The Profitable Baker Podcast

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Most bakers design products for themselves — not for their customers. Annie breaks down how to close that gap: reading real demand signals, treating declined enquiries as a training curriculum (especially for bespoke-only bakers), planning seasonally instead of reactively, and making simple bakes feel premium through presentation, not complexity.

In this episode:

• Why "I liked the idea" isn't the same as market evidence
• Simple, free ways to find out what customers actually want
• For bespoke bakers: turning declined requests into a strategic skill-learning plan
• Why reactive seasonal planning keeps you rushed and underpriced
• Making simple bakes feel premium through presentation, naming and story

This episode is based on this month's Academy session, Designing Products That Sell Themselves — inside the session, we went deeper with real examples and built an actual seasonal plan together.

If you have found this episode useful, please follow of subscribe on the platform that you listen on, and leave a review!

Connect with Annie:

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

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Send us Fan Mail

Emma Stewart is a wedding cake designer and business coach based in Northern Ireland.

She is a judge for Cake International and is called on internationally to judge and give tuition.

Listen as we talk about the cake industry, the importance of getting good foundations…   and also how Emma delivered a wedding cake to Italy! 

Connect with Emma here:

instagram: www.Instagram.com/emmastewartcakedesign

TikTok: www.TikTok.com/emmastewartcakedesign

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/189V3Ph9Rx/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Website: www.emmastewartcakedesign.com/academy 

Connect with Annie:

Free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

This week I ran Busy But Broke, a free 4 day pricing sprint inside The Profitable Baker Community.

This episode brings together everything we covered… the mindset behind underpricing, the formula to fix it, and how to raise your prices without losing customers.

You are very welcome to join my new free Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunity

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

The Profitable Baker Community opens this Friday, 24th July — and its first event is Busy But Broke, a free 4-day live sprint (Mon 27th–Thurs 30th July) on working out your true cost price, building a pricing formula, and raising your prices without losing customers.

In this episode, Annie goes deeper than the announcement — sharing why she built the Community, and answering the questions that have landed in her inbox since the launch:

• What if I can't make the live sessions?
• Is this only for people who already have an established business?
• What happens in the Facebook group after the sprint ends?

She also breaks down who the VIP option is really for, and why joining early gives you a head start before day one.

The Profitable Baker Community opens this Friday, 24th July — and its first event is Busy But Broke, a free 4-day live sprint (Mon 27th–Thurs 30th July) on working out your true cost price, building a pricing formula, and raising your prices without losing customers.

Sign up for the group here:https://anniebennett.co.uk/busy-but-broke-sprint-2026/

The VIP option will pop up once you’ve signed up!

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Cristina Arévalo is a creative business coach, educator, and founder of The Art Cake Coach. 

After more than 20 years of having her own cake business and teaching cake decorators from all over the world, she now helps home-based creative entrepreneurs create simple systems, manage their time with intention, and grow successful businesses without burnout.

Her philosophy challenges hustle culture and cookie-cutter business advice, encouraging creatives to build businesses that support both their ambitions and their well-being. Through coaching, her podcast, and her online community, Cristina empowers creative entrepreneurs to work with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose, all while protecting the creativity that makes their business unique.

Connect with Cristina:

https://www.instagram.com/theartcakecoach/

Her Podcast: The Art Cake Coach

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2yIZD4J00nf3dmNLDeZUBs?si=PpRxmF3WRfWBfy9OZbk5SA

And website:

https://www.theartcakecoach.com/

Connect with Annie:

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Here's a question worth sitting with: when someone lands on your Instagram for the first time, do they feel what your business actually is, or does it feel like it could be anyone's bakery?

In this episode, I'm talking about the gap that quietly exists in most baking businesses: the space between how your business feels and how it actually looks to the outside world. And why closing that gap matters more than any individual design decision you'll ever make.

We cover:

• Why your brand is making a promise on your behalf before a customer ever speaks to you
• A simple three-word exercise to identify what your business should actually feel like
• How to audit your own brand honestly — your grid, your colours, your captions, your price list
• The most common trap bakers fall into when they're inspired by brands they admire
• Why finding the gap isn't a failure — it's the most useful thing you can do

This is the first episode in our July brand identity series, and it's the foundation everything else builds on.

This month inside The Profitable Baker Academy, we're going deeper… a full guided brand audit, real-world brand observation, product descriptions that sound like you, and a content rhythm that's actually sustainable. 

If you have found this episode useful, please follow of subscribe on the platform that you listen on, and leave a review!

