Cake Decorating Service
One of the easiest small business ideas that you can start from home is a cake decorating business. Everyone has an occasion that they wish to celebrate, and what better way to celebrate than with cake. If you have the eye for detail and some creativity, you can begin a lucrative cake decorating business in your spare time.
How To Begin
Before you begin this business you should brush up on your cake decorating skills. Take a refresher class at the local craft store or community centre. Purchase or borrow cake decorating books to see what the latest trends are in the industry. All that is left is some practice. Practicing your techniques will make your family happy, because someone will have to eat the samples!
Once you feel confident with your skills, you can begin to create your business. You should apply for all necessary business permits and licenses first. Food handling may require special permits, inspections and training. It is best to find this out first, so that there is not a delay in opening your service.
Once you have acquired all the necessary permits to make your business legal, you can begin to get organised as a business. You will need to following to begin:
- Home office
- Cake pans of various sizes
- Various decorating tips, bags, dyes, and decorations
- You will need serving trays to present the cakes on
- Oven and freezer
- Ingredients to make cakes and frostings
- Camera to take pictures of your creations and build your portfolio
- Business cards
- Catalogue
- Website
- Delivery vehicle
While there will obviously be little things here and there that will improve your service that you will need to purchase, you will be able to start your business with these few items.
Specialties – Marketing – Expanding
With any business, having a niche in the market will always provide you with an advantage. If you like the creativity that comes with making children’s cakes, specialise in this market. If you like the delicate work of creating wedding cakes, follow through with this niche. The trick to a successful home business is to be passionate about it. Only through this passion will you succeed. If you hate making a certain type of cake, remove it from your menu, there is never a reason to hate your home business.
Most of your marketing will be done offline and in your community. You will do very well marketing your products directly to the community. Place small ads in community newsletters, post information on bulletin boards and pass out your business cards regularly.
You may also draw a lot of business by setting up at local fairs and bazars. Handing out free samples and business cards at a church function will gain more prospective clients than a bland advertisement in a major newspaper.
As with any small business, you should have an online presence. Creating a simple website that provides contact information, list of services and pictures of cakes you have created and offer will be very profitable for your business. This will enable you to reach a larger audience, even in your local area.
Eventually, if you desire, you can create small specialty cakes that can be shipped around the country. This is a great way to expand your business and increase your profits. A wonderful thing about cakes and specialty bakery items, even in the hardest economic times, these items and businesses continue to flourish.
Important Reminder
There are two very important things that you must remember in this business: Cleanliness and Punctuality.
You must always keep your baking and decorating studio clean and sanitary. The last thing you want is to be shut down for poor practices, or to cause a client to become sickened.
Punctuality is imperative to your success. Cakes are purchased for special events that are to be celebrated at specific times. You must always be prepared to make your deadlines. Think of horrifying it would be to show up to a wedding reception with no cake. With that in mind, you can see the importance of always making your deadlines.