Delicious Home Business - How To Start A Cookie Business

If you're the local neighborhood chocolate-chipstress and are wondering how to start a cookie business, you've come to the right place. Gourmet-related startups are one of the most popular categories of home based business ideas.

Everyone loves cookies. They're the perfect snack (unless you're counting calories!), dessert or gift. With a variety of recipes, you can find something to fit anyone's taste.

To start a cookie business, you need a dream and a place to bake. The dream part may come a little easier...

When thinking of how to start a cookie business, one of your first decisions will be where will your cookies be made? Many states have strict regulations about selling food made from your home.

Instead, you may need to rent an offsite location that has received approval for that business purpose. When you find a place, make sure it has the capacity to handle your growing business.

What Kind of Cookies Will You Make?

Once you've found the place to make the cookies, let's think about the cookies themselves. What will you do that will make them special enough for people to drive across town to buy them, or dig out their credit card and pay for them through your website?

It could be your decadent dark chocolate, or the special design of your cookies, or that your cookies are made into cookie bouquets or cookie baskets.

Or, it could be your ingredients that connect with a particular market. Is it the fact that your cookies are low carbohydrate, are all vegan, or contain only organic ingredients that will attract your customers?

Differentiation is key! And high yumminess factor = high profits!

How to Market Your Cookies

When you've determined what your specialty is, it will be easier to figure out how to start a cookie business and how to market your product.

For local marketing, the best way to get people talking about your cookie is to get people tasting your cookies...

• Make up cookie baskets to donate as prizes for a school or church auction.
• Bring or send beautifully decorated cookies into the office (with your business card attached, naturally) to make a Monday much sweeter.
• Rent a booth at a craft show and sell cookies. Have your business card and a brochure available so customers know how to find you again.
• Contact locally owned grocery stores and coffee houses about carrying your products. Locally owned stores may be able to make more buying decisions than larger chains.
• Find gift basket businesses in your area, and suggest they include your cookies as one of their offerings.

Expand your home baking business through the web: create a web page with tantalizing pictures of your cookies. Make sure your web page includes an itemized price list and a shopping cart so customers can by them from afar. You'll need to accept credit cards or PayPal, and will need to find a fast, reliable shipping method so your cookies don't spoil en route.

How To Start A Cookie Business - Success Factors

In addition to a love of creating edible treats, you'll need to develop a solid understanding of running your business. Finding resources for your supplies, negotiating the best prices, keeping track of inventory and determining pricing are all skills necessary for your business.

Continue learning your gourmet specialty —attend baking classes to get fresh ideas.

The biggest challenge in learning how to start a cookie business is just getting started...

“The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.” – Debbie Fields from the Mrs. Fields(r) cookie franchise.

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