Not Far from the Tree

A Monthly Guide to Using Personality To Build Your Business Online

June 6, 2008

Issue # 2

It's as Easy as Baking a Cake

Last week we had a memorable event in our family. My youngest child, Maia, turned five. I don't know what it is about five years old, but it seems like we've entered a new era in our family journey. Our little girl, our baby, is growing up. So when she asked for a ballerina cake for her birthday, we wanted to grant her request.

There were a couple problems with the plan. See I always make the birthday cakes for our children. I've done "Miss Spider," "Dora the Explorer," "Spongebob," ladybugs, butterflies, and giraffes. When presented with the request to do an elegant and beautiful ballerina, I was at a loss. I had no idea how to do a ballerina cake. I was way out of my element.

So with much trepidation, I launched myself into the task of imagining and executing a ballerina cake. I thought about it, I prayed about it, I dreaded it (maybe I was being a little melodramatic, but it was my daughter's 5th birthday after all). After much agonizing and soul-searching (...and some internet searching), I found an image of a silhouette of a ballerina. It was elegant, beautiful, and most importantly simple. I decided to cut out the image and use it as a template for the cake.

So, I had a plan. A wonderfully simple plan. A wonderfully simple plan that fell apart. I laid the template on the cake, and it stuck to it. I put frosting on top of the template to create the image of the ballerina, and half of the frosting lifted right back off when I tried removing the template. I had to draw the rest of the ballerina free hand. In fact, my 6-year-old daughter took one look at the image on the cake and asked (with all the scorn of a child), "What's that?"

Here's where this gets really interesting. My daughter absolutely loved the cake. Despite its ragged edges and imperfect execution, the cake was a huge hit. It didn't matter to her that the edges were rough or that the picture wasn't perfect. She knew what was in my heart. She loved the cake because of her connection to me.

Connections create a forgiving space. When you write material for your website, blog, or eNewsletter, think about your connections. Your writing should reflect your personality and should sound just like you are talking to your best client. Sure, writing is a bit scary. It takes some time and some soul-searching, but in the end the most important thing is not that your writing is perfect but that it connects with your customer on a personal level.

Bottom line, a perfect cake is pretty. But a cake with mistakes can add personality to perfection. The same is true for writing. Do the best you can. In the end, what matters most is that you take the time to make and maintain a connection with your customer. Take a risk, step out boldly and be genuine. You won't be disappointed with the results and neither will your customers.

By the way, if you would like to see a picture of my daughter's cake you can check it out here.