How Much Do Bakers Usually Charge For Decorative Cookies?

When potential clients ask for my pricing table, I get sticker daze, a lot. In an endeavor to educate the masses on why these cookies are so pricey, let's await a breakdown of materials and process. — This doesn't apply but for cookies, but for many dwelling house based, mitt-crafting business.

Fall Themed Sugar Cookies

Here'due south what goes into making Ane DOZEN of these cookies, which I charged $55 USD for . These are standard size cookies, approx. 3-iv inches on their longest side. I challenge every single cookier out there to hit intermission and do this analysis for their situation. It'southward truly center opening. Some folks will be faster or slower, that's fine, baseline it according to YOUR reality.

Make Dough: 10 minutes (note– I did not business relationship for spooky time because information technology'southward dead fourth dimension and I do other stuff while dough chills)
Cut and bake — some of these had to exist hand cut because I don't own the cutter for them, so information technology takes longer! 20 minutes
Brand Icing: 5 minutes
Color icing & make a few unlike consistencies: 15 minutes
Decorate: 50 minutes — notation I did non count drying time! And did non count fourth dimension resting in-betwixt layers– this is all actual Hands ON time for the dozen
Clean Upwardly: ten minutes
Packaging: ten minutes
Client communications (starts at step 0 really), research, cookie design, coordinating pickup: i hour — clients wait this part to be free, simply you need to find a way to account for this cost in your service

I also accounted for the fact that some of these steps can be done concurrently, for example while the cookies are baking and cooling, I can brand and colour the icing. So this fashion, I am not double-counting my time. So here's what it breaks down to for I DOZEN cookies:

Material Cost: $five.25 (materials, ingredients+ piping bags, coloring, icing, labeling, bags, etc. everything)
Total Fourth dimension: approx. three hours (BTW– this is pretty fast for a detailed dozen cookies)

Over again, I charged $55/doz — so what does that mean? Only put, turn a profit = acquirement – costsThis means: $55 – $5.25 – $i.50 for misc. costs below = $50$49.75/3 hrs = Means my hourly rate is: $xvi.58 per hour. — READ ON to sympathize what this actually means because this DOES Not tell the whole story. Misc. Costs: Y'all are non literally decorating cookies every waking minute. Lots of fourth dimension is defended to admin, answering client inquiries that go nowhere, dealing with a gazillion questions that also go nowhere. In that location are costs associated with packaging materials (and SEARCHING for the right packaging!), ink, gas, & other small materials. Every cello bag, every sticker, every baggie and shipping box = $$ . Keep in heed y'all're as well buying tons of cookie cutter, stencils, airbrush machine/food colors, brushes, and misc. other supplies; how can you lot business relationship for this? Nosotros still need to pay taxes (although nosotros exercise get to write off all business concern related purchases), don't become insurance, paid time off or any kind of other benefits that many "total time day jobs" go– just we really SHOULD exist treating our businesses like what information technology is, a concern! If you are serious about doing this for turn a profit:

Get REALLY DAMN Skillful at what you practice so you can Accuse appropriately for YOUR SKILL LEVEL
Price accordingly and understand that it's OK and expected that not everyone tin can or desire to beget your product. 75% of my client inquiries don't result in a custom cookie order– I'yard ok with that!

Something you CAN do information technology to observe ways to REDUCE Fourth dimension SPENT on decorating and find ways to automate other processes similar ordering, label printing, shipping (if applicable), etc. wherever possible. Make ordering easier- apply forms and invoicing services– usually these are super cheap add ons for your website or come up on mobile apps and information technology'southward so worth information technology to spend that few bucks. Don't cheap out on things that will salve you lot so much time in render. At the end of the twenty-four hours – anybody's state of affairs is unlike. Depending on what your goals for your business are (hobby, function time, full fourth dimension), y'all demand to set your targets appropriately. Pricing should likewise vary based on YOUR SKILL LEVEL & EXPERIENCE. I stress this so much. If you are a beginner you need to get real about your production quality and make certain if you are charging a lot, it's worth information technology. Same goes for the cookie pros– charge what you're worth. This tin also differ based on location– some metropolitan areas tin support higher prices than others. Do your research. Understand your demographic. Some other things to keep in mind:

Charging more is actually uncomfortable. Only growth does not come without discomfort, similar any other form of change. You tin expect to lose some existing clients, just you'll probably proceeds more. You lot volition take on less orders, only make more money.
We, as pocket-sized business organization are ALL Answerable for upholding the perception of like businesses. This means that if some of u.s. undercharge, customers will first expecting that. So when you are under charging, you are doing nobody a favor at the end of the day, except for the client you undercharged– except fifty-fifty then, that is a temporary shame since they will walk away with a false perception…and accept unrealistic expectations for their next order… so you lot determine if that's good or bad.

If you are struggling with your business and are SERIOUS about taking a difficult look at your business organization and making some changes for the better, I do offering a very comprehensive cookie consult in my shop (Link TBD as I updated my website)

Source: https://blog.borderlandsbakery.com/cookie-decorating-resources/cookie-pricing/

Posted by: bennettoffiesill.blogspot.com