In the latest in our profiles of wedding businesses, we spoke to Kara Buntin of A Cake to Remember LLC, based in Richmond VA.

What does your business do?

I design and bake custom wedding and groom’s cakes. I also make decorated sugar cookies and custom cake toppers.

When did you start?

I started the business in 1999.

How did you get started?

I went to culinary school for pastry arts, with the intention of doing wedding cakes. I have a background in studio art and costume design, so this was a way to combine the design and my interest in baking.

Why did you choose this particular business?

It was a career change. I’d been working with disturbed children after getting a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology, and I decided that the field wasn’t for me. Since I had seen what happens when you’re not paying attention to what your children are up to, I wanted to do something that would allow me to be self-employed so that I could work at home and keep an eye on my kids! I run the business out of my home, and that gives me the flexibility to get my work done on my own timetable and also be accessible to my family when they need me to do something.

What’s been your best moment so far?

I don’t know that there’s been just one…Whenever I get a thank-you note from a bride that’s a good moment! Those are the things that keep you going and give you confidence that you’re doing things the right way. I’ve received local and national awards for the best of this and that, but getting a thank-you from someone who really liked a cake that I did is a nice thing.

And the worst?

Everyone’s worst moment is the first complaint! Luckily, I used to work in customer service at a large department store, so I’ve dealt with handling unhappy customers. Those moments are difficult because you have to figure out what’s a legitimate complaint and what’s not so legitimate. Nobody likes dealing with a complaint, but you have to take it as a learning experience so that it doesn’t happen again!

Anything you wish you had known when you started?

I wish that I had been more educated about how the wedding industry specifically works in terms of advertising and referrals. Wedding advertising is a different animal, and there’s a lot that goes into it that’s really more political than anything else. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have wasted money on certain advertising outlets that weren’t where I needed to be focussing.

What’s your biggest challenge going forward?

Probably just keeping up with what’s going on in my area in terms of new businesses popping up all over the place. It’s so easy for someone to say “hey, I can make cakes, I’ll start a business!” and you have to stay on top of who’s out there. There’s a very low bar in terms of what’s required to start this type of business in my area, since you’re able to be licensed to bake from home here, so there’s also a very wide range of skill levels in the new businesses that I’m seeing. Not all of them are business that I’d refer clients to.  I actually like to keep an eye out for new people who I can refer party cakes to, and I’ve made some good friends from networking with other bakers in my area.

I’d also like to learn some new techniques and refine the skills that I have, but that’s an important thing to do in any industry. You have to keep current or you’ll burn yourself out with boredom.

Read Kara's blog here.