How to Become a Cake Designer

We’ve been talking a lot about starting or growing profitable wedding cake business lately and I think it is time to share my biggest secret how to become an expert in your industry:
 
Specialize! Choose just one style or one type of cake design and master your skills.  
 
I know, you might think, but Anna, I don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. I hear you… And here are my five reasons why specialization is the key to creativity and profitability:
 
1. Choose one cake style.  
Imagine a child who wants to be good at every sport and play in every game – basketball, swimming, dancing, football, gymnastics, and more? How many of those activities he/she could be the best one? Probably, none… You can’t become an expert in your niche until you devote a lot of hours to practicing this specific thing.
 
2. Become known for that style.
Customers prefer to order from an expert. If you choose just one niche you become a go-to person for this type of cake for your customers. And you will save a lot of time on marketing your business because you can be clear about exactly what products you serve. That helps potential customers to make the decision more easily. Just as a client with Celiac disease will likely prefer a gluten-free bakery to a general bakery with a small gluten-free inventory.
 
3. Specialists make more money.
It is just true. Look to any industry and you’ll see that experts — those who specialize in a narrow niche — are paid more. Pediatric neurosurgeons make more than general surgeons, just as a pastry chef makes more than a cook.   
 
4. Specialists are more efficient.
Yep) Financially-efficient and time-efficient too. When you decide to invest time in learning and mastering one type of cake, you will need to manage much smaller inventory and set-up will take less time. And you will benefit from repetition, simply because you begin to see the same problems or situations more frequently, so you can fix any issues quicker.
 
5. Be a trailblazer.  
When you are specializing in one type of offer, it is much easier to keep up with the trends and can learn new skills quickly and easily as new information is shared. You can stay current on designs, trends, and techniques, so you will always have something new to offer your clients.
 
Specialization creates expertise, which makes it easier to market a business and attract the right customers, who are often more willing to pay a premium for that specialization.
 
Why am I telling you this? I choose to work with wafer paper and restrict myself to only designs that can include wafer paper.  
 
And, a few weeks ago, I got stuck. I’ve started resenting wafer paper and thought that nothing interesting could be done… Until this design almost manifested itself. Now, this is one of my favorite designs!  
wedding cake

Sometimes we don’t see what’s ahead of us, but I can tell you for sure – choosing one style and developing your skills is the best decision for your business.  

For daily wafer paper ideas and inspiration, join me on Instagram and Pinterest. Or check my YouTube channel for wafer paper video tutorials and other cake decorating projects.

Hey! I’m Chef Anna

I’m a pastry chef, award-winning Wedding Cake Artist, content creator, and educator

At Florea Cakes, our mission is to help home bakers learn to design modern wedding cakes with wafer paper flowers and build the creative business of their dreams.

Chef Anna’s cakes have been featured on magazine covers, TV commercials, and digital publications worldwide.

shop my favorites

Have you ever wondered what tools I use to create wafer paper flowers? That’s why I created this free guide! And collected all of my favorite supplies into this page for you!

Search

connect on social

Flexible Wafer paper 

free ac tonic recipe

Does working with wafer paper feel like a mystery to you?

I’ve got you. Sign up below to receive my Free Recipe Guide to help you make your own Wafer Paper GlueAlcohol-free Conditioner and learn more about Wafer Paper.

All-in-one wafer paper Guide

This Wafer Paper Flowers Guide is perfect for home bakers and cake decorators looking to enhance their designs and learn to make 37 wafer paper flowers.