Charli Clarke: The Cake Mentor

Charli Clarke: The Cake Mentor Hi, I'm Charli Clarke (a.k.a The Cake Mentor).

I'm a 5* rated cake artist, using my vast experience with all things business and mental health to help other ambitious cake artists unleash their potential and grow happy and successful businesses.

It's so important to surround yourself with amazing people that will support and encourage you!I love the cake community...
21/09/2021

It's so important to surround yourself with amazing people that will support and encourage you!

I love the cake community on social media, because it's full of genuinely lovely people. If you're looking for an amazing place to hang out with even more fabulous people, pop a 🙋‍♀️ in the comments and I'll send you a link to the hottest cake crew on the internet (p.s. it's completely free 😋)

I'm going to be honest with you, I've been struggling recently!My mind gremlins have been having a particularly loud par...
13/09/2021

I'm going to be honest with you, I've been struggling recently!

My mind gremlins have been having a particularly loud party in my brain recently - with ongoing live performances of all their favourite hits, including "You're Not Good Enough", ”Nobody Cares About What You Have To Say", and my personal favourite "You'll Never Be Successful"

These kind of doubts can strike anyone, at any time, and can be truly crippling. So if you've been struggling with a similar experience, remember you are not alone.

What really matters is that small quiet voice that you hear under the noise, the one that says "it's okay, you can do this". Nurture that voice, and just focus on the next small step in front of you - I believe in you, and you can do this!

Just in case I haven't said it enough recently, never give up on your dreams! If something doesn't work, switch it up - ...
10/09/2021

Just in case I haven't said it enough recently, never give up on your dreams!

If something doesn't work, switch it up - experiment, fail, get back up, and just keep trying until something works.

It doesn't matter how long it takes, or how many times you stumble, your goals are achievable! You just have to find the right way to get there!

Progress > Perfection .... Every time!I just have to say, I absolutely adore - she is a huge inspiration to me and load...
08/09/2021

Progress > Perfection .... Every time!

I just have to say, I absolutely adore - she is a huge inspiration to me and loads of other women around the world! Even from across the pond - she shows us all how far dedication, perseverance and passion can get you!

A big factor of my Anxiety is that I would be scared to submit or share anything unless it was perfect! But the trouble with that is, things will never really be perfect - we're only human (at least I'm assuming you're a human, if you're a dog then you are perfect, because all dogs are perfect). Humans are messy, we make mistakes, we fall down, we fail, but all that matters is that we get up and keep going!

Success is all about perseverance and commitment!

So even if it's not "perfect", hit that send button and move on. No one else will notice the imperfections, and it will take you one step closer to your goal!

So let me know in the comments what you have been scared to do because it's not "perfect" ❤️

I really hate to say this .... But Disney lied! 😱Wishing on a star isn't going to make your dreams come true, no magical...
06/09/2021

I really hate to say this .... But Disney lied! 😱

Wishing on a star isn't going to make your dreams come true, no magical prince is going to appear and sweep you away from your life, and (worst of all) no woodland animals are going to do your dishes 😭

I remember when I was little, I would watch classic Disney movies at my Gran's house, and dance around singing "a dream is a wish your heart makes" with her (she had an absolutely beautiful voice ... Me, not so much). I'd wish on stars after watching Pinnochio. I'd look for rabbit holes, hoping to find Wonderland ... They all instilled me with the belief that if I just wished hard enough all my dreams would come true.

Imagine my horror when life didn't exactly pan out that way ... My beliefs came crashing down one morning when I sat in the bottom of the shower, hot water drenching my skin as I sobbed and cried until my eyes stung! I'd suffered setback, after setback, and I just couldn't bring myself to get out of the shower because that meant I'd have to go to work.

I'd been wishing, and dreaming, and hoping for a better life, for a way out ... somehow hoping for something to magically give me an answer. I decided in that moment, it was up to me! I had to be my own hero!

I took action, I started my cake business, I started counselling, I learned everything I could about marketing, sales, and mental well-being. Guess what?! My life CHANGED! It changed because I took action! My business was thriving, my mental health had never been better, and my confidence was sky high!

So yeah, dreams are great, but if you really want to achieve those dreams, you're going to have to take some action!

Let me know one thing you're going to do this week to get you closer to your dreams!

Obsessed with this quote! Believe in yourself - you absolutely have what it takes! And never ever let anyone tell you ot...
04/09/2021

Obsessed with this quote!

Believe in yourself - you absolutely have what it takes! And never ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

CEO is a mindset that we can all have.

Give me a 🙌 in the comments below if you agree!

💯

03/09/2021

Always ask for a budget! In fact, ask twice!

Hands up if this situation sounds familiar? 🙋‍♀️

Also, why is it always the really complicated, exciting sounding cake enquiries ...
"So you want a 3 tier, Nightmare Before Christmas themed cake, complete with fondant figures and wonky tiers? And you don't have a budget? Great! That'll be £500" (this is a price plucked randomly from the inside of my crazy mind universe to use as an example - do not quote me on that)
"Oh, I was hoping to pay no more than £50"
"Well Sheila, if you'd led with that, I could have saved us both a whole bunch of time! May I direct you towards the realm of realistic expectations?"
(Meanwhile my excited cake brain shatters into a pile of depressed mush, realising I won't get to make the awesome cake!)

