(And what I learned along the way)

Starting a business is HARD AF. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it… (I tell it like it is.)

Then add in being a parent, having a sh*t ton of responsibilities, BILLS, and you’ve got yourself a RECIPE for overwhelm and chaos. 

Now, I’m all about being ON POINT with your finances and strategizing for your business. But that’s not how it all went down when Eddie and I started The Cake Mamas. 

At the time, 13,000 people in LA had lost their high-paying corporate jobs, and we were part of that group. Both Eddie and I worked in the same industry. So suddenly, we had zero income coming in to support our family of five. We were BROKE, had TONS of bills, and we had to file for BANKRUPTCY (it took us 10 YEARS just to build back our credit).

Going from corporate climber to stay-at-home mom made me feel like I was taking steps BACKWARDS in life. 

And then the idea of starting The Cake Mamas LITERALLY came to me in a dream....

How I use AmEx to travel for free!

Day-dreaming about your next vacation? I know I am. 

But traveling in THIS economy can feel overwhelming. 

There’s the flight, hotel, shopping, excursions, the food…adding up all the things can be pretty costly.

But what if you could get your hotel and flight for FREE? No gimmicks, no catch. All you’d have to pay for is food, excursions, or whatever shopping you might wanna do. 

If this is something that sounds exciting to you, keep reading…

Sis, I’m about to introduce you to the MAGICAL WORLD OF CREDIT CARD POINTS.

Imagine $0 for a roundtrip first-class ticket to Hawaii! 

Or business class flight to Dubai!

Or a roundtrip ticket AND a hotel in Miami! 

Sounds amazing right? And guess what, it’s completely possible for YOU! As long as you know how to play the game of money! 

Utilizing credit, I was able to pay for my entire family of 6 to travel to Greece ROUND TRIP for FREE!...

When it comes to running your business, there is NOTHING more important than having vision.

And that means knowing WHAT YOU WANT and going after it. 

Now of course when I talk about what you want you immediately think of NEEDING MORE. You may be saying, “Janelle, I want more customers and more revenue.” 

But “MORE” is just a word until you put a NUMBER to it. And it means something different for everyone. So, when you’re asking the universe for “more”, you need to be specific about the results that you wanna see, and then find ways to make those goals come to life. 

One of the things we go into inside  my Bake Your Way To Six Figures workshop is how important it is to be clear about your EXPECTATIONS. And putting an attainable NUMBER to my goals has given me the control and INTENTIONALITY that I needed to crush them, and become the BOSS of my business, not just an employee of it. 

Here are 3 more tips from the...

The FIRST Summer for the Cake Mamas was BY FAR  the MOST difficult season for us. 

I remember we had little to no FOOT TRAFFIC, our sales were dropping, and our revenue was at an all time LOW. 

I had NO clue what we were doing wrong and was low-key starting to panic because our business was suffering. 

Maybe you’re in the same place, friend? Maybe your sales are at an all-time low and your business is suffering? Maybe you’re a home baker and you’re struggling to attract customers? Or maybe this is your first year in your brick & mortar and have no idea what to offer to resurrect and save your business. 

If any of this resonates with you, READ ON because here’s exactly what I did to SUMMER-PROOF my business! 

Ready for it… 

I got RESOURCEFUL! This means you’re gonna have to step up, put your CEO pants on, get answers and find a way to make it through. 

First thing I did was speak to other local...

And it’s not exactly what you think… 

I’ve heard about a THOUSAND versions of the same story. 

People tell all the time about how they need to have the “PERFECT” product in order to get more customers and increase their sales. They work EXTRA HARD to make sure that everything they put out into the universe is PERFECT.  They’ve got all the TALENT in the world, and they spare no expense when it comes to the latest and greatest tools and classes. 

BUT…. (and by this point I’m already rolling my eyes because I know exactly what’s coming) they complain that they’re just not MAKING ANY MONEY.

And then, I say, “Yeah, no sh*t.”

Because, WHERE ARE YOUR NUMBERS, SIS? Where are the RECEIPTS? Where is the DATA? What are your FIGURES? 

