Do you have a talent for baking? Would you like to be your own boss? Perhaps you could think about starting a cake-making business from home, and here are some tips on how to do so.
Table of Contents
The Paperwork
If you want to start a home-based cake-making business, the first thing you need to do is contact your local Department of Health to find out their regulations and whether you need to apply for any training, licenses, or certificates. They will probably advise you to complete a Food Safety and Hygiene course, so you know the correct ways to store and handle food. When selling to the public, this is of utmost importance as you don’t want to give your customers food poisoning.
Next, you should register your business, designate yourself self-employed and check to see if your products are subject to sales tax. You may also need to apply for public liability insurance and modify your home and contents insurance.
Premises
When baking cakes at home to sell, you will need to ensure you have an efficient oven, sufficient refrigerator and freezer space for the cake ingredients, and enough countertop space to work efficiently. You will also need plenty of shelves or cupboards in which to store dry ingredients, cake tins, and small electrical appliances such as a food processor and hand mixer.
If you have pets or children, you will need to keep them out of the way when you are working.
Logistics
You will need to consider how you will deliver your cakes to customers. You may want to invest in a van or car with plenty of space to store your goods or employ the services of a courier service who offers same day delivery so that the cakes are fresh when they reach their destination.
Equipment and Ingredients
Equipment such as cake tins, electric mixers, bowls, and utensils can be bought either new or second-hand, provided they are in good condition. Start with just the essential equipment until your business picks up and spend a percentage of your budget on advertising, a top-notch website, a camera to take quality photos of your creations, and some attractive packaging for the cakes.
It is advisable to keep a spreadsheet with details of your ingredients, their use-by dates, and cost. As your business grows, this will make it easier to keep track of your budget.
Advertising
Once you are set up, you will need to let people know. You can advertise your business by posting flyers into mailboxes in your neighborhood and leaving them in shops and businesses, posting an ad in your local paper or shop window, or setting up a stall at a local fete, school fayre, or outdoor market.
You can set up a website with lots of beautiful photographs of your cakes or open an online shop on a social media platform such as Facebook, where you can invite friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances to “like’ your page.
