So I'm thinking about dropping out of school...

[Stella_Drives]

... and opening a bakery.
Well, I don't mean dropping out of all school, I'd like to take baking courses and business classes but yeah. I've always felt selfish going into any profession that does not directly help improve peoples lives. But I LOVE baking. My friend and I fantasize about it alllll the time and we experiment with flavors of cupcakes. To start things off, I think I'm going to run a business out of my apartment and deliver cupcakes to people in town on my bike, just to test the waters. ANd we both have sooo many ideas, they are hard to contain! But I won't share them just yet because I probably will sound stupid, haha. But i love school, I really do, but I also want to do things I love RIGHT NOW. Ohhh my!

Thoughts? Opinions? TELL ME!

[Ricky(dos)Martinez]

Do it!!!! as long as your having fun more power to ya

[slybond]

im in the area, im willing to taste test all baking experiments for deliciousness :drool5:

[DroneLore]

Fuck improving people's lives. If people want to eat some delicious baked goods, they will pay you and thus you will both benefit. If it's really what you want to do, then I say do it!

[Stella_Drives]

Thanks guys, I really want to do both. I want to be a counselor and a baker. Maybe I should combine the two and give people therapy as they eat cupcakes? Haha. Cupcakes make everything better :)

[BraveSirRubin]

Why don't you finish school and then start the bakery thing?

That way you'll have a diploma to fall back on in case the baking doesn't work out.

Cupcake therapy could totally work. One of my uncles does art therapy in New York and makes a whole lotta money off it... so anything could work.

[Stella_Drives]

That is what I'm going to do most likely. I love school, I really do, but I really love learning about what I'm interested in. But the next two semesters are just filled with shit I'm required to take but have been putting off like math and world history and stuff I'm not interested in it, yanno?

[BraveSirRubin]

Yeah, those suck...

But just look at it like two easy semesters when you can slack off (since all of those classes are pretty damn easy) and just get stoned with your friends all day.

Ain't gonna be that bad.

[His Eden]

Stay in school and do some baking and/or catering on the side. It's the best of both worlds :) Opening your own business is hard, and the majority don't make it more than a few years. If you stay in school and finish your degree, at least all the time you have already put in won't be wasted.

Yeah, I get the "I want it NOW" part, but with the economy the way it is, it might be best to hold off until the prices come down *if they ever do* because food costs are soaring. You could use the time to perfect your recipes and come up with a business plan, with a little catering on the side. That way you are working towards your goals, but not cutting yourself short.

Stellas Sticky Buns ;) Has a nice ring to it ;)

Good luck!!

[His Eden]

Gen Ed classes aren't too terrible. I suggest asking around about profs. I learned in the first semester to ask around, because most students knew which profs to avoid. I had mostly awesome profs, but I wish I had some warning on a couple of them. You can also check into online classes if you dont want to do the seat time in a subject you don't like.

I think one of things a lot of college students overlook is getting to know some of your profs. They can be a HUGE resource for you. I have several that I still chat with as friends/mentors and they are happy to read my papers, or give me academic advice. I couldn't have made it this far without their support.

[TheShow]

As you know my opinion on education, you are far too brilliant to not share your mind with others and the classroom is such an excellent environment for that.

Going into our Junior year my buddy and I drew up plans on opening a great restaurant. But life got in the way. I'd still love to bust my ass working at my own place being my boss, you'd probably thrive at it Bailey.

I knew a guy who ran a food service out his apartment...he got shut down by the Health department, be sure to check into all the regulations

[Stella_Drives]

Thanks Chuck. I do need to check health regulations and all that stuff, I didn't even think of that. You're a peach, how was you're weekend? Amazing?

[TheShow]

mmm Peach. My buddy Andrew brought me a peach yesterday before the show while I was just kicking it in the campground. This peach was amazing. So damn juicy in my face. I loved it.

My weekend pretty much was awesome times a billion and one. It had dear friends, new friends, lots of music, good eats, some frolf, camping, sick ass nature. The only thing that was missing was a beautiful babe, preferably of that Irish Catholic variety, to dance with all night long and then watch the sun rise up the Poudre canyon while our feet dangled in the raging river.

