Owning your own home bakery business can be fun and satisfying, but also challenging. With high overhead costs and a lot of organization and talent needed, it can be difficult to get your baking business off the ground. This isn't to say such a thing is unachievable, however, by following these helpful start-up tips, you can work your way into success as an at home baker.
Tip #1: Get Licenses and Insurance
In most areas, you will be required to have a business license of some kind in order to open any business, even an at home one. With a baking business, you may also need some kind of inspection to ensure the cleanliness of your kitchen and a special permit to sell consumables. Ask your local small business office exactly what you need to legally open your business.
You should also think about getting business liability insurance in case someone has a bad reaction to any of your products and demands recompense. On this note, don't forget to issue warnings if your product contains nuts or is produced in a kitchen where nuts are handled.
Tip #2: Keep Recipes Consistent
Imagine you're dining at a restaurant and you order a meal which you find absolutely delicious. It's so good, in fact, that you order it again the next time you visit - but this time, it tastes completely different and you don't enjoy it at all. You would be very disappointed, which is why it's so important to establish consistency in your baking. Once you make a product and sell it, you should make all future batches of that product exactly the same way (the same amount of flour, the same oven temperature, etc.). Make sure you write your recipes down and follow them carefully to ensure your baked goods are of a consistent quality.
If you do end up making changes to a recipe, any customers who purchased that baked good before should be informed of the change and perhaps even given the option to have the item as it was originally made.
Tip #3: Take Pictures
One of your most effective tools for advertising will be high quality, attractive and appealing pictures of the baked goods you can provide. You should devote some time and money (perhaps hire a photographer) to take pictures of your carefully presented creations. This may be an expensive upfront investment, but keep in mind that very few people are willing to buy something without knowing what it looks like.
Tip #4: Keep Track of Expenses
In April when you file your taxes, you will need to have a record of all your expenses so you can write them up as tax deductible. Every business expense is deductible: the packaging you used to ship your items, the ingredients with which those items were made, any money you spent on recipes, etc. Any time you spend money on your business, make a note of your expenses so you have them available when taxes roll around.
By following these tips, you will have greater success starting up your at home baking business.
