How to Start Your Own Home Baking Business
Home baking has taken off in a big way in India. Do you have the talent for baking? Here are tips to help you start your own business…
The sound of the oven timer, the smell of vanilla or chocolate that wafts in the air and the prolonged staring at the cake in the hope that it will cool faster are fond memories from my childhood. I am blessed with a mother and grandmother who are talented bakers. When I started baking on my own, I never imagined I’d be making a living out of it. Now, home bakers have taken the country by storm. The more research you do, the more you understand that home baking is a better option when it comes to taste, customizing and ingredients used.
If you have the talent and love for baking, you should really consider starting a home-based baking business. It is not as intimidating as you might imagine. To help you get started, here are some suggestions.
- The first thing you need to do is come up with an original brand name that is easy to remember.
- Ensure that you have mastered the recipes. Work out the kinks and practice by baking till you achieve the desired result.
- Create a home page on social media sites. Take pictures of your masterpieces. Rather than getting a photographer, learn to take the pictures yourself as you know exactly what the outcome should look like. There is no need for fancy cameras. In my experience, the best photos I have taken were the ones I took with my phone camera.
- People first eat with their eyes, so it’s important to upload the best pictures of your products with a description.
- There are groups on social media dedicated to promoting home bakers. You can promote your brand, provide information and add a link that connects to your home page.
- Find the stores selling wholesale baking goods in the city you reside. You can get
ingredients, boxes, molds, baking utensils and more from these stores at cheaper prices. This is necessary to guarantee the success of your business. - You may just about break even in the beginning, but when word spreads, orders will start pouring in. Social media and word-of-mouth are crucial, especially in the early stages.
- Upgrade your baking utensils and appliances every chance you get.
- When you start making a profit, hire help as this will be useful when you have big orders.
- Meet café owners and restaurants that would like to outsource their desserts. This is a great way for people to taste what you have to offer.
- Bake only what you are comfortable with. Do not make every type of dessert. If some of them are below par, do not add them to your repertoire. Perfect your techniques before introducing them to the market.
- Sign up with a home delivery service. Not all customers will be able to pick up their orders from your home owing to long distances, lack of transport and so on. Home delivery services will pick up the order and deliver it at your client’s doorstep.
So what are you waiting for? Put on those oven mitts and don’t look back!
Tip: It is important that you love what you do as it will be a roller coaster of ups and downs. Sheer determination and quality control play a big part in all this.
