The Profitable Baker Podcast
Annie Bennett 32 episodes Nov 4, 2026
The Profitable Baker Podcast, hosted by Annie Bennett, is a business-focused show for home bakers who want to turn their passion into a profitable venture. Each episode offers practical strategies on pricing, marketing, mindset, and more, drawing from Annie's experience as a business mentor and baking industry expert. The podcast aims to help bakers build sustainable businesses and charge their worth.
Episodes
Episode 49: Steve Golding, CEO Vanilla Valley
Send us Fan MailEver wondered what the cake world looks like from the other side of the counter?This week I'm joined by Steve Golding, CEO of Vanilla Valley, one of the UK's biggest cake decoration suppliers. Steve sees what thousands of bakers buy, what's trending and where the industry is heading, and he shares it all in a warm, honest conversation.With Cake International just day
Suzanne Esper on Teaching, Coaching and Cake International
Send us Fan MailThis week on The Profitable Baker, I'm joined by Suzanne Esper, one of the UK's leading cake decorating tutors and coaches. Suzanne shares the story of how she built her career in the cake world, from her early days at the turntable to teaching and coaching decorators of every level.We also go behind the scenes of her involvement with Cake International, and talk about wh
Episode 47: Inside the Judging Room with Cake International's Head Judges
Send us Fan MailWhat really happens when the judges walk up to your entry? This week I'm joined by David Close and Jane Hatton, Head Judges of Cake and Bake International, for a rare look behind the judging table.David and Jane share how they each found their way into judging, what the role of Head Judge actually involves, and the advice they'd give anyone entering the competition this y
Episode 46: with special guest Natalie Porter of Immaculate Confections
Send us Fan MailThis week I'm joined by Natalie Porter, the sugar artist behind Immaculate Confections. We talk about how her cake journey began, how she fell for sugar flowers, and how she built a reputation for detailed, lifelike floral work.Natalie also shares her experience with Cake International: what it's really like behind the scenes, what competing and being involved has done fo
EPISODE 45: Inside Cake International: A Conversation with Melanie Underwood
Send us Fan MailWhat really happens behind the scenes at the world's biggest cake show? And what does it mean for your business if you enter?This week I'm joined by Melanie Underwood, head of Cake and Bake International, for the first episode in our Cake International Guests series. We talk about how the show started, and how it has developed over the years.Cake International returns to
Episode 44: Why Competitions Are Great for Visibility (Even If You Don't Win)
Send us Fan MailCould a cake competition be the most underused marketing tool in your business? In this episode, Annie makes the business case for entering competitions, and it has very little to do with medals. It's the opening taster for our Cake and Bake International series, leading up to the show at the NEC Birmingham, 6 to 8 November.In this episode, you'll learn:Why visibility, no
Episode 43: Why Saying No Is a Business Strategy, Not a Personality Flaw
Send us Fan MailStruggling to turn down rush orders, discount requests, or endless revisions? This episode makes the business case for saying no, and gives you the exact language to do it without the guilt spiral.You'll learn:Why "small yeses" are quietly costing you money and burnoutThe difference between the decision to say no and the delivery of itTwo ready-to-use scripts for tur
Episode 42 with special guest Suzanne Booth
Send us Fan MailSuzanne Booth is a Craft Business Mentor & Strategist for makers. After 20+ years of selling textile-based craft to teaching in schools, she now helps and mentors makers who already sell their work to build more sustainable craft businesses. Looking in particular at ways to add income streams beyond the making itself with things like workshops, courses and digital products, usi
Episode 41: with special guest Claudia Sheena
