But these are not really cake decorating disasters for a professional cake decorator. Because I can and will fix them! Burned cake? So I stay up late baking a new one. Wedding cake falling over? Never gonna happen because I spend hours properly supporting the cake. Something falling off in transit? That's okay because I have the ability to make a new one or already have a backup. I always have a bag of icing, a knife, a bucket of gumpaste and a head full of creativity at the ready to fix any mishap. Every cake will be beautiful. Every disaster mitigated.
Except when I send a cake to a client and they don't think it is beautiful. That is a disaster.
I had a client come to me looking for a cake for her mother. She told me all about her mom and asked for ideas. I provided sketches and prices and she loved them all but wanted to combine a few of the ideas. She came in for a visit and ended up with an entirely different design. Which she changed within a few days to wanting a replica of a cake she found online. I can honestly say that from the first conversation I was not feeling a great connection with this client even though she was a lovely woman.
It was a stack of presents. That did not even look like presents but like two cakes with polka dots stuck on the sides and shell borders stacked on one another with a bow on top. We discussed the colors that she wanted and I mentioned that we could tweak the cake a little bit to make it look more like a stack of real presents. I can honestly say that I hated the cake she selected.
I made the cake and took great care to change the stuck on polka dots to embossed and gilded dots as if it were real wrapping paper and to edge the cakes perfectly so that they did not require a border. I added the ribbons and bows and requested gift tag and delivered the cake to the venue. And my client contacted me a few days later to tell me she hated it. I can honestly say I did not handle that too well.
After some soul searching about the situation, I realized that there was a valuable lesson in this client relationship. The lesson was to love, not fear.
1. I need to love myself enough to do what feels right. I knew from the first few discussions that this was not a client I wanted to work with. Instead of following my heart that told me I was never going to make her happy, I followed my head because I was afraid to lose the business.
2. I need to love every cake I make. Once I accepted the cake order, I needed to find a way to love it. Because my heart goes into every cake and if my heart is all grouchy and nasty, so the cake will be.
3. I need to love my client. If a client does not like something, my first reaction needs to be to understand their concerns and feelings. My first reaction should not be one of fear and trying to defend my work.
This lesson has proven to be immensely valuable since this incident. I can fully put my heart into every client and every cake. And if I can't, then I can walk away gracefully.
Interestingly, this client has come back for another cake. I am entering the renewed relationship filled with love and am optimistic that this time will not be a disaster.
YOUR TURN
Can you think of a situation in your life that felt like a disaster? What was the life lesson?
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