January 25th, 2018 | Updated on April 9th, 2024
For years, your friends and family have been complimenting your baking. They love it so much they can’t believe it’s not how you make your living.
With each new treat that you bring to family functions or work parties, they implore you to start your own business.
You appreciate the compliments, but you’ve never taken them seriously.You enjoy your time in the kitchen and the chance to be equal parts precise and creative, but you still think of yourself as an amateur.
How could you possibly start your own baking business, right? But the truth is everyday people turn their passion into their profession, and you can too.
Whether you’ve taken classes or simply learned at the foot of your grandmother’s apron, you can take your home baked goods all the way to the bank. You already have the skills and the vision. You just need a plan, a following, a space and the right bakery equipment. Here’s how you do it.
Crank Out a Business Plan
All creative endeavors have to involve some brass tacks, and creating your business plan is the first one you need to tackle. It will help you to define what kind of business you want to create as well as how you want to be different from your competitors.
A business plan can help you get investors and a small business loan, and it can help you discover your mission.
Crafting it will allow you to explore a lot of important decisions. Will you only use local ingredients? Will you partner with a farm? Do you want to honor your family heritage through food? It’s also the time that you’ll think about your name and brand.
Start Getting Social
As soon as you have some ideas down on paper it’s time to start generating grassroots buzz through social media.
Set up an Instagram account and Facebook page to document your journey. Posting pictures and stories of your work in-progress will get people excited to see the final product. These glimpses behind the scene will help to make your business feel personal. They can even help generate revenue, and it’s never too early to start building your following.
Scout Out a Location
This one is obvious of course, but you need to make sure you’re looking for a space that upholds your business plan.
For example, if you’re looking to do the majority of your business through the mail or catered events then a storefront is less important. This kind of made-to-order baking can be done in any commercial space that meets health code standards.
On the flip side, if you want to do business through walk-ins and foot traffic, then you need an eye-catching storefront in a great location.
Get Well-Equipped
Baking for a business requires a lot more than one oven and a hand mixer. You need serious equipment for serious results.
Everyday kitchen appliances simply aren’t built to keep up with the kind of volume you’ll need to make your business profitable.
You need commercial equipment like mixers, ovens and commercial refrigerators. These commercial-grade products will maximize your time, your space and your profits.
Start Living Your Baking Business Dreams
Now is the time to get to work. You’ve spent years honing your craft and now you get to share it with the world. Follow these simple steps and you get to make the world a little sweeter with your creations.
