Nicole Bendig-Lamb lives in Arvada, CO and sells custom cakes and baked goods with her cottage food business, Snarky Sweet Cake Chick.

But she’s done a lot more than that! She also runs a coaching business called Cake Business School, she’s the author of Baking Your Way To The Top, she’s appeared on the Food Network, hosts two podcasts, and has a Facebook group with 23k members.

And yet, for the longest time, Nicole resisted turning her cake decorating passion into a business. Her story is a great example of how starting a cottage food business can lead to big opportunities!

3 Key Takeaways

• Mindset is everything: Nicole admits she doubted herself for years, even with her incredible cake skills. The turning point? Support from her husband and realizing the only person saying “you can’t” was herself. For cottage food entrepreneurs, this is huge — believing in your dream is the first step to turning it into reality.
• Get your finances in order: Managing multiple bank accounts for profit, taxes, and operating expenses may sound intimidating, but Nicole shows how it makes bookkeeping simple and stress-free. She even uses six accounts for her business! By separating funds, you always know what’s yours, what’s owed to the government, and what can grow your business.
• Networking isn’t optional, it’s essential: From joining her local Chamber of Commerce to building relationships with fellow bakers, Nicole emphasizes that putting yourself out there pays off. Over 95% of her orders come from her local Chamber. Sharing referrals and supporting other bakers doesn’t just feel good, it grows your business.

Resources

Snarky Sweet Cake Chick website (Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest)

Cake Business School website (Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Podcast)

Cake Business School Facebook Group

Baking Your Way To The Top Book

10 Steps to Starting Your Cake Business

Profit First book

Relay Bank

Wave Accounting / Quickbooks

Episode 150 (features Nicole)

Colorado Cottage Food Law

CottageFoodieCon 2026

This April, the cottage food community is making history with the first-ever national in-person conference in Minnesota. I’ll be there, Nicole will be there, and I want YOU there too!

To help you get off the fence and invest in your business, I’ve partnered with Matt (the conference host) to bring you a “podcast-only” bonus that you won’t find anywhere else.

If you register for the full 3-day conference, you’ll get:

• 10% off your conference registration
• ONE FULL YEAR of my Cottage Food Pro Membership for FREE
  • Includes: monthly group coaching calls, personalized business feedback from me, and access to my library of premium tutorials

But this offer is only available for 3 days! It expires this Friday, January 23rd, 2026.

How to redeem:

1. Click here to register
2. Sign up for all 3 days (either the VIP or “full plate” option)
3. Use code CFPRO10 at checkout

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/159