How To Start Cake Business From Home In 7 Easy Steps

As you may already know…

it’s always advisable to seek the help of people doing well in an industry you intend to leverage yourself…

…and that’s why i took the time to ask questions from successful cake business owners in other to help you with VALUABLE INFORMATION you’ll need as you intend starting a cake business .

LOOK:

Don’t skip step 2 and the conclusion part for anything in the world.

So without any further delay, let’s get into those expert guidelines i was able to gather for you to start a successful baking business on your own.

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Easy Steps On How To Start Cake Business From Home

1. TRAINING

Trust me when I say you can’t start this business without any form of training.

In fact, this is your selling edge and if you get it wrong, you’re doomed.

I remember the last cake I ordered, there’s no difference between a stone and the cake.

Guess what?

I paid the producer and left the cake there. Why would I patronize her again?

But if you’re so good in what you do, getting customers will not be a hurdle because customers will automatically become advert agents.

Cake comes in various designs, colors, shapes, tastes…

…and you need to enroll in any catering school, cake making program or skill acquisition center to know the basics.

If you acquire the basic skills, if your foundation is strong, you will be able to make any type of cake.

The only restriction will be your imagination… if you allow it.

2. Conduct proper market research and pick a niche

Something similar to this was what i did in other to help you with details you’ll need to start a cake business from home…

…And yes, this phase is very important if you want to run a successful baking business on a long term.

in relation to this article, market research has to do with gathering, recording and analyzing of data about problems related to the production and distribution of cakes.

Like i said earlier, this process is very important to ensure your long term success…

… and the essence of this research is to help you identify problems and think of possible solutions in your desired niche that will help you with an added advantage to succeed long term.

Speaking of niche… As you may already know:

…there are different baking niches .

For Fondant/Sugarpaste Modelling

we have…

• Wedding cake toppers
• Toppers for birthday cakes
• Character toppers
• Fondant Flowers
• Fondant Figurines

Wedding Cakes can further be subdivided into

• Buttercream tiered wedding cakes
• Trendy wedding cakes
• Naked wedding cakes
• Square wedding cakes
• Weddings with sugar roses or real flowers

Birthday Cakes isn’t left out… as it can also be subdivided into…

• Baby birthday cakes
• Baby Shower cakes
• Cartoon birthday cakes
• Glamorous birthday cakes
• Novelty birthday cakes
• Birthday cakes for men/women/boys/girls

For Cupcakes… we also have…

• Full sized cupcakes
• Mini cupcakes
• Printed cupcakes
• Muffins
• Corporate cupcakes

And the list goes on and on.

The bitter truth is… if all of the above seems new to you, then you are not fully ready to start a cake business.

But now that you know, i believe you’ll do something about it.

Lest i forget…

Picking a niche helps you find your voice…

…as well as helps you become the number go-to person when a particular type of cake is needed for an occasion.

For example:

Imagine being the No 1 go-to person for wedding cakes in Atlanta GA. Or the trusted individual for Glamorous birthday cakes in Alabama.

All of these things are possible… but only if you resist the urge of being the Jack of all trades, master of none.

And as time goes on, you can either introduce another niche to your baking business…

…or only bake on special orders for those who want to only deal with you when it comes to cakes.

Bottom line:

Firstly, List all cake or baking business niches you may be interested in.

Secondly, conduct detailed market research on all of the niches…

i know this might be tasking for you alone – so you may want to consider delegating the task to a business developer or any expert than can help come up the right result.

Thirdly, pick a PROFITABLE AND UNSATURATED niche after analyzing the result you got from your market research.

Pro tip: The result should be what’s working in your state, city and your interest/expertise.

Furthermore, if the result at your disposal doesn’t lay emphasis on the customers wants and needs as well as their location , consider doing another to get to those information.

Lastly, your result should also extensively cover your Competitors.

The result will then help you help you pinpoint what they are doing right – which you can replicate…

…and also their drawbacks – which you can work on to help you offer better service and to get their customers facing your direction instead.

Now:

Lastly (i’m for real this time)

You know you’ve done a proper market research when it’s able to perform the following purpose

• Helps you spot existing and potential problems in the cake business industry or market. So you can work on them and prepare ahead.
• Helps you spot your competitors advertising strategy that will help you make better decisions.
• To check and come up with a selling method

AND:

• To check and come up a suitable distribution plan to make your cakes available when and where needed

There’s more to the purpose of market research when starting a cake business… however, the few i highlighted above will do to get you started on the right path.