Send us Fan MailClaudia Sheena FCA is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience, providing hands-on, proactive financial leadership to growing businesses.Claudia believes accountancy should be about far more than filing accounts and telling business owners what happened last year. She works closely with her clients throughout the year, helping them understand their numbers, plan ahead
Episode 40: The Q4 Reset: Why Your Best Quarter Starts With Looking Back
Send us Fan MailIf the last few weeks have felt a bit foggy, school runs, no headspace, admin piling up, this episode is your reset. Annie walks through why looking back briefly (not a deep post-mortem, just a 15-minute audit) sets you up for a much stronger Q4 than jumping straight to goal-setting. She also busts the "Q4 = Christmas" myth and shares three questions to get your own plan
Episode 39: Test It Before You Trust It: What Makes It Yours
Send us Fan MailTwo ideas, one thread: this episode brings together experimentation and identity — because you can't build a genuine signature style without testing, and testing without direction just gives you a scattered range.In the first half, Annie breaks down how to test new ideas properly — small, cheap, low-risk — before you ever put them on the menu or announce them to customers. She
Episode 38: With special guest Dawn Butler
Send us Fan MailHello, I’m Dawn Butler — the cake artist behind Dinkydoodle.I’ve spent my career helping cake makers of all levels grow their skills and confidence. Over the years, I’ve earned multiple gold medals, won Best in Show at Cake International in 2016, been named International Cake Artist of the Year, and recognised as one of the UK’s Top Ten Cake Artists. In 2024, I was honoured to be i
Episode 37: Stop Guessing What They Want
Send us Fan MailMost bakers design products for themselves — not for their customers. Annie breaks down how to close that gap: reading real demand signals, treating declined enquiries as a training curriculum (especially for bespoke-only bakers), planning seasonally instead of reactively, and making simple bakes feel premium through presentation, not complexity.In this episode:Why "I liked th
Episode 36: with special guest Emma Stewart
Send us Fan MailEmma Stewart is a wedding cake designer and business coach based in Northern Ireland.She is a judge for Cake International and is called on internationally to judge and give tuition.Listen as we talk about the cake industry, the importance of getting good foundations… and also how Emma delivered a wedding cake to Italy! Connect with Emma here:instagram: www.Instagram.com/emmastew
Episode 35: The Sprint, Unpacked — Mindset, Formula, and the Fear of Raising Your Prices
Send us Fan MailThis week I ran Busy But Broke, a free 4 day pricing sprint inside The Profitable Baker Community.This episode brings together everything we covered… the mindset behind underpricing, the formula to fix it, and how to raise your prices without losing customers.You are very welcome to join my new free Facebook Community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/theprofitablebakercommunityFor s
Episode 34: "Busy But Broke?"
Send us Fan MailThe Profitable Baker Community opens this Friday, 24th July — and its first event is Busy But Broke, a free 4-day live sprint (Mon 27th–Thurs 30th July) on working out your true cost price, building a pricing formula, and raising your prices without losing customers.In this episode, Annie goes deeper than the announcement — sharing why she built the Community, and answering the que
Episode 33 With special guest Cristina Arevalo
Send us Fan MailCristina Arévalo is a creative business coach, educator, and founder of The Art Cake Coach. After more than 20 years of having her own cake business and teaching cake decorators from all over the world, she now helps home-based creative entrepreneurs create simple systems, manage their time with intention, and grow successful businesses without burnout.Her philosophy challenges hus
Episode 32: Does Your Brand Look Like Your Business Feels?
Send us Fan MailHere's a question worth sitting with: when someone lands on your Instagram for the first time, do they feel what your business actually is, or does it feel like it could be anyone's bakery?In this episode, I'm talking about the gap that quietly exists in most baking businesses: the space between how your business feels and how it actually looks to the outside world.
Episode 31: With special guest Kate Tynan.
