My name is Dolores (Inlow, from Adams Co OH) McCann ................ I started decorating cakes in 1965 when my children were small. For me, with a home business, I think I had the best of all worlds! I managed to make money and STILL be home with my children to watch them grow. I know of no other home-based job that can be more fun and more profitable!
HOURS: I would hurry and do my cakes in the early morning, then pack a lunch, gather the kids together and head for the pool on our for the afternoon. All I had to worry about was returning home by 4pm so people could pick up their cakes. I maintained steady "hours" of 4-6pm daily so my customers knew what to expect. This worked out very well for me. I am basically self-taught. There weren't any classes available in my area "way back then." I certainly did take plenty of classes once they were available. ICES has been a big help too.
STARTING OUT: My first few years in cake decorating were spent experimenting and reading every cake decorating publication I could get my hands on. The first book I bought was "DECORATING CAKES FOR FUN AND PROFIT" by Richard Snyder. Then I sent off for a Wilton catalog. It wasn't a yearbook then. (1965) It was good for more than one year and cost only 50¢. This catalog was pink and all wedding cakes. There was a wedding cake pictured on the left-hand page and the instructions on the right-hand side, thoughout. Wilton products made up the last half of the catalog, just as today. I couldn't do wedding cakes then, BUT the book contained an icing recipe using vegetable shortening (CRISCO). The recipe was what I needed to help me learn to make roses. For a long time, I just made cakes for my family, friends and my Girl Scout troop. Later people started calling me and asking me to make their cakes. My children's friends told their parents about my children's fancy birthday cakes and THEY wanted one too! I had no idea I could make money and have such fun too.
CAKE SHOWS: Finally, cake shows became popular. There were seminars by the judges where we could find out how they "did it." The shows helped me find out about local classes. I have a fat manila envelope full of diplomas. Amoung other courses, I eventually attended a 2-week comprehensive class from Mildred Brand at Country Kitchen. (Lucky me!) Then came ICES ("International Cake Exploration Society-www.ices.org) ). I am a charter member. I missed the first few conventions when my kids were small. But I finally got to attend the one in Albuquerque NM. I will never forget my first morning at that convention! My family and I had just settled down to breakfast when in walked Richard Snyder (now deceased). I recognized him from his picture in my first book. I was in 'decorators heaven' for sure! ICES is a lot different than it was then. It was much smaller and a lot less formal. I'm so glad I was fortunate enough to have been a part of that wonderful time in cake decorating history. We could come and go as we pleased. The seminars were FREE! We had opportunities to meet all the "biggies." I even took a cake to share-a graduation cake, dummy of course, just like I had made for my daughter Sue's high school graduation. "You've Come A Long Way Baby"......This cake was featured in Wilton's (out-of-print now) Celebrate book Vl. I won first place and $250.00 for it. While on this subject, once before this I had entered Wilton's Celebrate ll contest and won first place for a shaped roller skates cake for my younger daughter Joyce. (Pictured on my web site).
REALLY GETTING INTO THIS: At the Albuquerque ICES show I met Bonnie Yusko and she asked me to be the Ohio ICES representative in her place. (She had acquired the position from Kay Ogden-now deceased and ICES Hall Of Famer). It would be 4 years before I could find someone else willing to take my place as rep. I had the pleasure of organizing Ohio state ICES meetings, which are still held by subsequent reps in Columbus twice yearly, same timing...the last Sunday of April and September. I became so comfortable with ICES that I also did wedding cake seminars at several conventions. I considered this a "pay-back" for all the wonderful "helps" ICES had previously provided me with.
TEACHING: Many years ago I taught cake decorating classes for Sears when the very first department store classes were offered in our area. Then I taught locally and on my own supply shop until 2003 when we became too busy for me to do it any longer. That cut my workday down from 14-15 hours a days to 9-10! Its nice work regular hours and go home before 9PM. I love that.
BOOKS I'VE WRITTEN: Since I live close to Cincinnati, where Bakery Craft is located, they asked me to do the first bakery "flip" cards for super markets. They told me what theme-plastics they wanted to use and we devised the scenery together. Finally, Bakery Craft published the wedding cake book called "TRADITIONS" ($6.99) and I did all but two of the wedding cakes for the book. I am happy to say, this book remains a best seller. Recently I published a book called "100 PETITE DOLL PAN CHARACTERS YOU CAN CREATE." This book is something I've wanted to do for a very long time. It gives such versatility to the petite doll pan. I recently completed a recipe book containg cakes and candies. And another containing my favorite cooked candy recipes. Another book: (and my GOAL!) "WEDDING CAKE WORKBOOK" - my life in a book! Every hint I ever heard of and explains how (I) do cakes.
My children grew up. My youngest married in September of 1982 and the following Spring I opened a retail cake decorating supply shop and bakery called "SUGARCRAFT" and began offering classes in cake decorating there. The shop has grown and moved four times to become one of the largest shops of it's kind anywhere. We ship out hundreds of packages every day except weekends. We keep growing and hiring more employees. Daughter Sue manages the ordering. Luckily, both my daughters have had the luxury of making a living and still have THEIR children with them. Joyce opened her own bakery near here. Her daughter and Sue's now work at Sugarcraft with us.
I have enjoyed my success to an extent. (As far as challenge goes). But if I had it to do over again, I definately wouldn't have gone into retail supplies. There is precious little profit to be made (and NONE for at least 10 years!). Its a good thing my husband is a workaholic! 12 hour days get long for families. Taxes and bills are a never ending struggle. And forget doing cakes! That is the creative part that I miss most. I don't know anyone who realizes any better than I do, just why these shops are so few and far between! If it weren't the successful family business that its turned out to be, I'd be gone too. I hardly dare to go away for a few days or a week even. On the positive side though, after 30+ years, I did start taking a decent salary this year. I don't need it now <laughing>. I wager I spent several million dollars before I dared take that salary too! Gee, I am finally going to afford to pay for my own new car very shortly!
I still do the paper work, computer maintenance and pay the taxes. I no longer have time to do cakes. I use to have orders for as many as 14 wedding cakes at one time. Once I remember, we had 14 wedding cakes - 5 with stairways and fountains. It was all Sue and I together could do to get them delivered throught the day.
I am one of those "computer nuts" too. I keep several computers "tuned up." I insert hard drives and upgrade software. I created this web site in 1996 with the help of my grandson Christopher. I do all the maintenace and additions to my web pages by myself.
Other times, you can find me out on the water someplace fishing and boating with my husband, who is retired.