One of the comments on a recent Facebook post about how people managed their cake sheds in the recent heatwave really caught my attention. "I put in a new insulated shed with an under-counter fridge in the spring - without that I'd not have opened." It's a brilliant example of why I keep banging on about pricing for profit. Not because profit buys handbags. Not because profit pays for luxury holidays. Because profit is what allows you to build a business that's still standing in five years'...

Last week, the UK did what it occasionally does and forgot how to cope with hot weather. The red top tabloids ran the usual 'Phew, what a scorcher!" headlines. Cake sheds closed. Ice cream sales soared. Restaurants and cafés sat half empty. And, perhaps most unexpectedly, I was given 180 free eggs because wholesale demand had fallen so dramatically. (I'll save the tale of what I did with them for another blog). Flustered at the thought of dealing with said 180 eggs in a heatwave, I popped a...

There’s a moment most baking business owners go through. You’ve made something you’re proud of. Maybe six beautifully decorated cupcakes. Maybe a celebration cake. Maybe something you’ve spent hours perfecting. And then you get stuck on the same question: “What should I charge for this cake?” So you ask. You ask a family member Someone who loves you. Someone who is used to being given cake for birthdays, celebrations, and “just because”. They look at your cupcakes and say: “About a tenner?...