Send us Fan MailKate Tynan is an award winning Cake Business Coach and has worked with over 10,000 cake designers in the last three years. She is the founder of 'The Cake Business Club' - a monthly business membership for cake businesses around the globe. Kate is also a certified positive psychology coach and weaves that into her 1:1 coaching so her guidance builds upon her clients&apos
Episode 30: Learning to Look: How to Be Inspired By Brilliance Without Copying Anyone
Send us Fan MailScrolling past a brand or a bake that stops you in your tracks is one thing — knowing what to actually do with that admiration is another. In this episode, Annie unpacks why so many bakers slide from inspiration into imitation, and gives you a simple framework for borrowing the principle behind a brand you love without copying the look.In this episode:Why copying happens (hint: it&
Episode 29: With special Guest Jenny Gilson
Send us Fan MailJenny is a multi award winning business woman with over 25 years experience in the cake industry. Originally trained as a pastry chef, Jenny worked in some of the UKs top establishments, honing her skills before establishing her cake business which went from kitchen table to 6 figures within 3 years. Jenny created cakes for Royalty (making HRH Charles and Camilla’s first wedding an
Episode 28 Knowing Your Worth Isn't Enough. You Have to Be Able to Say It.
Send us Fan MailMost home bakers don't have a pricing problem. They have a delivery problem.In this episode, I'm talking about the moment — that specific, uncomfortable moment when someone asks how much your cakes cost and you feel that familiar tightening in your chest. Why it happens, what it's costing you, and what to actually do about it.This episode builds on Episode 27 (if you
Episode 27: You're Not Bad at Selling. You've Just Never Been Shown How.
Send us Fan MailIf selling feels uncomfortable, this episode is for you — and the good news is, it's not a personality problem. It's a skills gap. And skills can be learned.Annie breaks down what selling actually looks like in a small, values-led baking business — and it's nothing like the pushy, high-pressure version that's been putting you off.In this episode you'll lear
Episode 26 Why Selling Feels So Hard (And What to Do About It)
Send us Fan MailIf talking about your work, following up on enquiries, or asking for the sale makes you want to quietly look the other way, this episode is for you.This week I'm getting into something that doesn't get talked about enough in the home baking world: the discomfort around selling. Not pricing, not finding customers… the actual act of putting yourself and your work forward wi
Episode 25: When They Say 'That's Too Expensive' — What to Do Next
Send us Fan MailThose four words. You know the ones.You've done the work, built your pricing properly, sent the quote — and then it comes back: "that's too expensive." And suddenly all the confidence you had disappears.In this episode, I'm talking about what's actually happening in that moment, what it means (and what it doesn't), and what to do next that isn&apo
Episode 24: Stop Covering Costs and Start Building a Business
Send us Fan MailMost home bakers price to survive. In this episode, Annie makes the case for pricing to build — and explains why that shift changes everything.If you've ever set a price by working out what your ingredients cost and adding "a bit on," this episode is for you. Because covering costs is the floor, not the goal. And if you've been pricing from the floor, it explain
Episode 23: What Are You Actually Worth? How Home Bakers Get Pricing Wrong From the Start.
Send us Fan MailAre you working hard, making beautiful products, and still not earning what you should be? In this episode, Annie gets honest about the very common — and very costly — ways home bakers get their pricing wrong. Not slightly off. Wrong in a way that keeps skilled, dedicated bakers stuck.This isn't just a maths problem, and Annie doesn't treat it like one. Pricing is a minds
Episode 22: Self Assessment Doesn't Have to Be Scary — Here's Why Bakers Dread It More Than They Should
Send us Fan MailWe're wrapping up finance month with the topic that sits underneath all of it — the two words that make even the most confident bakers go quiet: Self Assessment.In this episode, Annie unpicks exactly where the fear comes from and, one by one, dismantles it. Because the dread around Self Assessment is real — but it's rarely about the form itself.In this episode:Why "S
Episode 21: The Tax Bill That's Actually Two Bills — And Why Most Bakers Don't See the Second One Coming
Send us Fan MailEver filed your Self Assessment and found yourself staring at a number that's much higher than you expected? You're not alone — and in this episode, Annie explains exactly why that happens.The short answer: your tax bill isn't one bill. It's two. And if you don't know about the second one, it can feel like a real shock.In this episode, Annie covers:When you
Episode 20: Is Your Record-Keeping HMRC-Ready — Or Just a Shoebox of Hope?
