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Thing: Sweet Tiers Cakes

Made by: Shannon Smith

With: Love

Because: You can't pay her

This is all: A passion

She simply: Loves to make cakes

Yielding results of: Amazing cakes

Yes, they are: Amazing cakes

One more time: AMAZING CAKES

We've all thought it. I know I have. You love a certain craft or hobby and think to yourself, "I should do this as a business!" Your friends ooh and ahh at your hamburger/cupcake/auto-repair awesomeness all the while slowly convincing you it should be done for money.

"You could be rich!  Be your own boss!  Do what you love!"

Friends chant this from a distance, promising they'll be your loyal customers.

Eventually, with courage in hand, you begin your hamburger/cupcake/auto-repair business only to invest your entire savings into a venture that strips you of all the passion you once had for hamburgers/cupcakes/auto repair.

Shannon Smith, amazing cake-maker extraordinaire, knows better than to take money for her cakes. There'll be no business venture for her. She believes in keeping the passion alive.

Only working through favors and a quasi-bartering system, Smith will take cake orders in exchange for things she needs.

To get in on the cake action, read Steph DeRosa's full feature on Sweet Tiers Cakes in the Restaurant section at weeklyvolcano.com.