Wonderland Custom Cakes: More than the Usual Cake Story

 “I can do that.” These words, fueled by a fearless spirit and strong conviction to put wings on a childhood dream driven by an inherent streak to create “edible art”, albeit no formal culinary training, led Anthony Guerino Valerio to whip up his own cake recipes for family and friends.


Thanks to that topsy-turvy cake he ordered for a birthday celebration a few years ago that elicited from him the “I can do that” attitude, Anthony grew confidence that he, too, can express his creative genius on fondant. After all, he was good with play-dough, wasn’t he?


Unlikely Start of a Custom Cake Factory

Who would have thought that Wonderland Custom Cakes, as it caters to its growing clientele today, would have an unlikely beginning with a child’s play-dough?


Even Roro, Anthony’s grandmother, may not have thought that when she allowed her grandson to mess up with his play-dough, she was not just feeding his curiosity, but his imagination as well, to create the toy’s edible counterpart, and become a gastronomic revelation that it is today.


What started as child’s play became a young man’s slice of the success pie; and that when it comes to achieving a dream, success has no specific template. You can go the “usual way”, as most people had with their Ivy league degrees, or pursue it by unusual means, like playing dough as a child, and watching cooking shows.


Either way, the difference lies on how a person pursues his dream. Anthony pursued it with the tenacity of a bulldog – against all odds - until that elusive success surrendered.


The Odds

No formal training in cooking or baking. No culinary certificates to adorn his walls. These were just some of the odds that Anthony had to overcome when he decided that whipping up custom cakes was in his future. Good, there were cooking shows, most notably, the Food Network.


Anthony home-schooled himself via Food Network; proudly labeled himself the show’s “product.” He also watched other cooking shows and joined cake competitions that pitted his baking skills against those of seasoned bakers and cake artists. He was quick to admit though that inspiration alone was never enough to succeed in the business; he had to arm himself to the teeth with tricks, tips and hints that gave him a better fighting chance at capturing, not just the taste, but the emotional motivation of his customers each time they sent in their orders.


That sounded like a perfect recipe for success, isn’t it? But no, Anthony knew his more than the usual route to success might not have taken off the ground were it not for an invaluable asset he kept close to his heart, since the day he left New Jersey and set foot on Californian soil.


Meet Vandy


She’s known among staff and crew of Wonderland Custom Cakes, not just “Anthony’s aunt”, but the “wind beneath his wings.”


Vandy is a full-time grade school teacher, who has raised three boys and a husband, on home-cooked meals and delightful carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting - for three decades! Now, if that’s not enough credentials to deserve the title “invaluable asset”, nothing else will.


A culinary expert in her own right, Vandy delivers to Wonderland Custom Cakes her own dose of creativity and what she does best - carrot cakes; in fact, this traditional cake recipe has found its way to Wonderland Custom Cakes’ list of specialties.


With baking and cake designing skills learned by the heart and developed through the years with childlike sense of wonder in finding new ways and means to improve its business, Wonderland Custom Cakes is likely to gear up for more hours in its kitchen, baking more cupcakes and cakes for its growing number of customers.


So, the next time you see a child play with dough, don’t interrupt him. You’ll never know how far his imagination can take him.

Reasons Why Some People are Not Making Money with Their Blog

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Are you blogging for money, or just for the fun of it?  Not everyone has the money-making mindset, so if the prospect of raking in thousands of dollars with your blog, on top of your regular paycheck, does not appeal to you at the moment, there’s no cause for alarm.  However, you might find out sooner than later that you missed out on a HUGE opportunity of making GOOD money with your blog.  Here are the facts: 

1.)   Blogging is lucrative business.  You can get paid blogging about other people’s products or services, for a FEE.

2.)   You get paid while doing something YOU LOVE DOING in the first place - now, isn’t this cool?

However, blogging for money has its pitfalls, too that’s why not everyone who blogs for money, really made money.  This is where I am getting at - the “rules”:

 1.  GET SERIOUS.  Blogging for money is serious business, and building a blog up with the objective of converting it into a money-making machine requires time, financial investment, commitment - and a heart for it.

There are no short-cuts to financial success, be it with traditional or online business.  Unless you are ready to get down to serious business of blogging consistently for money, click away and read this blog instead.

However, if you want to make money (while you blog about your new Toyota Prius as your friends eat their hearts out), read on.

Here are other reasons why some people who have been blogging for years, are still not making a cent with their blog:

2.)  THEY STOPPED TRYING - TOO SOON.  Have you heard of the story about a man who panned for gold in a river, but grew tired too soon that he stopped when he was just a meter away from the source?  Of course, he didn’t know he was just a meter short of luck; he stopped too soon, remember? 

Many bloggers for money did not reach their financial goals online, not because they lacked talent.  They simply did not have the bulldog tenacity to wait a while and find out how else they could have improved on their chances at hitting it right. 

Blogging for money is like building a structure (your house for example) on a piece of land.  Building its foundation can take a while, but once done, you will just be amazed at how fast your house can rise up before your eyes.

3.)  THEY HITCHED THEIR BLOG-WAGON TO A WRONG STAR.  “Gurus” have sprouted like mushrooms on the Internet; everyone wants the title, but there is really just a handful of names who can pass closer scrutiny.  Find out the right people you should collaborate with, or associate with.  As the Bible says, “walk with the wise, and you will be wise.”

4.)  THEY WERE AFRAID TO LOSE MONEY.  Many bloggers wanted to make money online, but were afraid to part with a little amount even for a domain and hosting.  Blogging for money is business, and just like most businesses, taking risk is indispensable. 

However, if you have carefully selected people who can coach you into blogging for money successfully, or if you have invested a little into some legit training materials available online that can set you out on the right path, you can minimize the risk of losing the amount you paid for your domain and hosting. 

Nothing is seriously wrong about free blogging platforms.  Many bloggers made good money with blogs they put up on Blogger or Wordpress.  However, if you want to be taken seriously as a person doing business on the Internet, a little investment for a domain and hosting can help your business a lot.

5.)  THEY NEVER WANTED TO MAKE REAL MONEY.  Imagine wanting a new iPhone like your whole life depended on it...if you desire to make good money, you will pull every resource available to you that can convert your desire into its visible counterpart.  Lack of desire to really make good money is the ingredient for success that separates a wishful thinker from a successful blogger. 

Blogging for fun is fun, but making money while having fun at the same time is awesome!