Through my mountains of wasted consultations, I have learned something very important .... Everyone has a budget! Some people are more reluctant to share it, but there is always an upper limit in the back of their minds. So top tip, ask a few times, in a few different ways, to try and get a budget out of them before designing - it just saves wasted time and crushed dreams (on both sides)

Let me know if you've been in this situation before - pop a ❤️ in the coments for all our lost cake designs.

You may have seen my little rant on stories the other day ... But in case you haven't worked it out with your super dete...
02/09/2021

You may have seen my little rant on stories the other day ... But in case you haven't worked it out with your super detective skills, pricing and knowing your value is super important to me!

I want every single one of you reading this to be confident in your own value! This stretches far beyond just your pricing, it really affects all aspects of your business, and life for that matter.

Never let anyone make you feel like you are worth less than you are - you are incredible, unique, strong, creative, and beyond talented! Anyone that tries to make you feel differently doesn't deserve a place in your awesome life!

The same goes for your customers - if people complain that you're "too expensive" or "overpriced", it just means they don't appreciate your value, and so they don't deserve to experience your incredibleness (is that a word?! I want that to be a word!)

Put a ❤️ in the comments if you needed a reminder of your amazing boss babe value today!

01/09/2021

Homebakers, cakers, cake artists, bakers ... Listen up!

So I may have just wanted an excuse to dance, but the tips are still super important things I wish I'd known when I started:

🧁 Know your USP (unique selling point)
What do you do that is distinctly you?! Are you fabulous with fondant, super and sugar-flowers, or fantastic at flavours? Whatever it is - scream about it!

🧁 Price your worth
I talk about this a LOT, but that's because I'm so passionate about it! You have to figure out how to price properly (check out the link in my bio for tips!)

🧁 Work out your Ideal Client
When you know who you're selling to, it becomes a lot easier to find them and sell to them (because you can advertise exactly what they want)

🧁 Stick to your boundaries
Boundaries are so important for maintaining mental health in business - It is okay to say no to that last minute order! It is okay to wait until the morning to answer those late night messages!

🧁Get solid terms and conditions
I can't even tell you how many times my T&C's have saved my bum! Making it really clear when payment is due, what happens if customers cancel, and your refund policy is super important

As promised your BONUS:
🧁Show your face!
People really want to know who they are buying from , so get visible on your socials!

Having anxiety, I tend to worry a little more than the average human ... Okay, I worry a lot more ...But I have learned ...
31/08/2021

Having anxiety, I tend to worry a little more than the average human ... Okay, I worry a lot more ...

But I have learned to control the worrying, and not let it stop me being an absolute superstar unicorn boss babe! (that was a lot of words ... Sometimes I get excited when I'm hyping myself up...)

I had a cake delivery this weekend: A 3 tier buttercream wedding cake, being delivered 2 hours away from my house - every slight bump in the road I was convinced the cake had fallen over, or collapsed into a shapeless pile of cakey mush. I had visions of arriving to an eager bride squad, opening the box and being buried alive by an avalanche of cake and buttercream!

Of course, when I arrived at the venue, the cake was absolutely perfect, because I'd taken all the necessary precautions (and some extra ones, just in case - thanks anxiety!). So I had just spent 2+ hours worrying for absolutely no reason!

Do you want to know a secret?My biggest fear used to be failure! Yup, the very idea that I would fail at something made ...
29/08/2021

Do you want to know a secret?

My biggest fear used to be failure! Yup, the very idea that I would fail at something made my head spin, palms sweat, and stomach more nauseous more than a dodgy old waltzer at those fairs that seem to randomly pop up out of nowhere!

The thing is, I was so scared of failing that I would stop myself from succeeding - I was the ultimate master of self-sabotage! It wasn't until I started therapy until I even realised I was doing it.

You see growing up there were no "participation trophies", any grade less than a 'B' led to an interrogation on par with the Spanish Inquisition, and at the grand old age of 10, I gave up my lunch breaks for about a month so I could hit the high note in Somewhere Over The Rainbow for my primary school's blockbuster performance of The Wizard of Oz (I can confidently assure you that I can no longer hit that note!)

Now this is nothing against my parents, or how I was raised - they just didn't know the value of failing! But I do! (well, I do now - see aforementioned sweaty palms and therapy)

Failing can actually be fun - you learn so much every time something doesn't work out, so take a second to sob uncontrollably over a pint of cookie dough ice cream while watching Moulin Rouge, Titanic, or (if you're really sadistic) Marley and Me, then dust yourself off, figure out what you've learned,and start again!

Let me know what you have learned from your past failures down below (or just more epic, sad movie recommendations ... Either way 😋)

You are a fabulous beautiful human (assuming you are a human, but even if you're not a human, that's okay, you're fabulo...
29/08/2021

You are a fabulous beautiful human (assuming you are a human, but even if you're not a human, that's okay, you're fabulous too!)

So let people get to know your fabulous self! It doesn't matter what you look like, what you sound like, what kind of weird things you're into, just keep showing up and everyone's going to love you!

People like to buy from people they like, so let them like you! Hell, let them fall in love with you! All you need to do is be yourself!

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Pakefield
NR33 0JS

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