I love following everyone’s posts on Facebook. I have noticed something since I wrote my blog on why teachers cancel classes and since the one on stealing photos. Do I mention it? Yep, I think I have to!
How many of you have written a post complaining about a last minute cake request? We love to lament how ridiculous these customers are. We complain that they need to learn to plan ahead. We laugh and turn them away for waiting until the last minute.
But what do we, as decorators, do when it is time for classes? We sign up at the last minute. The same thing happens at Days of Sharing. Recently, the Houston group had 25 people pre registered about two weeks before the event. They ended up with 209 at their DOS. Pot calling kettle black for sure! We know these classes, cake shows and sharing events are coming up. Why can’t we plan earlier? Why do the bulk of registrations come in the last week? What do we have to do to break this habit?
I know a lot of you say that you have to see if orders will come in. You need to decide if you are going. you really just need to decide whether you want to go or not. If so, just block that date or plan ahead for the event. Take fewer or no orders. Make a commitment more than two weeks before the event.
The cake shows have to plan far in advance on spacing and need to know if you are coming. The teachers have to get supplies ready for you. The DOS is often trying to plan meals. You owe them the same respect that you demand from your customers.
I continue to see angry posts when someone “steals” your class, your photo, your design. No one should use that without your permission! So, how do you think Disney feels about you using their images? Or sports teams about their logos? Or anyone holding a copyright on their image/design. Aren’t you doing exactly what you accuse the decorators of doing? Just because they are a large corporation, does it make it less of a theft of copyright? That is what your customer wants, you say… But does that make it right? Isn’t that what the decorator who “stole” your design said to you – that her customer wanted that design? The next time you start to violate a copyright law, I want you to think about how you would feel if that design was yours and I was about to copy it. Put yourself in the image owner’s shoes and see if you make a different decision on doing famous characters on your cakes.
Let’s take a good look at ourselves and see if we are throwing rocks at people in glass houses. Are you guilty?
SugarZen 