Starting your own home bakery business is a great way to earn some extra cash on the side. Here’s how!

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We have witnessed how just a few years back the cupcake business had gained phenomenal popularity and was a darling story of the media. We know that popular television series like 2 Broke Girls trying to start a cupcake venture to earn their living, and many such television shows often featured cupcakes and one could see the emergence of the era of the entrepreneurial bakers.

We could see how new startups, home-based businesses, and even existing businesses turned to cupcake production. However, thanks to market saturation and overexposure, the cupcake craze did subside gradually; there is still scope for home bakers to start their own bakery business as a side business to boost their overall income. You simply cannot ignore the fact that bakeries surely are a staple in practically all neighborhoods in the United States. They are the most favorite destination for holiday pies, birthday cakes, and other mouth-watering delights for satisfying people’s sugar craving.

However, starting a bakery could be an expensive proposition since you need to secure a lease and maintain a stock of premium-quality ingredients. Moreover, you need to employ the services of a helper or two and buy or lease commercial baking equipment. With that in mind, it might be wise to consider using a free budget template to give you a better idea on what you can expect to spend each month. According to Entrepreneur, bakery startup expenses could generally be ranging from at least, $10,000 to $50,000. There are over 6,000 retail bakeries across the United States of America with approximately $3.8 billion in terms of total annual revenue.  

You too could start your home bakery; however, first of all, you need to ensure that it is legal to run a home bakery in your state. Find out if it is okay to go about selling home-baked products. The regulations surrounding the bakery industry are known as cottage food laws. These regulations could vary from one state to another. You must follow all the necessary rules and regulations. You may need to take out a work permit or license. If you plan your bakery business well, you could earn enough additional income to pay off your existing debt. A bakery business seems to do pretty well since custom orders are very much in vogue around the holiday season when most of the people seem to be extremely busy with celebrations and other activities and are not getting enough time to bake. Cookies and cheesecakes are very much in demand during the holiday season.

As per https://www.forbes.com, moms aspiring to be an entrepreneur could consider opening a small business and go about selling cupcakes at the nearest markets, or even out of food trucks, or even take loans to start their store. Many moms start their bakery business to earn enough additional income to stay on top of their debts. For professional debt relief assistance, you could browse through reputed sites such as NationaldebtRelief.com.

Let us explore some expert tips to make your bakery a huge success.

Share Pictures on Social Media

Many successful bakers started posting pictures of their enticing products on Facebook and Instagram and their baking business went off to a flying start. Most of them are having a flourishing side business. Visually-oriented social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram provide a brilliant platform for showcasing your mouth-watering creations. You must invest some time and some money in high-quality photography. High-resolution pictures of all your yummy treats make your unique creations get a polished and a pro look.

Come Up with a Signature Item

Experts believe that a signature product particularly-if the item is mainly holiday-themed would help in establishing you in your customers’ minds. You would soon find a niche for yourself in the bakery industry. If you create something special on the occasion of Thanksgiving, your customers would remember to come back to you to buy your signature dessert for Thanksgiving. Your customers would know precisely who to get in touch with when they are looking for that signature dish.

Distribute Your Business Cards

You must print some business cards even before rolling out your home bakery. While getting your business cards printed, you must make sure that your business card contains all the necessary information. It must have multiple contact information such as email ID, telephone number, and even your address. You must remember to highlight your product specifics that would surely make it stand out from the rest, for instance, themed cakes, gluten-free cupcakes, etc. You must go about distributing your business cards in person. Moreover, remember to leave a few extra business cards while delivering your creations to different customers so that they know where to locate you the next time they are in a mood for those delectable treats.

Focus on Networking with Other Bakers

Try to locate other bakers doing business in your area. Treat them as your friends and not just competition. A local group on Facebook or an Instagram group could help in providing you with the right information and the right contacts so that you could get the best possible deals on your supplies. Moreover, when somebody is extremely busy and cannot take an order, he or she could offer referrals to each other.

Offer Free Samples

Everybody enjoys having a free cake. So you must make it a point to flaunt your baking skills simply by sharing some free samples of your yummy treats with your potential customers. Experts recommend dropping off some free samples at all those places where you have some contacts like your doctor’s or dentist’s office, your church, knitting group, or book club, etc. You must go to such places where you have some contacts or connections. There is no point in dropping free samples at random places.

Conclusion

You must develop a lot of determination and tenacity. You must not get daunted by failures. When you start a bakery business, you may have to go through a few burnt cakes or cookies but that should not discourage you. You must treat such episodes as learning experiences. You must have the right mindset and must display calm and patience against all odds. You must realize that the success of your business depends on superlative creations and word-of-mouth. You must focus on producing yummy treats, providing superlative customer service, and go about everybody you know that you have started a baking business.