[Subliminal89]

you should at least finish high school. the bakery idea sounds amazing and delicious. :)

[Stella_Drives]

That sounds beautiful, Chuck! I'm glad you had a good time and I'm sure there were plenty of fine ladies to dance with!

And Subliminal, no worries, I finished high school 3 years ago... haha

[Just a daily toke]

why go to college and sit on a computer for 12 hours if you dont enjoy what your doing

[Stella_Drives]

i do enjoy what i'm doing in school! I really enjoy it! But i enjoy a lot of things and I'm having a hard time meshing all the things I love into a career, you know?

[Tibbles]

learn how to make home made pizza. Make some good pizza and home made pizza will beat dominos or godfathers hands down

[Stella_Drives]

I know how to make homemade pizza! I'm just more of a baker, I suppose. I adore getting baked and baking, but alas, no weed for me for a long while. I'm going to the store right now to get some stuff to experiment with. Banana coconut rum cupcakes is what I'm going to attempt today. I've never really baked with alcohol before so we'll see how it goes, I'll put some pictures up eventually. Mmm I love baking cupcakes right after I go running, it's soooo counteractive!:)

[The Reverend]

Hah funny, just yesterday my friend and I were talking about opening a shanti little cafe/bar/venue/club with no pretensions... Here's the plan...

Buy up a plot of land as close as you can to the cafe and grow as much seasonal produce as possible, organically of course, keep the menu simple and seasonal- traditional food but a modern/fusion twist could be added if the ingredients were right.. Other essentials that you can't grow could try and be sourced as locally as possible and more exotic items could be flown in fairtrade using part of the profit to offset any evironmental damage... In the evenings you could rent the space out to local promoters for gigs or club parties which fit the owner's ethos, and then run a smartshop/bar in the gigs/club parties selling locally brewed booze and herbal treats etc for the extra income...

The demand for green/organic/healthy/fairtrade consumerism is massive over here now which is good in some ways (it thrusts some of these issues into the eyes of people who may have previously not given a fuck) but bad in others (the contant 'greenwash' of every big corporation trying to prove their non-existent environmental credentials. yeah, like my bank really is environmentally friendly. thanks, mcdonalds, I really believe your press release on how you're saving the planet). This is the perfect time to set up something like that, and if you can make it a bit more hip and cheapish aim it at a younger crowd then you might be on to something, so much of the clentele of these veggie/vegan/organic/fairtrade etc places are twattish professionals in their mid thirties who like to at least pretend they're still doing something positive. Usually these people have money so much of the potential clientele is priced out.. Make it a bit grimier and cheaper so that bunch will be put off as it's not nice enough for them and you're onto a winner..

That is my pipedream.. Any investors?

Oops sorry for thread hijack, just was on my mind from yesterday still heh...

[NewDeadHead]

Finish school, then do whatever you want.

[Stella_Drives]

Reverend, that sounds amazing!!!! Do you have any background in gardening and cooking? I'd invest in your idea if I had money!

[Startreken]

I would recomend staying in school and working in a bakery. You can still bake on the side if you want but it is always a good idea to learn from your mistakes on someone elses dime. I have worked in the food service industry for a very long time and I know that when I was young I thought I knew what I was doing but I had no idea compaired to what I know now. Why open a business so young and make big mistakes when you can work in a baker and move your way up to a management position and learn how to run a bakery before you go out into the world and start one. Not that I will not encourage you to go for your dreams but sometimes dreams can blind you. Keep your eye on the prise and this way you can save up and do what you want. It will also help you to know the vendors in the area, clientle and what sells and what does not. Find your niche and make it work for you. Happy hunting and good luck.

