Ideas for Bakery Business
Are you the one that makes killer cakes for every birthday? Do you churn out to-die-for donuts? If you’re ready to turn your talents into a profitable bakery, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve teamed up with two amazing bakers who were able to share their great business advice. This guide is meant to give you all of the ingredients you need to plan, start, and grow a successful bakery.
To get your piece of the pie, combine these tips with your impressive baking talents and you’ll be on your way to success.
Let’s meet the baking business owners:
Michelle Green started baking when she was a teen, but it wasn’t until she was well into her corporate career that she realized baking was her true calling. Fed up with the stale muffins that seemed to be standard fare at all of her board meetings, this baker and mother of triplets decided to ditch the business suit and open her own bakery in Australia called Three Sweeties.
Barbara Batiste was also baking treats at an early age for her close-knit Filipino family, and after years of amazing her relatives with her creations, she decided to turn her love of all things tasty into a business. She started in her home, and her business continued to expand. She has outgrown three commercial kitchens since, in part due to her creative business modeling, which includes both a catering service and a mobile dessert food truck. Now, she’s preparing to open a storefront in West Los Angeles called B Sweet Dessert Bar.
Plan your bakery
There’s a lot involved in starting a bakery. With Michelle and Barbara’s help, let’s get the planning process started.
1. Select the kind of bakery you’d like to open
One of the first decisions you’ll have to make is the kind of bakery you want to open. To do this, you’ll want to access your talents, budget, and goals. There are four main choices when it comes to bakeries. Take a look at the list below and figure out which option is right for you.
- Online bakery. You don’t need a storefront to open a bakery. You can start out online. With a killer website, pictures of your work, and a way to place an order, you can run a bakery from your home.
- Counter service bakery. With a small commercial space, customers can walk in and pick up baked goods from an employee-managed counter.
- Specialty service. If you plan to specialize in a certain kind of baked good, a specialty service is your best option. Whether you run the business from your home, or rent a space, it’s up to you.
- Sit down bakery. More owners are trying to capitalize on the sit down and dine option. It’s a growing trend in the bakery industry right now. These bakeries have an area to order baked goods and enjoy them in a small eatery.
2. Write a business plan
Once you know what kind of bakery you want to open, you need to create a business plan. By creating a business plan, you’ll force yourself to look at the business from every angle. This plan defines your business, sets goals, creates a plan to generate revenue, lists expenses, describes your customer base, and examines your competition.
