Do you have a dessert or pastry that receives rave reviews
every time you make it? Have you ever wondered if your
product would be successful on the market? Are you in need
of additional income or a getaway from your current job?
A favorite product that you've made time and time again,
could be the answer to your questions and your financial
dilemma. You could be holding the recipe for the next
million dollar pastry. Generally, repeated compliments
from mixed audiences, suggest that your product has market
potential. Restaurants, cafés, sandwich shops,
caterers, hotels, local retail shoppers, online shoppers,
etc. are looking for new products; and quality products are
always in demand.
Now, before you begin selling those wonderful baked goods,
there are essential things that you must put in place to
make your business legal. While there are many important
steps to starting your home-based baking business, I've
decided to focus on the two most important that will lay a
great foundation for a successful home business.
The first step in setting up your home baking business is
finding out if you will be able to acquire the necessary
licenses and permits to operate the business. Before
continuing with this step, I should tell you that you will
not be allowed/licensed to prepare food for commercial
sales from your personal kitchen (the kitchen used to
prepare your personal meals). You will be required to
setup a separate kitchen for the business. It is my
understanding that every state in the U.S. enforces this
regulation/health code in addition to others. Your local
governing agencies...business license office, zoning
department and department of agriculture/health can answer
any questions you have concerning regulations and
preparation of work space as they pertain to your area.
Keep in mind, not all cities, counties and states have the
same ordinances, regulations and codes. For example:
ordinances in your city or county might prohibit the
operation of food businesses in the home, OR, the location
of your home might fall in a restricted zone for home-based
food businesses. Invest a little time and effort in a few
phone calls or in-person visits to these offices.
Once you have a "YES" response that will allow you to set
up a home food business, the next steps are: choosing a
room or area of your home for baking, getting estimates for
renovations, pricing equipment (only what's necessary for
startup), creating a much needed startup budget and writing
a business plan (even if brief, for your personal use only).
Because many questions have been asked concerning the
difficulty in setting up a home baking business according
to codes and regulations, I felt it necessary to briefly
discuss the subject from an experienced point of view. The
level of difficulty in setting up your home business is,
more often than not, minimal in comparison to opening a
bakery in a commercial location. The amount of work to be
done will vary, for each person, depending on the current
condition of the designated work space. If the chosen work
space has no electrical wiring, plumbing, finished walls or
covered floors, of course, your startup cost will be more
than it would be if some of these things were already in
place. To make an informed decision, you must first
determine the actual cost of renovation. Don't leave out
any cost, not matter how small. It can negatively impact
the bottom line.
Before making a final decision concerning whether to embark
upon this project, weigh the cost you calculated against
your needs, desires and determination to have a home-
baking business.
Several years ago, I personally setup and operated a
home-baking business. It was done according to the
regulations and codes of my county. I can tell you that
the entire project was far less expensive than leasing,
renovating and maintaining a commercial location. One of
the many attractive features of operating this business
from home is that you have the time to create/renovate the
kitchen space at your own pace without paying additional
overhead. My renovation took place over a 3-4 month
period. My lean budget dictated I complete one task at a
time with sometimes a long pause between. However long it
takes to get your kitchen up and running, you have that
time with no additional overhead or money pressures.
If baking is an area of interest for you, stop sitting on
the sidelines. You owe it to yourself to explore the
possibilities. Don't be discouraged by unfavorable
comments from others. Do your own research. Find out
what's involved. Find out if this is doable for you.
After all, there will be challenges with any business that
you start.
Passion and enthusiasm, for your product and the business,
can open doors to part-time income. With continued
interest and persistence, your part-time endeavor could
blossom into a sweet, lucrative, full-time baking business.
----------------------------------------------------
For more information on starting a home-based baking
business, low-cost alternatives to starting a baking
business outside of the home, creating a budget, writing a
business plan, purchasing equipment, marketing, setting
prices, baked goods to gourmet gifts and more, visit my
website @ http://www.BringingHometheBaking.com .
Quincella C. Geiger, business owner & author of "Bringing
Home the Baking"-- How to Start a Licensed Home-Based
Baking Business.
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