Connect with Annie:

FREE GUIDE: Starting a Baking Business: https://www.subscribepage.com/stepstocakebusiness

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Kate Tynan is an award winning Cake Business Coach and has worked with over 10,000 cake designers in the last three years.  She is the founder of 'The Cake Business Club' - a monthly business membership for cake businesses around the globe. 

Kate is also a certified positive psychology coach and weaves that into her 1:1 coaching so her guidance builds upon her clients' strengths, values and personality type.  

She has over a decade of experience running her own multi award winning wedding cake business 'Little Button Bakery', but closed that business in October 2023 to focus solely on 'The Cake Business Club'.

Kate has built a name for herself in the cake industry with her no-nonsense, straight-talking style - always with an injection of fun.  Her clients say she is their biggest cheerleader and will always tell them what they need to know to grow - even if a bit of tough love is needed. 

Kate values inclusivity, honesty, fun and respect and always goes above and beyond for the cake designers who work with her.

Find more about Kate and The Cake Business Club here: https://www.thecakebusinessclub.co.uk

Follow Kate on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thecakebusinessclub/

If you have found this episode useful, please follow of subscribe on the platform that you listen on, and leave a review!

Connect with Annie:

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

And if you’re looking for a different income stream… let Annie help you publish a book:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-book-programme/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Scrolling past a brand or a bake that stops you in your tracks is one thing — knowing what to actually do with that admiration is another. In this episode, Annie unpacks why so many bakers slide from inspiration into imitation, and gives you a simple framework for borrowing the principle behind a brand you love without copying the look.

In this episode:

• Why copying happens (hint: it's fear, not laziness) — and why it backfires
• The one question to ask instead of "how do I make mine look like that?"
• Real examples: packaging, captions, and photography broken down into the principle vs. the surface
• A 3-question framework you can use the next time something stops your scroll
• A first look at July's Academy Day brand walk in Brighton

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Profitable Baker Academy Membership: https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/
• Academy Day — Brighton Brand Walk, 10th July: ••https://anniebennett.co.uk/register/brighton-away-day-non-members/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Jenny is a multi award winning business woman with over 25 years experience in the cake industry. 

Originally trained as a pastry chef, Jenny worked in some of the UKs top establishments, honing her skills before establishing her cake business which went from kitchen table to 6 figures within 3 years. 

Jenny created cakes for Royalty (making HRH Charles and Camilla’s first wedding anniversary cake) appeared on TV (Britain’s Best Bakery, The Alan Titchmarsh show, amongst others) and featured across the national press. 

Jenny sold the cake business after selling over £2 million worth of cakes and trained as a coach and hypnotherapist. 

Jenny is an expert in not only creating beautiful cakes but growing a cake business, gaining press and the mindset needed to create a successful cake business. 

Jenny coaches with passion, making it fun, whilst being results driven. Jenny prides herself in being cake business owners biggest cheerleader in business, working with them on their mindset to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

When not working, Jenny can be found in the forest or at the beach, swimming in the sea (when it’s warm enough!) 

Get in touch with Jenny on Insta:

https://www.instagram.com/sweet_as_success/

Connect with Annie:

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Most home bakers don't have a pricing problem. They have a delivery problem.

In this episode, I'm talking about the moment — that specific, uncomfortable moment when someone asks how much your cakes cost and you feel that familiar tightening in your chest. Why it happens, what it's costing you, and what to actually do about it.

This episode builds on Episode 27 (if you haven't listened yet, go back — today's episode picks up where that one left off), so if you've been following the June sales confidence series, this is the practical next step.

In this episode:

• Why softening, pre-apologising and over-explaining your prices actually undermines them — before anyone has even responded
• The real reason saying a price out loud feels so exposing (and why it's not weakness)
• Three practical things to try in your next price conversation
• Why the pause after you say your price is more powerful than anything you say next
• What to do when someone says "that's more than I expected" — and why dropping your price isn't the answer
• A simple exercise to do today that will make price conversations feel less strange

Ready to keep working on this? Inside the Profitable Baker Academy this month, we're going deep on sales confidence — from showing up online to handling real enquiries. 

For structured support, training and accountability:
Join The Profitable Baker Academy Membership

https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-profitable-baker-academy-membership/

For regular delves into baking business matters, including taking part in podcast episodes:

https://anniebennett.co.uk/#subscribe

For free tips, insight and real-world business talk:
Follow me on social media

https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablebakeracademy/

https://www.facebook.com/theprofitablebakeracademy

https://www.tiktok.com/@profitablebakeracademy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-bennett-pba/

For her website with all this and more:

anniebennett.co.uk

Support the show