The good side of this whole cupcake thing is that you have a dream. Some of us can't even figure out what our dream is.

Can you do a little cupcake on the side? Maybe go in one night or one Sunday or something? Does it have to be all or nothing?-- There must be someway to feed cupcakes to your soul.

Aw - Actually, that may be an option. Two weekday evenings and all day Sunday, I think. I just don't know if I want to get home after 10 PM and give up all my Sundays for this, though I know that sounds terrible, the idea of two jobs is unnerving. Especially when, no matter how much I love the bakery, I can't make ends meet with it.

Um, heh. Did I mention I've got a paypal account now?! :)

yeah -- i think a lot of people will be happy that you are over your "cupcake" phase.

bring on the vibrator story!!!

Deb, I know it's a lot of work, but the part-time plan might be a solution for you. That's just what I did when I decided that I might have a future in bread. I was lucky enough to meet with Amy Scherber at Amy's Bread and she gave me the chance to work on the shaping and early bake crew. I ended up working there for free for six months, 2 nights a week and all day Saturdays.

I won't kid you; it was tough, switching gears from the office to the bakeshop, and I spent a lot of time in the tub. On the plus side, I found that I loved the work, and once I got used to giving up part of the weekend, I didn't see it as "giving up part of the weekend," I saw it as "woo-hoo! a day off!"

I know that it really hurts, your heart's desire not earning enough to keep you alive in this city -- believe me, I'm living it right along with you. But maybe if you start with small steps...start part-time and see if a life in the bakeshop is the life for you. If it is not, keep in mind that the beauty of the food world is that it is fluid, and new niches are being carved out every day.

why do you have to work in a bakery for little or no money - why not OWN the bakery??? lots of enterprises get started small... small biz loan, work out of your house...don't dream little.. dream BIG!!
ps.. my bf does the same thing when i wear those tank tops with the 'shelf' bra.. my girls just laugh at the words..lol..

why do you have to work in a bakery for little or no money - why not OWN the bakery??? lots of enterprises get started small... small biz loan, work out of your house...don't dream little.. dream BIG!! oh, and magnolia bakery has crappy cupcakes - EXCEPT for their icing..and they're famous! GO FOR IT!
ps.. my bf does the same thing when i wear those tank tops with the 'shelf' bra.. my girls just laugh at the words..lol..

Lizzi and I have been together for almost 5 years and my eyes still pop out of their sockets when she wears a tank top, a t-shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, a parka, etc...

I second the motion for the vibrator story.

All those in favor?

Well, I'm a jaded little whore for the Man. Swallowing the bitter pill of a boring job means that I have enough money to do something fun when I get home from work. Otherwise, the luxury of treating myself would be restricted to a 69 cent ice cream cone at McDonald's and a pair of shoes for $9.99 from Payless.

Life sucks and then you die.

I think combining two suggestions from the previous might be the solution.
1) Ice cupcakes part-time to get a feel for the business. Does this do it for you? Do you have that happy, fufilled feeling at the end of the day?
2) If you do, then consider opening your own shop. Like someone else said, you can start from home. There are oodles of business plans for bakers and caterers who started from home. I'm starting my own business right now too, and it's from home b/c it's a lot more tenable than a shop straight away. Look into it.

Ooh! I am all for combining, but think big. Is there a way that you could open a shop featuring you icing cupcakes in an Old Navy tank? It might take a while to jump off, but once you tap into the fetish market, who hoooo!

And the vibrator story? Aye. Motion seconded and passed by unanimous vote.
(gotta love parliamentary procedure.)

this entry seems a lot like something fish would write. are your tits really that big? i would take the advice of the above comments, it just not right to cry and complain if your unwilling to take the risk (and we all know your not adverse to risk).

a good friend of mine also has a bakery dream. she works full time at a very un-bakery-like job, but posts her baking services on craig's list. she's done a few weddings and is building a great resume. she's had no training, but makes (and decorates) a mean cake. You could so do the same thing!

Can someone who knows me please set hubs straight? On Statler and Waldorf at least... :)

maybe if we had a picture...

and not those chincy little ones. make the paypal work FOR you.

I'm going to need some beads.

I was thinking you could combine the paypal and cupcakes and have people order your cupcakes online. Although maybe they wouldn't make it through the mail very well.

Of course, the girls and paypal are old friends (not here, but other places). Unfortunately, I have a feeling it would change the demographic of your traffic. (How's that for an unintended rhyme?)

I did not mean your girls. I meant girls in general.

"I'm going to need some beads."

last i heard, the beads are a reward.

I considered at one point exchanging paypal donations of, say, ten bucks or more for a post of your choosing. (And yes, since you asked, I'd also sell my soul if I thought it was worth anything.) However, I was afraid that people would ask me to write about things that wouldn't come out well but I would have to post anyway because I promised. Or, the requests would just be stupid, like 'tell me how great I am' and I wouldn't be able to resist mocking the person and then they'd want their money back or they'd kick my ass. Sigh.

is that a "no?"

hubs gives great comments.