A Walk On The Wild Side

I am often asked where I get my cupcake flower and colour inspiration from.

If you had asked me in my teens, I would never have admitted that I was a country girl at heart. As a child my parents dragged me down country lanes, up hills and down dales, holidays were spent under canvas and moonlit sky ; no TV,  just making friends with other young campers and amusing ourselves building dens out of twigs and cut grass etc. My sister and I could often be found with paper, glue and various flowers, leaves, twigs and shells making masterpieces (well at least to us they were) for our parents. I never fully appreciated it at the time but am so grateful now for the experiences and want to pass this love of nature on to my children. Looking back now I can see this was the cornerstone for my love of flowers and subsequently the inspiration for my business.

 

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Being My Own Boss

I love being my own boss, I really do.

I spent years working in the public sector and although I enjoyed it (mostly) I didn’t enjoy the lack of flexibility, whether it be flexibility in the working week or booking leave etc. I understand that as a workplace, fairness has to be considered but this did put obstacles in the way. Booking leave would always depend on who else had requested the same dates, understandably the work place still had to run effectively, add that to the difficulty that my husband also works in the public sector, trying to book the same dates was hugely problematic. I now have the autonomy to decide when and how often I take time off without running it by anyone else albeit without an income from my fresh cake sales.

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Student Spotlight

You may know me best for creating beautiful buttercream floral cupcakes but did you know I also absolutely love to teach others the skill of floral piping? I have a whole plethora of online tutorials, suitable for all skill levels and also offer (outside of lockdowns!) private courses and group workshops at my location in the stunning Norfolk countryside.

When a customer purchases one of my online tutorials which are available internationally via this website, they are not just purchasing a course but gaining access to a VIP community of my students who are a constant ongoing support for one another. The community is full of positivity, hints and tips and it got me thinking about how I can help celebrate this talent and involve my amazing students more and hey presto “Student Spotlight” was created!

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Small Steps

Blog ideas regularly come to me in the middle of the night or as I’m dropping off to sleep. In fact, this one was midnight!!! and when the idea for this blog came to me, I had to put pen to paper quick or I would have forgotten it by morning.

I want to take a look at what can hold us back in life, both personally and professionally. My inspiration for this blog was motivated by the number of messages I get daily from people who want to set up their own cake businesses or embark on a new hobby. They are hesitant for various reasons and give themselves excuses as to why now isn’t the right time for them or because they feel they may not be good enough.

Our mind is an integral powerful part of us all but it does have the ability to skew our thinking, putting perceived obstacles in our way. It’s easy to focus on the “what ifs” and what could go wrong, rather than what could go right. If you wait for the perfect time it will never happen so just go for it and embrace the challenge – you may be pleasantly surprised!

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Kerry’s Bouqcakes Fourth Birthday

Here we are again, another Kerry’s Bouqcakes birthday. Four years ago I started my business and I am still amazed how quickly each year has gone. Celebrating my business birthday is one of those positive milestones that keeps a smile on my face and makes me proud. It gives me a chance to reflect on the time and remember all of the opportunities and achievements that have come my way. I feel very fortunate for every opportunity I have had, but am equally proud of the hard work I have dedicated to make them happen.

As a business owner I spend a lot of time looking forward, planning new and original ways to push my business forward but today I want to reflect on what has made Kerry’s Bouqcakes a success to date and hopefully inspire you too.

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One Cupcake At A Time

I saw a quote recently “for every two minutes of glamour, there are eight hours of hard work” and boy oh boy did that resonate through every bone in my body! The glitz of the finished product, for me being my cupcakes or cake creations are gone in a blink of an eye, the moment the customer comes to collect their order and whisks away their bouqcake leaving behind the worktop mess for me to contend with.

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