CUPKAKE

Over the last 10 years the cake and pastry business have exploded in popularity. Informal surveys indicate that facilities offering similar amenities draw guests from up to 40 miles away, if the facilities can provide a clean, state-of-the-art facility for providing cakes and sweets. People are constantly looking for that place that can satisfy their sweet tooth cravings, along with a place that can provide them with excellent service and reliability for their specially ordered cakes. Regular food market and store cakes are simply not enough for people who want that extra pizzazz for their sweets and cakes. Their capabilities will not measure up to our ability to preserve the age old baking while incorporating the newer modern culinary techniques.

Many of the big cupcake brand names and industries believe that this current "sugar-high" of cupcakes will continue for many years to come. However there has been some data that shows that the industry is predicted to slow to 3.7 percent annually over the course of the next five years. The cupcake business is becoming more saturated with more and more people attempting to make their cupcakes shine. An article presented by CNBC, stated that the bigger name brands will continue to expand due to their highly known reputation. For example the famous cupcake shop on "Sex and the City", Magnolia Bakery, they stated hopes to open 200 stores in the next five years. Not only are there shoes, and these designer handbags on the luxury list, add those bright fondant decorated, sparkling sprinkled, melt in your mouth cupcakes to the list.

I have become well aware of the amount of cupcake shops that open every month around the world, and the amount of competitors and how hard this industry really can be. Still that has not discouraged my dreams or hopes of opening my very own cupcakery. It is about making it special, offering options for one and all that come in the door. Reports show that cupcake purchases are dropping some due to the fact that people are moving away from sweets. Still I don't see that as a reason to back away from a dream, or why a business can't be successful. Restaurants offer healthy options to their menus, lower calorie meals, why can't cupcake shops do the same? It's definitely not impossible, why nothing is impossible.

While reports and studies show that numbers have dropped, bakers and owners reveal otherwise. Owners of cupcake shops admit that location has something to do with how the cupcake crumbles. Bigger cities tend to get the word around about a new opening quicker than those in smaller areas. Owners still standing and doing well agree that in order to survive in this business you have to stand out. These people are probably making changes weekly to their business, brainstorming daily on how to stand out from the crowd. Some bakers stay ahead and update on upcoming food trends, new flavors to try and incorporate in cupcakes, or frostings. Sweet Daddy Cupcakes, owner Jason Podany, a body builder, makes his store unique and different by hiring males and athletes to sell his cupcakes also while wearing fitted t-shirts. That's definitely a unique one there. I know as a cupcake myself that the key is stay positive, updated, and innovative. I feel like you should never stop looking for something new, especially in the food industry. Food is just like clothes, there are trends. I want to make a trend out of my cupcakes, and I want to make a cupcake business successful. Even from my research I feel as if the cupcake world will forever be around, besides isn't ice-cream shops still around? Desserts, cupcakes, and sweets will be forever a part of our world.

Elicia Dellinger is native of North Carolina in pursuits of opening many businesses. Elicia is also currently enrolled in the Master's of Entrepreneurship Degree Program at Western Carolina University. Webmasters and other article publishers are hereby granted article reproduction permission as long as this article in its entirety, author's information, and any links remain intact.