We could learn a lot from a cupcake.
Last week, I wrote a post about the point of all teaching – to help others rise. That statement can be taken literally and figuratively, as I recently found out through a cupcake baking class at Butter Lane Bakery. Joe, our teacher and cupcake baker (and frosting!) extraordinaire, helped me recognize a very important business principle that we should learn from: we all have something to teach and should make it a part of our business model. (Yes, thoughts that profound can be found in the depths of a cupcake.)
Joe counseled us on the proper techniques to cream butter and sugar, why we need to add in the dry ingredients with a minimal amount of mixing, and the short window in which we have to add the dairy. With our fluffy cakes baked, he taught us the “pat down” frosting technique which produces a cute little wisp worthy of a Real Simple Magazine cover. (Okay, mine weren’t that good but they were damn close!)
The result: little pillows of sugar-sweet happiness, and more importantly, confidence in the kitchen. I can whip up a delicious dinner in not time; my baking skills are less-than-adequate, but this class helped me understand baking on a more intellectual level. The nerd in me needed that boost of knowledge, and I got it thanks to Joe.
Butter Lane Bakery could just keep churning out these sinfully sweet little indulgences and keeping its customers in the dark on how the magic happens. Instead, they invite people into the bakery for a small class fee, and share everything they know about their specialty. And it’s working – their class schedule is sold out months in advance. Follow their lead.
Get creative with your business model – there are more revenue streams in there than you think there are.
All that wisdom from a cupcake eh? Love it
I know! And all this time we just thought it was sugary goodness