. Now that I’ve had the chance to connect with some of the world’s most accomplished cake designers, I’ve noticed a pattern in them too…

Every successful person starts before they feel ready.

It’s one of the biggest secrets to success there is! I bet you have proof of this in your own life too.

Haven’t some of your best experiences come because you bypassed your “I’m not ready yet,” thoughts and mad a brave choice in the direction of your heart’s desire?

My guess is YES…

But here’s the problem. Most people are addicted to putting things off and saying things like maybe next time, or next month or next year – to the VERY things that matter most – their biggest life dreams!

I wanted to share this with you because registration for the next Professional Certified Cake Designer Program closes very soon. If you’ve been saying to yourself, “I really want to take the Certification Program, but “I’m not ready yet. Maybe next year…”

I invite you to challenge that “I’m not ready yet” strategy.

Because a year from now, you’ll either still be treading water…

Or you’ll be on higher ground, making a better living and expanding your cake business.

Let today be the day that transforms everything in YOUR cake business and life.

What you’ll find inside the Certification Program is the most complete, comprehensive program that holds your hand as you learn the cake decorating and business skills to build your dream business.

It’s time you say “YES!” to using your gifts and reaching the goals you’ve been dreaming about for so many years.

I’ve been where you are. From my hear, I cannot wait to show you what’s waiting for you on the other side.

Click here to say yes to YOU and join us in the Professional Cake Designer Certification Program.

Remember this: you’ll never feel ready to make the impact you were put on this earth to make. The real secret to living up to your highest potential is to always start before you’re ready.

Start Your Own Home Based Cake Decorating Business

5 Reasons Why Education Is the Key to Success In Your Cake Decorating Business

December 4, 2018February 8, 2019 Lesi

5 Reasons Why Education Is the Key to Success In Your Cake Decorating Business

Cakepreneur and Cake Design School Owner – Lesi Lambert

Students always ask what my number one piece of advice for success is. What’s my answer? “Always make time for learning and upgrading your skills”.

Because the Cake decorating niche is so focused and specific you don’t necessarily need to invest the time and money for a culinary degree. In fact, I’ve had students who initially went that route, investing thousands of dollars and years of their time and not get what they needed to start their own cake decorating business. Begin your due diligence with the end in mind. If you plan to have a career in the hospitality industry or work for a hotel chain, then you may need to go the route of obtaining a culinary degree.

As an entrepreneur running your own cake decorating business you need to focus and learn how to get better, stronger and smarter in your business while at the same time hustling and making things happen, this is pure entrepreneurship.

I never when to college because I couldn’t afford it but I was always pushing myself to learn and grow. I started working part time during school at the age of 13 and then full time as soon as I could. When I decided to get a “career” I was in my 30’s, I was a single mother with 3 children and no spousal support. My schedule started at 5am, getting my children to daycare and to work by 7:30am. After supper and our evening routine I would put them to bed and study until 1 or 2am…and up at 5am… I did this for 2 years.

What I learned about myself during that time is I am totally committed to my goals and my education. To this day I am still just as committed to my education as I was then. When it comes to being an entrepreneur you need to learn and educate yourself quickly, your antenna should always be up, searching for ways to make yourself sharper and more informed about your business. There is never a time when you say “that’s it, I know everything.” Plus, with the every-changing technology, social media and marketing platforms, you can’t afford to fall behind.

“Choosing The Right Education To Support Your Entrepreneurial Vision Is Truly The Key”. Here Are Five Reasons Why:

1. Education grows your network and resources.

You could have strong entrepreneurial skills and be a natural-born salesperson, but without connections and resources, your business will be stuck in neutral.

Make a decision early on to build your resources by being a sponge and absorbing everything you possibly can. Listen. Read. Research. Ask questions. When someone recommends a resource, check it out. Never say no to suggestions or advice without doing your homework and checking it out for yourself. A casual observation by a friend or colleague could transform your business if you are open minded.

Build your network by taking courses and attending workshops, networking events, trade shows, and conferences. You’ll meet a whole lot of people who have been where you are now and who can share their experiences and knowledge with you. I invested in a very expensive program that had me in Toronto for 8 weeks of intensive study while starting Lambert Academy of Sugarcraft. There have also been countless workshops and individual tutors that have taught me a lot. So much so that I took my years of experience, business successes, and failures and created a program called Lambert Academy’s Professional Cake Designer Certification Program, it’s a well-crafted Success Formula where I and my team of instructors will teach everything you need to know about starting and scaling your cake decorating business. Because our program is intentionally kept small, we have the ability to sit down one-on-one with every student to discuss their business and provide mentorship. This program gives me the opportunity to share my knowledge, experience, and resources with aspiring cakepreneurs across the country.