Send us Fan MailIn episode 20, Annie talks about what HMRC actually expects from you as a sole trader when it comes to record-keeping. Because most bakers have a vague sense they should be keeping records without really knowing what that means in practice — or quite how long they need to keep them.The episode covers:What HMRC requires (and what it doesn't)The five-year rule and why it matters
Episode 19 The Tax Rules That Are Changing, And What You Need To Do Right Now
Send us Fan MailIf you've been anywhere near a small business forum or Facebook group recently, you've probably come across a lot of noise about MTD and the trading allowance, and possibly come away feeling like everything is about to change and you're already behind.In this episode, Annie cut’s through that noise to give you a calm, clear picture of what's actually happening,
Episode 18: Why Many Home Bakers Are Leaving Money on the Table at Tax Time
Send us Fan MailIf you've been tracking your ingredient costs to the penny but haven't given much thought to your other business expenses — this episode is for you.In this episode, Annie breaks down why so many home bakers end up paying more tax than they need to, and what to do about it.In this episode:Why profit — not income — is what HMRC taxes you on, and why that distinction matters
Episode 17: The Baking Business CEO
Send us Fan MailAre you running your baking business, or just reacting to it?In this episode, Annie breaks down what it actually means to be the CEO of your own business — and why that shift changes everything, from your pricing to your boundaries to the way you make decisions.In this episode:Why "I just make cakes" is keeping you stuck — and how a CEO thinks differentlyThe three things
Episode 16: Why Skilled Bakers Stay Underpaid (And How to Stop)
Send us Fan MailYou're good at what you do. Your customers love your work. You might even be fully booked. So why aren't you making the money you deserve?In this episode, we get into the real reason — and it's not your skill level, your location, or whether the market will pay. It's identity. And that's actually good news, because identity is something you can change.You&a
Episode 15: The Hidden Cost of Being Too Nice in Your Baking Business
Send us Fan MailEPISODE 15: The Hidden Cost of Being Too Nice in Your Baking BusinessThe late-night replies. The last-minute squeeze-ins. The discount you give every time someone pushes back. Each one feels small, but played out week after week, they add up to a significant amount of unpaid time, undercharged work, and energy you don't have to keep giving away.In this episode we look at why s
Episode 14: What Positioning Really Means (and the Three Signals Customers Notice First)
Send us Fan MailEpisode 14: What Positioning Really Means (and the Three Signals Customers Notice First)Positioning isn't a corporate marketing concept — it's the instant impression customers form about your business before they've even messaged you. And whether you've thought about it or not, you already have a position in the market.In this episode we cover what positioning a
Episode 13: Why Bakers Underprice (and What’s Really Behind It)
Send us Fan MailWhy Bakers Underprice (and What’s Really Behind It)Many bakers think underpricing is a calculation issue, but it’s usually a belief issue.In this episode, Annie explores the real reasons bakers charge less than their work is worth, including fear of losing customers, wanting to be helpful, comparing yourself to other bakers, and pricing based only on ingredients.She also looks at t
Episode 12: The Ideal Client – And Why Getting This Right Changes Everything
Send us Fan MailThe Ideal Client – And Why Getting This Right Changes EverythingDefining your ideal client isn’t about marketing jargon — it’s about making your business simpler, calmer, and more profitable.In this episode, Annie explains why the right clients usually share the same problem, how solving that problem clearly improves your marketing and pricing, and why trying to serve everyone ofte
Episode 11: Creating Repeat Customers: Why They Matter More Than You Think
Send us Fan MailCreating Repeat Customers: Why They Matter More Than You ThinkIn this episode, Annie explores why repeat customers are more valuable than constantly chasing new ones.She shares how simple follow-ups, customer tracking, and gentle reminders can turn one-off orders into repeat bookings, without being pushy or salesy.If you want a calmer, more sustainable baking business, this episode
Episode 10: Why Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone Is Good for Business
