It’s All in the Wanting, Cupcake

In her latest post, Jennifer Laycock  mentions Bangarang Bake Shop, a small Illinois bakery that sells cupcakes for – frugal folks’d better take a seat – $6.50 each! Ready to launch into a lengthy diatribe about what spendthrifts we’ve become, I clicked on the link…and was rendered speechless by pictures of impossibly delicious-looking tender little cakes layered with swirls of creamy frosting. I caught myself just before I licked the monitor.

According to this savvy mompreneur, she posts her seductive inventory (sold in cute little mason jars ) every Tuesday. Today’s Tuesday and she’s already beginning to sell out. Guess she never paid much attention to the old saw "find a need and fill it."

Bangarang Bake Shop found a want, a craving similar to the pangs felt by those who regularly give in to yearnings for Haagen-Dazs, Prada, Jimmy Choo and the soon-to-be-available 3G iPhone, and sells out every week.

Imagine if the owner had simply filled a need, baking plain old cupcakes for kids’ parties and last-minute treats. She’d be baking many more cupcakes for a much lower price, and probably be feeding leftovers to the dog.

Simply filling a need is the fastest way to commodity pricing. If you’re looking for a more profitable niche, find – or create – and fill a want. Now, to order some Chocolate Overload™ cupcakes…