From Hobby To Bakery: Planning To Open Up A Bakeshop?

With the accessibility of tutorials and baking classes on the internet, learning how to make your favorite bread, cakes or pastries is made possible more than ever. And with all the information available, it is quite easy to get the hang of it and get better at it! Friends and family enjoy your mouth-watering goodies, and so they suggest that you put up your own bakeshop! Finally, decided to take the plunge? Here are some things to keep in mind when planning to open a bakeshop: 

The kind of bakeshop you plan to open

Would you want to continue baking at home? Then you might want to consider selling your products online, social media pages and free website hosting sites are accessible at your fingertips. Post your products online, take orders and deliver them. You can also take advantage of delivery services to lessen the hassle of having to do all the work. 

A counter service type of bakeshop would be having a counter space where your goods can be displayed, customers can avail of your products by visiting your store and ordering for take-away.

Another option that is trending nowadays is to sit down and dine. Customers can order baked goods and have space where they sit down and eat. You can also add basic beverages like coffee, tea, or juice. 

If your forte is making outrageous birthday cakes, one-of-a-kind wedding cakes, or healthy, vegan treats, then the specialty bakeshop is something that you can put up. This kind of bakeshop can be a hit or miss, because not everyone may be interested in your products, but on the other hand, this can be your edge over the others, since your products will not be available in other stores.

Make a business plan 

Bakeshop or not, a business plan is something most small business owners often overlooked. Yes, ideas and suggestions would be all over the place, so it is important that you know what direction you would want your business to grow, always go back to your business plan in case any problems should arise. Having insurance for your business is also a big help as it gives you the support that you need to pursue your future plans without lodging back down in finances. 

Did you know that the baking industry generates more than $30 billion in revenue each year? Of which the industry includes 6,000 retail bakeries and nearly 3,000 commercial bakeries. You might need to start polishing the edges and set up your business plan in a way that will differentiate you from the other competitors in your local area.

Find the perfect space

Since you are now decided on what kind of bakeshop to pursue, then you can find the perfect space for you! Consider the amount of space you need, a small space would be enough for a take-out spot, but if you are planning to bake onsite or to include a dine-in area, consider having a bigger space for your shop. Other things to consider is the demographics, accessibility to you and your customers, competition, the proximity to suppliers, crime and safety rates in the area, among others.

Find the right people

Another backbone of every business is the people involved. Choose the people whom you think will be able to fulfill his/her role. For example, a jolly, accommodating person as a front-of-the-house staff, or someone who has experience in the business for baking or food preparation, and so on. Finding the best people may be a hit or miss, so making sure they are properly taken care of with a workers compensation coverage should there be any accidents while at work. 

It’s the little things, that actually make a big difference!

Aside from the tips mentioned above, some other things that you can keep in mind are what seems to be little things, but make a big impact on your business:

Marketing. How would you want to market your product? Social media is a free platform you can use. You can also write a blog about your baked goods, or maybe even post recipes (those that are not top secret of course!). However, one of the best marketing strategies that have been proven to work for the longest time is referral or word of mouth. Make sure to listen to your customer’s feedback, improve or maintain the taste and quality of your products. And make sure they have the best customer experience. 

Find the best insurance tailor-made for your kind of business. Did you know that there is a bakery store insurancethat covers all that matters to your business, from equipment to your workers up to protecting your clients too? As with baking, putting up a business should always be well measured and properly executed. So as to make sure that you would get to enjoy the fruits of your labor, or shall we say, the cherry on top of your hard work.