Starting a baking business is also one of the most emerging small
business ventures that have taken considerable notice and rise in the
last decade. Before stepping into the business itself, first you need
come up with a business plan, analyze your market potentials, gather
your resources and then create your aromatic delectable masterpieces.
A BUSINESS PLAN
The very first step is to draw a concrete business plan, your business
has to have a purpose and be centered on making difference in the lives
of your target market. You need to lay down your strategy for the
following aspects:
- Location
- Nature of composition of your target market including gender, age and
food preferences
- Type of bakery for example a home – based bakery, mobile bakery shop,
ethnic bakery shop, franchise bakery outlet or just a simple coffee and
donut shop
- Commodities and products you will offer
- Staff and training
- Outline of total cost
- Marketing
- Basic infrastructure
- Capital for investment
You will also need to attend to a few other business related tasks if you intend to running a bakery business likes bookkeeping, website maintenance, responding to email inquiries, scheduling, advertising, PR and basic computer skills to help run your set up efficiently.
LEGALITIES
The next step is to get your license and complete all the necessary
legal documentation. You can get in touch with your local courthouse and
find out which agency in your state/province is in charge of regulating
bakery licenses. It is commonly conducted by the Departments of Food and
Beverages. Lookout for associations and bodies relevant to the bakery
business and ensure that you have the required memberships and
affiliations from the same. In addition to this you will also need a
food handler’s permit for both you and your employees. You will also
have to deal with some special requirements like:
- HACCAP and excellent sanitary practices
- Building permit
- Health officials’ visits
- Food temperature monitoring around the clock
- Conformance of all applicable food service laws.
YOUR SPECIFIC NICHE
It is now time to ponder over the much important niche for your baking
business. Are you going to cater to weddings, birthdays and
anniversaries or perhaps provide muffins and cup cakes to the local
elementary schools? Or run a morning breakfast coffee and donut shop?
Will you be selling these products through a ware house in your own back
yard or through a proper bakery or do you want to supply stores with
your finished product? Are you going to provide direct hiring for your
clients or through caterers? Do you intend to set up your very own
website or mail order services?
FINANCIAL PLAN AND INVESTMENT
You are now ready with your research, the next step is to gather your
resources but before that you require financial support to start the
bakery. There are various ways in which you can obtain economic support
for your business including personal credit cards, savings, personal
investments, a bank loan, venture capitalists, government grants, small
business loans, loans or gifts from family or an investment by an
individual who is already successful and well – established in this
industry.
It’s now time to open a bank account, contract suppliers, set up
utilities, purchase equipment and hire and train employees. Organize
these duties and hire individuals that have an expertise in these areas
if needed. Keep track of the tasks and their progress in an organizer or
spreadsheet.
GETTING THE EQUIPMENT
Whether you plan to run a cozy little coffee shop or a lavish designer
bakery business, you need equipment and resources to carry on with your
dream. You will be required to have at least the basic startup
necessities as follows:
- Ovens and mixers
- Cooling racks
- Baking dishes
- Mixing bowls
- Utensils and cutlery
- Packaging supplies
- Raw material supply
- Cookbooks, manuals and recipe booklets
- Sanitizers and other chemical detergents
All of the above mentioned requirements will be varied in sizes, types
and trends according to the products intended.
DEVELOPING CLIENTELE
Last but not the least, it’s time to properly market your business and
get and maintain clients. You can start by asking encouraging your
friends and relative to place orders with your bakery. If you have done
baking throughout your academic life then your teachers, batch mates and
campus personnel will be more than glad to help you spread a good word
of mouth. Make certain to advertise your business at birthday parties,
weddings, graduation ceremonies and even at Bar Mitzvahs. You can offer
affordable packages to people who order in bulk. The small network of
clients that you have will obtain will grow as long as you continue to
provide your customers with best tasting baked goods. Get your business
cards printed and hand them out whenever possible to generate interests
and if you budget approves throw a sample party as a pre-opening event
for family and friends.
Apart from all the basic aspects discussed in this article, one of
the most crucial requirements is to ensure that you maintain the quality
of the bakery products you churn out.
When sufficient attention is paid to all of the above factors when
planning how to start a bakery business, the results are generally
effective, making the venture surely a lucrative one, especially if you
find the right niche but you have to be on your feet a lot and working
at odd hours of the day or night in your kitchen. And now you can surely
start your very own baking business and create freshly baked goodies
that are both craveable and raveable…!
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