You may want to read that again.

3. Practice, practice, practice

Practice makes improvement.

When you practice often, you stand a chance to better your best.

So after picking a niche based on its profitability , you want to improve your current knowledge on that niche beyond what you got from your training.

So you can choose to get another training  SPECIFICALLY to sharpen your skill set on that niche or practice often to do so.

Feel free to get inspiration on designs to practice with from your competitors or search online… make Google and YouTube your friend.

Remember the idea is to become the go-to person for i.e birthday cakes in south California…

…so you want to expose yourself to as many samples as possible – because that will prepare you to deliver when the time comes.

There’s a saying: An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

So i want to believe your interest in baking that geared you into wanting to start a cake business must have been gotten from a relative. Whether parent or grandparent.

So feel free to practice your baking skills with them…

… by having them taste it and give you their honest opinion.

Remember to start small and enjoy the process. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

In essence, i don’t expect you to start building skyscraper wedding or birthday cakes (which ever your niche is) just yet.

Focus on mastering ingredients mixing and measurement… and generally, how to bake a tasty cake.

When it’s time for designs, size and all of those, you’ll cross that bridge. That’s how much i believe in you.

Lest i forget…

Go yourself or send someone to buy the cakes of your competitors that are doing pretty well. Taste it to know what you are up against.

In the military, this is called SPYING.

Also, serve a few persons a slice or two of your cakes and that of your competition. Make sure you don’t reveal which is yours… and get their reviews on which taste better.

Bad reviews will come, but trust in your abilities and keeping trying…

Remember you can always better your best…

…and that’s it for my third step on how to start a cake business from home .

4. Work on your cake business plan

A business plan is very important to run a successful business.

And in case you’re wondering:

What is business plan?.

In a nutshell, this is simply a guide that is specially prepared for you to ensure you start and run a successful cake business.

But:

I have seen successful business owners without a business plan. so it’s not completely true when some expert

say you can’t run a successful business without a business plan.

However, you can’t run a successful business on a LONG TERM – without a business plan.

I’ll explain.

I know people who ran successful businesses without a business plan, but after they died, the business crashed

There was three of them i was pretty close to.

I recollect one was into pizza business , another ran a grocery shop while the last one owned a modeling agency .

In essence, a business without a business plan is likely to stop functioning when the owner or founder stops functioning.

Why? You may wonder.

The answer to that is simply because the owner died with all the information and experience needed to keep the business moving.

Had it been those ideas and strategies the owner has been using to succeed in the business where documented, it possible for someone else to pick up from where he left off…

…and know the next line of action to take to keep the business moving.

So as you are looking at the possibility of starting a cake business from home…

Do you envision your business as something great – that you’ll want maybe your child or relative to inherit and keep your good work going?

If you answered YES, get a business plan and have your strategies and next line of action documented.

5. Source for capital

To start a cake business from home doesn’t require millions.

It one of those businesses you can leverage with the least possible fund.

Many home-based cake bakers report an initial investment as low as $1,000. so i’m guessing yours won’t be any different.

As for my readers in Nigeria, you can start a cake business with just N100k from home and realize your money within a month. (that’s if put little effort in marketing or promoting your self)

In case you’re wondering where to get such amount of money from, start by saving every little money you get.  like start today – i mean right now.

Another option will be to solicit for help from families and friends.

They will be more than willing to help your dream provided you’re trustworthy and ready to pay back within a specific time.

6. Get the necessary equipment and ingredients.

A couple of equipment you’ll need to start cake business are what you already possess at home. And because you’ll be operating from home, there’s no needing spending extra.

Most of the most important equipment you need is an oven… It could be electric or not.

You also need a baking pan and boards for baking.  Vegetable oil, Flour, salt, baking powder and butter etc.

The kind of ingredients you need depends on the cake you want to make. There are cakes like cream cake, chocolate cake, fruit cake etc.

And:

that’s why undergoing training is highly recommended. It exposes you to stuffs like this and more.

7. Choose catchy business name and register it

You need a business name that is very catchy, unique, appealing and memorable.

Names like Fruits & Creams, Awesome Cake, Chi Cakes etc.

Why your cake business name needs to be very good  because it is the bedrock of brand building .

A good business name makes branding easier and cool. As time goes in this business, your next step will be to register the business name.

if you have little or no information on how to register your business in america… you can start by clicking on this link

For my Nigeria readers, you can visit CAC to avoid getting your business name registered by another person.