Let’s be real for a sec: In our industry, it’s all rainbows and sunshine as long as we’re talking about CRAFT and the newest cake trends....

And what you SHOULD do instead

One of my biggest PET PEEVE is when people ask me: 

“How much do YOU think I should charge for my cakes?”

Because here’s the thing sis, HOW am I (or ANYONE) supposed to know how much YOU should be charging for YOUR cakes?

You’re the ONLY one who knows the cost of your ingredients, how much you wanna PAY yourself, the time it takes you to make a cake, and the $$$ going out of your bank account to buy equipment, cover costs, and keep your business going. 

So WHY are you giving someone else the power to decide your pricing for you?

If you really wanna start making the MONEY you deserve, you need to be  CLEAR on your EXPENSES and CREATE prices that DOUBLE your investment. 

Otherwise, you’re headed to Brokesville and your business will fail before it can even begin. 

Here’s what you need to do to start making the money you DESERVE: 

1 - Sometimes, you NEED to pay MORE upfront

Listen, just...

I feel you... and I wanna let you know that you’re NOT ALONE!

In fact, most mother’s I’ve spoke to before I decided to write this blog told me that they don’t really like Mother’s Day; and this week on the PUSH Podcast, (you can listen HERE) I’m sharing WHY Mother’s Day SUCKS but since you’re here, this is 5 REASONS WHY Mom’s may hate Mother’s Day:

1. Most of the time, it ends up feeling like just another day. There’s no intentional planning, and it feels like us Mom’s have to PLAN a day to be celebrated by others. And friend, I don't know about you, but that’s not how I FEEL Mother’s Day should be.

I want to be CELEBRATED in the same way that I celebrate everyone else.

And the hard truth is... it’s often US Mom’s who take the initiative to plan everything.

If you’re a mom who feels a little disappointed or feels like it’s MORE work than relaxation on Mother’s Day then...

(And how to make money like the RICH even if you’re kinda broke right now)

Real Talk… 

85 individuals in the world have more combined wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion.

But, just because you’re not on the fast track to becoming the next Oprah, doesn’t mean you can’t steal some of her strategies. 

There are so many important money lessons you can learn from the rich – lessons that can get you a one-way ticket OUT of broke central. 

So, let’s get right into it. We’re talking four money tips you can put into practice TODAY to make money like the rich. 

1. Rich people are disciplined

64% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.

On one hand, people THINK they just don’t make enough money. They’re always praying for more money, praying for a raise, when really they need to pray for BETTER TOOLS & STRATEGIES to manage their money. 

To be honest with you friend, you can’t really...

Listen up friends… It's time for some hard truths. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re working 18 hours a day in your business.

It doesn’t matter how much you’ve sacrificed. 

It doesn’t matter how many all-nighters you’ve pulled.

None of it matters if your money habits suck. 

I’m not gonna sugar coat it. I’m here to tell you how it is: You’re in business to make money. 

Yes, we wanna do amazing things for our customers. Yes, we love the ART and the CREATION. But none of that means sh*t if you aren’t making money. 

Your #1 responsibility as a business owner is to MAKE MONEY. Period. 

And that’s what we’re gonna talk about today. So grab a pen, take some notes, and keep on reading! 

If any of these money habits show up in your business, you’re slowly killing the success of yourself (and your business,) sis. 

Let’s dive in…These are the  Money...

I hear it all the time...

“Janelle, I’m bad with money”

“Janelle, I don’t like numbers”

“Janelle, I don’t know what my expenses were last month”

Alright y’all, I’m tired af of hearing people say “I’m bad with money”, because real talk, you have NO business being a business owner if you aren’t SERIOUS about money. Period. 

It’s hard. Trust me, I get it. For the last 12 years, Eddie and I have INVESTED in our financial growth and have made it a GAME to have perfect credit, zero debt, and make our MONEY work for US! 

The problem with most of us is we were never taught how to do this sh*t in school. But, most of you didn’t go to school to learn how to bake either. So there’s that! 

Despite not knowing where to begin, or how to start, you figured it out and did the damn thang! And that’s something to be PROUD of! 

This is exactly why I wanna...