Baking is a fun and rewarding hobby to get into. Whether you worked hard to finally pull off the pie recipe of your dreams or you already have a natural talent for it, you can consider profiting from your creations. After all, life is short! You might as well do what you love for the rest of your life. Plus, more than half of the population has a sweet tooth. You’re bound to have customers lining up when they see a new pastry or bread store on their block or social media pages.
However, starting a bakery takes more than just mastery of your dough and oven. Here’s what you should consider when getting into this business.
The Type of Bakery You Want to Open
The very first thing you should consider is the kind of bakery you want to create. Apart from considering trends, you should choose a type that you truly want. Basic options include the following:
- Online — Don’t have the cash to rent out your own space yet? Offer your goods exclusively online. You can set up a Shopify store that people can use to order your treats in just a few clicks. You could also sell your goods through social media sites like Facebook or Instagram where people can order using the messaging option. Payment can be done through online bank transfers or apps like PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, and more. Deliver the treats yourself or ask help from friends and family to do it for you.
- Counter Service — If you like interacting with customers, you might want to open up a counter service where people can walk into your store, smell the beautiful scent of baked goods, and choose the bread and pastries they want to buy from your display rack.
- Sit-Down — If you have the budget for extra space, you can also offer sit-down services where people can enjoy the food they just bought on your premises.
Your Specialization and Signature Offerings
Specializing allows you to focus on the types of baked goods you’re good at and improve them further. If you’re great at cupcakes, make them your main dish.
You don’t want to open for business only to offer the same thing as the bakery across the street, too. ; Every successful bakery business has a signature offering. Amy’s Bread in New York has its yellow cake with pink frosting. Bouchon Bakery has their famous macarons.
Think of the best pastry or bread recipe you have and put a modern twist on it. Buy fresh fruit purees and use them as filling or spread. Mix sweet with savory — or even spicy! Make it different and delicious at the same time and you’re sure to be the talk of the town.
The Marketing
One of the most efficient ways to make your business known is through digital marketing. Share beautiful pictures of your creations on social media with instructions on how to order. Create interesting blog posts about your business like your process in creating recipes and possible hardships you had before you could finally start your business. You can also create content about your products like which of your pastries go best with what drink.
Email isn’t out of style just yet, as American adults trust them more than social media posts. Create newsletters highlighting your new products and possible promos. You could even offer discount codes to people who subscribe to it.
Baking is a great hobby, but not everyone can easily turn it into a business. Improve your chances of a successful baking venture by considering these factors. With a solid vision of what you want your bakery to be, a specialization and signature dish, and a solid marketing plan in place, you’ll be ready to earn a living doing the very thing you love every day.
