Beautifully decorated and tasty cakes are valued by many people for everyday consumption as well as for special occasions. After all, brides seldom order a wedding pie and it is virtually impossible to place candles on a plate of birthday cookies. They are just as popular for celebrating the weekend, a good report card, or the start of vacation.
Cake baking is one possible home income opportunity. There is no immense start-up cost, and you can work at something you also enjoy during the hours you choose. Naturally, you will need to contact your local zoning and health departments first to make sure you are not violating any laws. However, it is typically easy to obtain a health permit if you comply with established food handling, storage, and preparation techniques. Some cities have zoning codes that restrict how much traffic a home based business can generate, though. Typically, a few clients picking up orders or consulting with you each day does not constitute a violation, but it’s best to check.
If you need to improve or enhance your skills, you may want to take some cake decorating classes. Remember, bakers master their skills by combining the right tools with practice, and classes give you the opportunity to experience both. If there are no courses offered near your home, you can find videos on the Internet that demonstrate techniques. You can also purchase books that walk you through, in words and pictures, the creation of the various decorations.
Start-up expenses will include items such as sugar and flour, along with basic tools. Priority should be given to a mixer, assorted pans, mixing bowls, and frosting tips and bags. You will also want to purchase paper doilies, cardboard cake liners, and boxes. For those planning to make novelty cakes, special character pans may be found, and wedding cakes will also need special tools such as support columns.
You can use your skills to make money online or limit sales to referrals from friends and relatives. Either way, you should compile photographs of some sample cakes. Pictures should be printed in color, taken of genuine examples of your work and attractively lit. You can either hire a photographer or take them yourself.
You will need to compute the costs involved in baking each type of cake. Include not only raw ingredients but also the cost of utilities, any special trims you must purchase, and the time it will take. You will also want to include a profit margin that will allow you to upgrade or replace equipment as needed. Your accountant can help you with this, or you can find assistance at many local agencies for small businesses.
Establish your payment terms and methods prior to launching your business. State your terms on your website, order blank, or both. Decide whether you want all payments in advance or whether small orders can be paid when they are picked up. You may want either a sizable deposit or full payment in advance for larger orders, like wedding cakes. You can consider not only the cost of the ingredients and lost time if the order is never claimed as well as whether you know the customer. Decide on a policy for personal checks, such as local only, and whether you will accept credit and debit cards.