Why Your Prices Feel Wrong...And What to Do About It

If pricing your bakes makes your stomach flip, you’re not alone.

Most bakers don’t undercharge because they’re bad at maths — they undercharge because they’ve never been taught to think like business owners.

And when you’ve spent years guessing, apologising, or comparing yourself to supermarket prices, the real numbers can feel… uncomfortable.

But that discomfort isn’t a sign you’re doing something wrong. It’s a sign you’re finally seeing the truth.

The Invisible Labour Problem

People see the finished cake. They don’t see:

• the planning

• the shopping

• the admin

• the cleaning

• the hours of skill you’ve built over years

• the emotional load of “getting it right”

  
  

When you only charge for the ingredients and the time your hands were physically touching the cake, you’re not pricing the product — you’re pricing a tiny slice of the work.

And that’s why so many bakers feel exhausted, resentful, or stuck. You’re doing the work of a business owner but charging like a hobbyist.

Why Your Prices Feel “Too High”

Here’s the truth most people don’t say out loud:

Your prices don’t feel too high because they are too high. They feel too high because you’ve been undercharging for so long that the truth feels unfamiliar.

You’ve normalised:

• squeezing orders into every spare hour

• absorbing rising ingredient costs

• working late into the night

• saying yes when you’re already stretched

• feeling guilty for charging what you need

So when you finally calculate a price that reflects your time, your skill, and your overheads, your brain panics.

That panic is not a warning. It’s a habit.

The Professional Hourly Rate (And Why Minimum Wage Doesn’t Apply)

One of the biggest mindset shifts for bakers is understanding that you’re not being paid for the hour you’re piping. You’re being paid for:

• your experience

• your consistency

• your creativity

• your admin

• your equipment

• your tax

• your rest days

• your sick days

• your life

A sustainable hourly rate isn’t indulgent — it’s the foundation of a business that doesn’t burn you out.

Most bakers start with £15–£25 per hour depending on experience and demand. Not because you’re “charging your worth”, but because you’re covering the real cost of being a one‑person business.

The “Oh…” Moment

When you take a box of six cupcakes you’ve been selling for £15 and calculate the real cost — ingredients, time, overheads, and profit — it often lands somewhere around £50+.

That moment is confronting. It’s also clarifying.

Because once you see the truth, you can’t unsee it.

And that’s where everything starts to shift.

If You’re Ready to Stop Guessing…

I’ve created Stop Guessing: A Mini Guide to Pricing Your Bakes that walks you through this process gently and honestly.

Inside, you’ll find:

• a worked example showing the real cost of a simple bake

• a step‑by‑step worksheet to calculate your own price

• reflection prompts to help you process the emotional wobble

• a calm explanation of why your hourly rate matters

• a gentle mindset shift toward sustainable pricing

  
  

It’s designed to help you move from “I hope this is okay” to “I know what this costs.”

If you’re ready to take the first step toward pricing with clarity and confidence, you can download it below.

FREE DOWNLOAD STOP GUESSING: A MINI GUIDE TO PRICING YOUR BAKES