HRO 2.0
As many of you know, I work two full time jobs. By day, I’m responsible for the cyber security of my company across two countries. By night, weekend, and nearly every other waking hour outside of work, I run my business. I’ve put my heart and soul into Heather Reed Originals since its inception a few years ago. I’m so proud of the things I’ve achieved in that time. I’ve been filmed in my home by Food Network for a master’s level 3D cookie competition; I’ve competed on Food Network’s Cookie Wars; I’ve grown my business completely organically through word-of-mouth into a significant revenue stream for my family; I’ve hired help; and I’ve developed from amateur, to semi-pro, to 100% professional in just 4 years.
That kind of success always comes at a price. For me, it’s meant an average of 4-6 hours of sleep a night fueled by the joy of the art; an unhealthy weight gain fueled by what’s quick and easy that I can squeeze into the 10 minutes I’ve allowed myself for meals; complete loss of physical fitness fueled by my extra full time job, my 4-6 hours of sleep, and my 10 minute junk food dinners–not to mention a pandemic’s worth of extra calories in the form of booze and wine. Eek! It’s time for me to get my life back into balance.
One of my friends describes me as her “yes” friend. She says I’m always up for anything and she knows if she calls, the answer will be a resounding yes. She is right. I say yes. To everything. The thing is, I don’t usually say yes to things I don’t want to do. It’s more that I want to do everything! I love to say yes. I love to do, try, experience, create, develop, and live! But 2022 will be my year of no. This is the year, I will tell my clients when I’m already booked instead of taking additional orders that leave me with zero sleep. This year, I will say no to orders that don’t interest me. This year, I will allow myself some guilt-free time off. This year, I will lose the weight, and get on the Peloton. This year, I will get my balance back.
In 2021, during my busiest month of the year, December, I had a more than full calendar of orders when an unexpected global cyber security crisis hit. I found myself working 12+ hours a day and then still having to stay up, bake, ice, invoice, create, design, paint, package, box, and deliver more than 1000 cookies in the same two weeks I was managing this cyber crisis. I finally reached my breaking point. I had to do the unthinkable–I had to cancel and refund a couple of orders, ask other clients to be flexible with due dates, and hire extra help just to get it all done. While I pulled through the season by the skin of my teeth, this situation forced me to make some changes to my business.
The good news is, these changes will be better for you too. When I’m not over-worked, I can produce an even more beautiful product. Here are a few of the updates for 2022:
Price Changes: Due to supply chain issues around the world, the price of supplies has gone up and the availability of cool things has gone down. Also, look, I haven’t increased my prices in 3 years. In order for me to continue to produce my art and pay my helpers, I have increased my prices to the industry average. With that, I have developed a new tiered pricing model for my corporate clients so I can offer volume discounts.
Limited Bookings: I’ll be limiting my orders to 2-3 per week. Please book early. Regular customers, I encourage you to book your entire year’s worth of birthdays and celebrations in advance. Priority will be given to orders that are of most interest to me personally.
Holiday Bundles: For major holidays, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas, I will have particular sets to choose from as well as Decorate-Your-Own Kits. I will usually have an option that is customizable for a person’s name, but will no longer be taking custom orders for these occasions. I promise that the options will be spectacular and will meet a variety of tastes. Here are some examples of past holiday bundles:
Holiday Hours: HRO will be closed from December 18th through January 15th so I can enjoy holidays with my family and recuperate and reset for 2023!
Character cakes under $150, will include edible images depicting the characters. Custom character cakes require a $150 minimum order. Here are some examples of character cakes using edible images:
Shipping: I will no longer offer shipping. Pandemic shipping is slow and unreliable, not to mention expensive. It is no longer in my best interest to ship products. Special arrangements can be made for corporate clients on a case by case basis.
If it doesn’t spark joy for me, I will Marie Kondo your order. Please understand that this is my art and my passion. I don’t always share the same enthusiasm for video games, television characters, etc. There are some characters I find fun to make and some I dread. In the case of cookies, if you request a character in which I am uninterested, I’ll give you the option of using edible images but will not agree to custom designs for those. Additionally, I may offer edible images if I am already booked and do not have time to accommodate custom icing designs. This does not mean they will be less expensive as I typically have to pay for artwork downloads, pay my graphic designer to adjust formatting for the cookie shape, and print using special expensive equipment and edible icing paper. I guarantee they will still taste amazing and look really cool! Soon, I will post some standard custom characters to choose from that I already have in my digital inventory.
Custom Cookies and Cakes: Other than my pricing adjustments, there are really no changes here. I love making your special occasions even more special by designing something beautiful for you. This is where I thrive and I appreciate you giving me the freedom to design and create for you! Here are some examples of when you’ve allowed me free rein:
Thank you to all of you who have contributed to the success of HRO! Your loyalty and trust are not lost on me. I appreciate each and every one of you and look forward to working with you again this year!