Creativity is the number one requirement to become a successful cake designer. You are constantly required to think outside the box and to push the limits of creative cake design. Customers expect to be impressed with the final product. As such, you have to be willing to work hard to develop new design ideas. Being a gifted artist can also help.

Cake designers must also be dedicated to their work. As with any creative profession, having to constantly think of ways to impress the customers can take its toll. Designers must be willing to work long hours and to redo work when necessary. You are also required to meet specific deadlines. This can become an issue if equipment breaks down or some other unforeseen event occurs. Having the dedication to persevere through difficult challenges can often be the difference between failure and success.

Designers must also possess a degree of business acumen. The majority of them are business owners. As such, they're required to juggle the creative side with the business side. Customer and employee relations are important issues they have to contend with. Established cake designers often have a small number of employees that work under them. Coordinating the activities of these employees is often a time consuming task. Supplies and equipment also have to be reordered when needed. To do this, a designer has to keep an account of how much stock is on hand. Finally, they have to make sure the needs of the customers are being met. This includes honouring deadlines as well as communicating any potential issues or problems with customers.

Multitasking is a required skill. The ability to shift between multiple roles within the business is very important. You must be able to complete two or more tasks simultaneously while still maintaining quality standards.