"I love to bake so why not start a bakery? It would be fun. It seems so easy and I bake often anyway! I will just bake my favorite desserts and sell them! All my friends and family love my specialty cookies and cakes! "
Well, not so fast!
Many people love to cook but fail at owning a restaurant and even end up hating to cook. There are so many moving parts to a business that don't show up in your own personal kitchen, so making the leap from loving to bake to owning a bakery isn't a good formula.
You will need to make choices.
Choose Your Type of Bakery Do you want a brick and mortar bakery or a residential bakery? If you want brick and mortar, you must find a good location (location, location, location, is so important!). With a good location will come signing a lease contract (minimally 2-3 years). That's a commitment and a big risk on your part. It's going all in. **Also, check your State Regulations on Kitchen Requirements. You will need to have a designated bakery area in your residence or meet the kitchen requirements in your bakery space.
If anyone is interested, we would love to consult with our MOCA members, sharing details on how to start a bakery or even a side hobby bakery, and the minimums requirements necessary.
2. Choose Your Products
What items do you want to bake? What do you like to bake? What type of bakery do you want to be? What customers do you want to attract? What are the price points of your products? Who is your competition?
What will distinguish your bakery (products) from others?
3. Choose Your Mandatory Equipment (even minimally)
Baking Pans
Oven (preferably a double oven).
Stand Mixers
Kitchen Supplies
You will need to make a plan (cost out) the most basic kitchen set up.
4. Choose Your Priorities (Time Management (VERY IMPORTANT):
Cost/Benefit Baking Time
Work/Life Balance
System Efficiencies
There is so much involved in this time management section and creating efficiencies, it's an entire chapter of its own!
We have learned so much since starting our Residential Bakery in 2014. And we now can laugh at many things we didn't know when we started. There is so much more relevant information that we wish we would have known in the beginning, but what an interesting adventure it has been!
Ellan & Ella
I’m so happy that you have included others in your incredible journey!
Such great information! My biggest downfall to starting a business at 64 would be time constraints. I’m a grandma to two sweet little and I usually drop what I’m doing to spend time with them. That being said, your blog is very informative for someone who wishes to start a business and I’ll be keeping abreast as the information could help my kids or grandkids. Thanks for all you do!