Many of our customers specialize in baked goods. Some sell a variety of different bakery items and others offer a specific type of treat. Although it is common to have a physical shop to sell these goods, many home-based bakeries are extremely successful. If you enjoy baking and want to make money off of your skills, the following eight tips can help you to establish a thriving home-based bakery.
1 – Create a Menu
The foundation of any restaurant is their menu. We work with a lot of different food services companies, and it does not really matter as much what food you are selling. Instead, it matters more that you know what food you want on your menu. There needs to be consistency with your home-based bakery if you want to experience results. This will allow customers to contact you for exact needs (i.e. cookies, cupcakes, tarts, cake pops). If you are worried that a customer might not reach out to you because you do not offer what they are looking for on your menu, include a section on the menu about special requests. Let them know that special requests are acceptable within a certain time frame.
2 – Avoid Changing Recipes
A bakery is known for their treats. Therefore, changing a recipe might be detrimental to your business. In many cases, it could upset your customers. Imagine if the people that shop from you are in love with your cupcakes. If you are trying to fine-tune the recipe, do that before you sell the treat. Doing it after is a risky endeavor. After all, everyone has different taste buds. Even though you might like the final version of the recipe, your customers may prefer the version that you originally used when you started your bakery.
3 – Photograph What You Bake
We all know that food looks a lot more appetizing when we can see a picture of it. Therefore, make sure to take photos of the treats that you sell in your home-based bakery. These photos should be more professional in nature, and you should avoid using a camera phone. Also, make sure that you put the desserts on a cute dish. Furthermore, try to capture the image in good lighting.
4 – Price Right
In order to succeed, you need to make money. This means that you not only need to profit off of the desserts that you are making, but also your labor. Therefore, try to determine the cost involved with making each sweet. Then, choose a price that allows you to make a decent profit. If you simply pick a price, you might not make any money, or you might be putting in a lot of time for a little pay. Obviously, try to avoid charging too much. If you do this, people will most likely never buy what you are selling.
5 – Advertise
Since you do not have a physical shop, you will probably need to invest a little bit more effort into advertising. This will help get the word out about your bakery. There are several great ways to advertise including the following:
6 – Donate
One of the best ways to advertise is to donate your treats to a local event. This will help people to become more aware of your business. It will also allow them to try your delicious baked goods. Keep in mind that you do not have to donate to every event. Instead, be strategic. Donate to schools, communities, or local charities. These are all groups that are likely to need your services in the future.
7 – Packaging Matters
Most bakery items are pretty. Therefore, the packages they come in should be pretty as well. If you show up in at an event with old cooking trays that have been used several times, you will look unprofessional. Instead, make sure to properly package your treats like they came from the local bakery down the street. Remember, even though you are working out of your home, you will still need many of the same supplies that other bakeries have.
8 – Honor Your Deadlines
Time is everything in the baking world. When a customer needs a cake by three o’clock, it should be ready before that time. If it is not, the customer might not have it in time for an important event. If this happens, your bakery looks bad. Therefore, make sure to always honor your deadlines.
With these eight tips, running a home-based bakery is possible. Start today, or improve the one you already have.
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