Neither Nigerian or American? I’ve got you.

just input in google the following queries: register business name in —–. (fill in the blank space with your country’s name)

moving forward…

Why I love cake business so much is because its very easy to start from home.

However, as the business grows, you will be pushed to get a place where you sell directly to customers or clients.

But, don’t choose any location without reading this article . it entails mandatory things you need to consider.

Two alternative things you must do to ensure success when starting a cake business from home

1. Discover your unique selling point (USP)

The success of your business is tied to how unique your cake is compared to other cakes in the market.

For example:

I have a friend who’s into chocolate production business. And his unique selling point is that he designs the face of customers on the chocolate.

Like… he uses the face of a client to produce their chocolate for their special day.

In a recent interview, he confessed some of his clients be like: This look so good i don’t wanna eat… i just wanna hang it on my wall and keep looking at it.

And he replies: That chocolate has a lifespan of 2 years without losing taste and form. All you have to do is maintain the recommended temperature.

Do you know the reason Coke is at the top? That is because they have a taste that no beverages company in the world has.

Discover your unique selling point and you will find yourself soaring higher than you have ever imagined.

2. Employ workers when necessary.

In cake making business, you need as many hands as possible, especially when you start getting numerous orders that you might satisfy alone.

By hiring more hands, you set the pace for growth and more money because productivity will skyrocket.

plus:

Always be time conscious, it’s key while running a business.

In today’s world of instant gratification and high competition, you want to make sure your target audience get what they want at the right time and in the right place…

…because if you don’t deliver, someone else will.

so even if it’s just people handling deliveries you can afford for a start, do it.

REASONS CAKE MAKING BUSINESS IS LUCRATIVE

1. HIGH DEMAND

Cake business is one of these businesses whose demand is so high that sometimes, I feel the market is yet to be satisfied.

There are tons of events where cake makers are the king and queens of the day.

In fact, they usually have their own segment where they explain how the cake was made, the meaning of the colors and design, thereby being another avenue for advertisement.

2. CHEAP TO START

This business is one of the low capital businesses that are very easy to start on a lean budget .

You don’t need millions of naira to be able to do this business.

In fact, N100,000 is too much a startup cost as long as cake making business is concerned.

Go on a market survey, get prices of the equipment and ingredients needed to produce a cake. You will see I was never lying all along.

Where you might spend much is when acquiring your oven.

Cake making business isn’t rocket science.

That means, you don’t need a university degree to be an awesome cake maker, nor do you need to pass through numerous legal protocols before you can operate in this business.

No NAFDAC number is needed either. If you’re looking for a business that is easy to start, cheap to run and manage, then cake making business is the ideal business for you.

4. IT’S AFFORDABLE

The reason cake is one of the hottest demanded product is because it can fit into any type of budget. There are cakes of N1,000, N1,500, N2,000, N5,000, N10,000, N50,000, N100,000, N1,000,000 and even more. What am I saying? It can fit into the budget of any customer. This business can serve both the rich and poor.

Conclusion

Cake making business is undoubtedly lucrative…

WHY?

Well, that is because there are tons and lots of occasions where cake is the master of the day. Without cake, an event is deeming to be incomplete and not fun.

Every month, there are birthdays to be celebrated, marriage anniversaries, weddings etc. which won’t hold if there’s no cake present.

This is why cake is high in demand as well as one of the fast selling products right now… and have also ranked as one of the most eaten snacks in the world.

Even when there’s nothing to celebrate, I do go shopping and buy cake just for the pleasure and taste.

If you’d ask me, i think starting a cake business is a great idea you should leverage right away…

…that’s because it has the potential to make you financially free provided your marketing is well done.

Speaking of marketing, please take it very seriously.

Because a small  business owner can only succeed when they discover how to sell their offering.

When there’s no proper marketing, there’s is no sales, when there’s no sales, there’s no return of investment…

…and when there’s no return of investment no business can escape hitting the rocks.

Bottom line:

Leverage all advertising types or marketing strategies you can use to create awareness for your product.

Be it, radio or television ads, social media ads, personal selling, word of mouth advertising – you name it.

And remember, your promotion campaign or ads must perform the following below

• Inform prospects about your product
• Persuade or convince them to buy or try your product
• Remind them of the product

Finally, you want work on a business website, optimize it for local searchers who may be interested in what you what you offer and also open a google business account.

All of these things are key to getting you seen by those who matter…

…and that’s it on how to start cake business from home from me to you.