[Stella_Drives]

Yeah, dropping out of school is more of a fantasy then anything I love school, I'm excited for summer to be over and I'll probably be in school for many, many, many more years. I'm thinking about picking up some business classes just so I'll have more knowledge if I choose to open my own place someday:)

Thanks for all that advice Startreken!!! I'm definitely still at the point in my life where I feel like I can do whatever I want and change the world, all bright eyed, haha. But atleast I recognize that sometimes fatal flaw and have contact with reality most of the time. I just heard that this bakery near me is searching for an apprentice but I won't have anytime once school starts to make the 45 minute commute to get to the bakery in the wee hours of the morning. But for now, I think I'll just fuck around in my kitchen, test things on my friends, maybe make stuff for parties.

[The Reverend]

Reverend, that sounds amazing!!!! Do you have any background in gardening and cooking? I'd invest in your idea if I had money!I grow a lot of my own vegetables, I share an allotment with someone and we help each other out. He's older and a lot more experienced so I've just been following his lead the last couple of years and now I've always got some veg in my cupboard- we have about 10-20 varieties of edible plants growing at one time.. It's also a very peaceful place to go and relax with amazing sea views despite being right next to a really rough housing estate lol...

Not really much background in cooking but I can make a 'proper' meal when I put my mind to it... Very useful skill when it comes to impressing the ladies heh- I do eat meat here and there but usually end up cooking veggie/vegan as lots of people I know are that way inclined, and I think almost every gf I've ever had has been one, so eating/cooking veg food I'm accustomed to...

Thanks for your hypothetical investment! I doubt it will ever happen but it's an adaptation of an old dream and a friend and I have been talking about it for ages- you know those stoned "wouldn't it be amazing if..." conversations hehe

x

[hippieatheart]

a bakery sounds awesome, stella!
but i'd say stick with your plan and go to school
take some business classes, and then after school do the bakery as a side job or something!
i wish i was that good at baking/cooking to open up a bakery or whatever. haha

[Stella_Drives]

Alright. So these are banana rum cupcakes with coconut-vanilla buttercream

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/daisygurl/Photo912.jpg
Pre frosting

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/daisygurl/Photo913.jpg
Frosted

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/daisygurl/Photo914.jpg
Mmmm delicious

I haven't eaten one yet, I'm going to bring them over to my nana's. They smell wonderful though!

[rainbowgeek]

School is designed to keep you from learning useful skills. Follow your heart.

[Stella_Drives]

I do follow my heart, it's just hard when my heart moves in 50 different directions at once! Haha.

[Stella_Drives]

And here's my new car since I'm putting pictures up. It's a terrible picture, I have no dig camera, just my webcam on my Mac, but i'll take better pictures of it later

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/daisygurl/Photo917.jpg

HOORAY! cupcakes and cars!

[The manticore]

sounds good follow your dreams and dont gi a fuck wat no1 else says

[skamikaze]

send one of those cupcakes to ky please? I'm a cupcake addict and those look amazing!

[BraveSirRubin]

Don't listen to anyone who tells you to quit school...


Like this guy.

School is designed to keep you from learning useful skills. Follow your heart.

Because these people are idiots who suck at life.

[TheShow]

you should probably test out that new ride, by driving those cupcakes to me dear

[Stella_Drives]

yeah, I don't know what rainbowgeek is talking about... haha.

[Stella_Drives]

Ok Chuck, I'll leave now and be at your house in likkkke 4 days. The cupcakes will probably be really gross by then, though.

[TheShow]

if you put them in some tupperware, they'll be delicious...besides its only like 2000 miles from you to me you can easily make that in less that 4 days.

[Stella_Drives]

You're right. If I drove continuously going around 70 mph on average, without stopping to eat or sleep, I could get there in likeeee a day and some hours. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then!

[jusdino4it]

I work at an ice cream/coffee shop owned by someone in their twenties. He has a college education, but this is what he enjoys doing. He just said fuck it and built the entire place himself. Hes happy now, and we make people happy with out ice cream. If baking makes you happy, go for it. You cant certainly make people happy with cupcakes. Especially "special" cupcakes.

[jusdino4it]

Oh,, and stay in school if you are going into your Junior year or farther. At that point, you have come so far, you might as well finish it up. Someone who I work with is a year shy of her degree and I know she regrets it all the time.