Send us Fan MailWhy Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone Is Good for BusinessIf your business feels stuck or flat, it’s often not a skills issue — it’s a comfort issue.In this episode, Annie explores why staying comfortable in business can quietly hold you back, and why real growth usually sits just outside what feels safe and familiar. This isn’t about taking reckless risks, but about making sensible
Episode 9: Social Media Wins and Wobbles
Send us Fan MailSocial Media Wins & WobblesSocial media is changing, and if it’s been feeling harder or less predictable lately, you’re not imagining it.In this community episode, Annie shares real social media wins and wobbles from business owners navigating content as platforms evolve. Instead of chasing trends or hacks, this conversation focuses on clarity, sustainability, and adapting your
Episode 8: Conversation with Claire Paylor, EHO
Send us Fan MailI was delighted to have Claire as my guest for a chat, in my facebook group, The Home Baking Business Academy Network. Thank you so much for joining me Claire.Claire tells me a little of how she became an EHO, and then answers these questions:- Can you tell us what an EHO does? - What do you look for in a kitchen inspection?- What things will mark a baker down from a 5 rating?- Why
Episode 7: Why Your Content Isn’t the Problem, Your Strategy Is
Send us Fan MailWhy Your Content Isn’t the Problem, Your Strategy IsIf you’re posting consistently on social media, but not seeing enquiries or growth, this episode will change how you look at your content.Most bakers don’t have a content problem.They have a strategy problem.In this episode, Annie breaks down the 5 biggest reasons your content isn’t working — and the simple system profitable baker
Episode 6: Looking Back and Looking Forward.
Send us Fan MailIn the last episode of the 2025, I chat about looking back on the year, and give some tips about noting down wins and using them to help you plan forward to 2026.Find out more about The Home Baking Business Academy,https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-academy/Follow The Home Baking Business Academy:https://www.instagram.com/thehomebakingbusinessacademy/https://www.fa
Episode 5: Choosing A Business Name
Send us Fan MailIn this episode I give a few tips about naming your home baking business, and share some naming stories from some of my baking community.To check names:If it’s trademarked: https://www.gov.uk/search-for-trademarkLimited Company Search: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/Domain name searchesMost website providers will tell you if your chosen name is available
Episode 4: Visibility. With special guest Ziggy Li, The Flowering Baker.
Send us Fan MailZiggy Li, the Flowering BakerI’m the creator behind The Flowering Baker, based in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. Once a Science Teacher, now a proud mum of two, living with my husband in the heart of the Midlands. When I’m not creating bespoke cakes, you’ll find me spending time with my family, enjoying the beauty of the countryside.My baking journey started by making birthday
Episode 3: Goals
Send us Fan MailGoals. In this episode, Annie chats about why goals can help to focus your mindset, and create success in your business.Find out more about The Home Baking Business Academy, https://anniebennett.co.uk/the-home-baking-business-academy/Follow The Home Baking Business Academy:https://www.instagram.com/thehomebakingbusinessacademy/https://www.facebook.com/thehomebakingbusinessacademyht
Episode 2: Hindsight Is A Wonderful Thing
Send us Fan MailEpisode 2: Hindsight Is A Wonderful ThingJoin Annie as she shares 7 things she wished she’d known when she started her baking business, and shares stories from her baking community.And if you’d like Annie’s guide to starting a baking business, request the Steps To Business With checklist here: https://www.subscribepage.com/stepstocakebusinessFind out more about The Home Baking Busi
Episode 1: Starting Up
Send us Fan MailEpisode 1: Starting UpJoin Annie as she chats about starting up a baking business. She’ll tell the story of her own baking business, Leading Lady Cakes, and those of some of her fellow bakers. With stories, and some hints and tips, learn more about starting up.And if you’d like Annie’s guide to starting a baking business, request the Steps To Business With checklist here: https://w
Podcast Trailer
Send us Fan MailThe Profitable Baker — for bakers who mean businesswith Annie BennettLaunching 14th November!You bake beautifully. But running a profitable baking business? That’s where things can get messy.Each week, business mentor and baking industry expert Annie Bennett helps home bakers move beyond “just getting by” and start building a real, sustainable business.Inside every episode, you’ll
