Ways of Starting A Cake Decorating Business

If your specialty cakes requested at all of the neighborhood events, why not consider starting a cake decorating business?

Most weddings, graduations, birthdays and other special occasions have a cake as the centerpiece. If you can use your creativity and skill to tap into home baking business market, you may have a budding profit opportunity.

Is This Legal? First find out if you can really bake and sell goods from your home. Laws vary by state defining if and how you can use your home kitchen as a bakery.

Check with your city and state ordinances to find out if you can, what licenses you need and what regulations you need to follow.

What's Involved in Starting a Cake Decorating Business?

You will market and sell cakes that you baked. The work will involve creativity and planning. Your masterpiece will be enjoyed, and then. . . devoured!

Starting a cake decorating business lets you work at your own pace, but it can be time consuming. Since most special occasions occur on weekends, much of your baking will be done then. You may be limited by the number of cakes that can be baked within a specific amount of time, or by your oven's capacity.

Fortunately, startup costs are small in this home based business. While you'll need good quality, reliable baking equipment, state of the art devices aren't necessary. A heavy-duty mixer is a must, as is a dishwasher for sanitizing utensils.

Another advantage is that little inventory is necessary. You can buy cake mix and other supplies based on the number of orders you have.

Marketing Your Business

As you begin your business, start locally. This way, you can maintain freshness of your products without worrying about shipping. Here are some other ways to get the word out:

• Visit the local bakeries - both standalone and the ones in your local supermarkets. Pay attention to the decorations, the taste (ask for samples), price and customer service. Once you know what the competition is, you can figure out how to make your product better, and how to price it competitively.
• Bake cakes and donate to church and neighborhood events. Some schools no longer allow parents to bring home baked goods to school for the students, but you can certainly bring it for staff and other special events.
• Think of the people who need cakes on a regular basis, i.e. local event planners, wedding planners, community planners. Contact them (or send them a sample) to offer your services. Hang flyers at party supply stores. Look in the newspaper for wedding announcements, and send a letter offering your services to the bride.
• Visit local coffee shops in your area and invite them to carry your wares. You may have better luck with a Mom and Pop shop than with a larger chain that may require higher levels of approval.
• Make it easy for people to find you. Start a simple website with a business phone number clearly indicated. Invest in some classic business cards, and attach them to every cake box you give out.
• Take a good digital picture of each of your creations to put on your website as well as in a beautiful scrapbook to show people in person.

Starting a cake decorating business is an excellent way to get paid for doing something you enjoy.

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