How much do I charge for sugar paste (gumpaste) flowers?

Hi!

I have a custom cake business and make sugar flowers for many of my cakes. I make flowers anywhere from tiny buds to gerbera daisies, orchids, roses, hibiscus, etc. How do I know what to charge for these flowers? The larger ones take a really long time to make... some over an hour, and some have to sit overnight before you can continue making them. I don't want to overcharge or have my customers freak out when I give them pricing. But, I also don't want to undercharge for flowers that I really took time and care into making. They do turn out very pretty and I'm always very proud of the work I do, I just want to be fair in what I charge my customers. Thank you!
How much do I charge for sugar paste (gumpaste) flowers?
This is a battle with yourself as much as with 'what the market will bear'. Sit yourself down of a dull Sunday afternoon and -- quite ruthlessly -- tot up every second of your time, every grain of your ingredients, every therm of your overheads, and do the math. Cost yourself out realistically: if you know that your xyz Orchid is your flagship craftobject which few could match, take a hard look at the skill set you're using to make it, and set an hourly charge for that, and don't be bashful!



Let me give you an example. Our flagship cake we charge out at $450 per 5kg unit. Two craftsmen work two full days to make it. 45% of the charge is raw ingredient cost and fuel, so out of the rest (55%) we have to fund the craftsmen (myself and my sous), the overheads, the packaging (if relevant), transportation, and all the sundry costs of running a business, and then **make a profit**. What seems like a shocking cost to the customer suddenly 'don't look so rosy any more'..? Until we did the 'dull Sunday' maths, we were quite cheerfully making a 12% straight loss on all that work, and we didn't even realise that. It's kinda thrilling to be asked to perform your best..? %26lt;wry smile%26gt;



There will probably be items you make that you know are not making a high demand on your skill set: price those competitively. (Know what things you can afford to 'take a hit on'.) Be ruthlessly honest with yourself about the stuff that you sweat blood over. Not only will they make your reputation, but they will also be the items you are most inclined to compromise the charges for, in order to be able to do them at all. That's where a haemorrhage of money lurks, and you wont even notice, until... :-(



Hope this helps, but if you need more drop me a line whenever you need to. This is not easy stuff.
Reply:HERE IS A WEBSITE THAT MIGHT HELP YOU
Reply:You should, of course, charge for time involved in making them. Try taking a look around some cake decorating suppliers or a cake decorating page; see what they charge for ideas. Ornate and fancy flowers would cost more than a daisy, for instance. If you package them the cost of a box and tissue should also go into the factor.
Reply:25 cents or best offer