Any family or corporate celebration without a cake is considered unfinished. This is a tradition; there is no getting away from it. But it’s also an idea for a great business if “your hands grow from where you need to.” Let's figure it out. To begin with, for whom this business is custom-made cakes.
Do not think that you definitely need to understand cooking. This is a desirable quality, but not at all mandatory. The fact is that to start any business you need “start-up capital”. One of them will become a talent, the other can invest money and organizational skills in the production of cakes. But both need to understand where to start.
How to start baking custom cakes
The first step, as any marketer will tell you, is to select a team. Suppose you yourself are very good at baking and decorating your products. So, your small team will consist of one person so far - you yourself. For the world to know about your talents, you need to prepare promotional materials. You will have to work hard for this. You need to prepare a whole catalog of photos of your own products.
Business “cakes to order” will have to start with a “charity event”. And where else do you get dozens of products that you will need for the first photo? It is recommended to turn this training into a kind of advertising. Cooked masterpieces can be presented to potential buyers, which you can easily find in school, kindergarten, at work of her husband and so on. People will see your talent and at the same time conduct a tasting. The first customers will be provided to you.
Advertising
Next you will need to develop. Attracting customers can be expanded by searching for ads on the Internet or publishing your own. Be sure to use the photo, distributing them by "subject". That is, make separate texts for children's cakes, holiday, anniversary and other products. This will expand the audience of interested parties. In addition, you will demonstrate the versatility of your skills.
Do not be shy in choosing epithets to describe your masterpieces. The business of “cakes to order” is a very thin sphere. Firstly, the product can be sold on a specific, well-defined territory (it is not profitable to transport it to another city). Secondly, you may have competitors. Most likely, you will also find their ads on the net. Therefore, colorful photographs need to be accompanied by colorful descriptions. If you do not have literary talent, then “tasty advertising” can be ordered from an experienced copywriter.
Organization of the first production
Naturally, at first there will be few orders. For their implementation, there is enough area of their own kitchen. Of course, it makes sense to find a comfortable room in advance. Only renting it until you understand whether the “cakes to order” business is right for you is not recommended. Spend money, and there will be little profit.
If you initially appointed yourself as a leader, then the first orders can be placed in the kitchen of your “chef”. Delivery will have to do it yourself so far. Although this issue is resolved individually with each client. Someone may call for an order. Feel free to ask about which is more convenient.
Procurement of products
Baking cakes is a rather expensive and material-intensive process. In order to master a wide "menu", you need a wide variety of products, decorations.
Do not forget that some of the products will have to be sent to the buyer in their own dishes. It will be necessary to purchase a variety of various products and materials.
Naturally, you have to think about special equipment.No one now whips creams or biscuits by hand. For this, specialized devices have been invented.
You need to worry about ensuring that your equipment is reliable, powerful, and does not fail at the most crucial moment. Products can be stored at home for the time being. Moreover, for the most part, fresh ones are used in the confectionery industry. Therefore, they will have to be replenished daily.
Cake business plan
When you have approximately imagined how and what you will do, start boring calculations. This must be done before the first sale. The fact is that you must know exactly how much a certain product costs. For this, a cost estimate is compiled. The enterprises strictly calculate how much one kilogram of a product costs.
Do not forget that in the calculation you need to include, in addition to products, other costs. These include electricity, water, and most importantly - labor, that is, wages. Suppose you don’t get it at first, but you must include it in the price of the product. In addition, you need to calculate the cost of boxes, stickers and other design. You can order them at the nearest topography.
Naturally, the overall figure will greatly depend on the region. But it can be averaged to accept that you will need about one hundred eighty thousand rubles for products, six thousand for advertising and design. It must be taken into account that the profit is included in the calculations - at least twenty-five percent. Otherwise, the "company" burns out.
How to win in the competition
In order to overtake the “business colleagues” from the start, it is recommended to immediately think over the “highlights” of your products. To do this, it is worth wandering around the pastry shops and exploring the assortment. The client can be attracted by originality and specificity. So, every time before the official holidays, offer people new ideas for cakes.
For men it is worth coming up with something grand. Keep in mind that the stronger sex loves scope and volume. This woman is seduced by miniature cakes with small details (she protects her figure). An ordinary man will look at a three-tiered masterpiece,
decorated with large applications. This, so to speak, is a "classic of the genre."
It makes sense to work out children's topics. You understand that parents buy sweets with great pleasure for offspring. Therefore, it is advisable to come up with a cartoon, fairytale and other decor for your products.
How to develop
Starting any business, you need to see its prospects. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately plan "production growth". When you have a certain number of regular customers (at least twenty), you will need to expand. The home kitchen will no longer turn around.
You will need an additional refrigerator (or maybe not one). You will reach the level of small business, begin to hire “extra hands”. To do this, you need a new, more spacious room. It must be watched using certain criteria.
The room should be equipped with communications. It will have to monitor compliance with sanitary standards. Note that all of this is verified. This house can slowly cook cakes and sell. When the production reaches a “serious” level, regulatory authorities will knock on your door. Yes, and it will be unpleasant for yourself if your customers suffer from unsanitary conditions.
Little tricks for big profits
Having roughly studied how to cook cakes to order, you can get the idea to immediately start a promising business. Do not hurry. There are several more tips from professionals, the implementation of which will not require costs, in any case material.
To attract the first buyers, make the price of products super attractive. To do this, study the product / cost ratio from "competitors". This refers not only to individual production, but also industrial.
Let your starting price be ten percent higher than in pastry shops.At the same time, the design should differ from the “general mass”, stand out from it by its artistry. When you build up “your” client, the price can be gradually increased.
And one more thing: order (print yourself) business cards. They can be left in any place where, in your opinion, potential buyers can be. It is especially worth trying before the holidays. Do not forget about small bonuses for buyers. Such a pleasant surprise can be branded cake or cookies. In the little things lurks a lot of power when it comes to advertising.
Cost effective or not
Simple calculations show that confectionery products generate sufficient profit. Experienced chefs recommend this rule: the price should be two and a half times the sum of the products. That is, if you spent a thousand rubles on ingredients, then feel free to set the cost of the product to two and a half thousand. This already includes the cost of communication, your work and design.
When production is strong, it is recommended to open a small outlet. It can be used mainly for advertising, offering customers mini-products so as not to risk in vain. Then it will be possible to establish a wider production. But for this, you still have to study the market conditions and all the pitfalls, which are enough in any job.