2. Education hones your financial intelligence.

Two of the most problematic areas in the business of cake decorating are pricing and costing. I’ve seen people fail because they didn’t charge enough so they never made a profit. And I’ve seen so many cakepreneurs struggle and ultimately fail because they don’t know their costs and they never make a profit in their business. Financial intelligence is one of those skills that is non-negotiable if you want to be profitable and successful.

For many creative people tracking and understanding cash flow, balance sheets, operational expenses, costing and pricing are not a natural strengths. The good news is this aspect of your business can easily be outsourced to someone who absolutely loves and understands the numbers and can provide easy to understand monthly or quarterly reviews so you can focus on the aspects of the business that are your strengths.

3. Education grants you access to a mentor.

Someone once said that success in life is based a series of mentors. My first mentor was my grandmother. I learned my work ethic and the ability to “grow where you are planted” from her. She was one of the few people who believed in me and supported me in the formative years which influenced me to become the person I am today. Many mentors have come into my life since then.

So, where do you find a mentor? Everywhere…they are all around you! A mentor doesn’t need to be an untouchable celebrity or top cake industry influencer. In fact, you may find mentors in places you’d least expect if you’ll strive to be open minded.

4. Education protects your branding.

As an entrepreneur, you’re creating a brand that’s usually based around you. This makes you irreplaceable and makes you an asset to your business. Be clear and conscious about the message your branding is sending out there. Take the perspective of your perfect client or “avatar” and choose your branding from what your message will mean to them.

I’ve seen many branding fopauxs which are confusing word plays by people trying to humorous or designations such as Cake Queen, Cake Diva etc. You branding should be easy for your market to recognize as the answer to their needs.

5. Education gives you the confidence to follow your entrepreneurial dream.

I’ve noticed a surge of people who are entering the 2nd half of life and they are ready for a change. In the past they’ve traded their dreams for job “security” only to find that decision is sucking the life out of them. They’ve come to the realization that there is no security and they’ve spent years building someone else’s dream. Learning the skills, you need to step out confidently and pursue your own dreams and goals can be uncomfortable but once you find the right educational fit for you can confidently create the life you want.

It’s time to think differently — and more intelligently — about what you are doing. Get the specific knowledge you need so you can take the next steps toward achieving your dreams and goals.

Learn more about the Lambert Academy Professional Cake Designer Certification Program

Composite Buttercream Frosting Recipe

January 25, 2017March 30, 2018 Lesi

Have you tried my new buttercream technique? It’s a cross between SMBC and American……but better!

Composite Buttercream

Yield: 4.5 litre KitchenAid Bowlful

1 cup eggwhites

4 cups unsalted butter (or 1 c. shortening + 3 c. butter)

2 lbs icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Gel colors of your choice

Using whisk attachment, whip eggs on low setting “1 – 2” and gradually add sugar until well combined.

Once combined, turn speed up to “6” and whip for 5 minutes

Once soft peak consistency is reached, add butter (or shortening/butter combination), small bits at a time.

Turn mixer to speed “3” and add vanilla and salt. Color may be added at this time if desired.

Mix until well incorporated.

Turn mixer to speed”4-5” and let whip for 8 minutes.

Do not whip on high speed. Less air is optimal for this icing.

Once completed, you will want to remove much of the air as possible. You can accomplish this by:

Put the paddle attachment on your mixer and turn speed to “2-3”

This will “flatten out or deflate” the icing. The volume in your bowl should go down.

If you have made two batches of icing, gradually add the first batch into the “deflating” batch and continue to beat until you have added both batches to the one bowl and removed most of the air.

This icing that has been deflated is perfect for piped buttercream flowers.

Progress Report on the Professional Cake Designer Program

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 Lesi

Progress Report on the Professional Cake Designer Program

It has been a wonderful journey so far. I am beyond impressed with the students in the this session. It is a pleasure to watch them learn and grow. Not only are they learning, but I am as well. Inspired at every turn. I thought it may be of benefit to you to submit this short progress report.

If you haven’t taken it into consideration yet, please take the time to view some of our progress pictures and think about joining the Professional Cake Designer Program. It is a wealth of information that will prove to be vital to your new business or daily work. We cover everything from baking to business!