So you want to open a bakery? And you’d like it to be successful? No biggie – all it takes is a little luck, a lot of hard work, and a little help from those who have gone before you. If you want a successful bakery, there’s a lot that goes into it, but we’ve compiled our top 5 quick tips for success for you here.
1. Check Local Laws
One of the most significant issues any bakery will face is local laws. These laws can change even just from city to city, so it’s imperative to look at state and local laws. There’s a good chance that even if you’re running it from your home, you’ll need to undergo some type of inspection to ensure quality and safety. You may even need to undergo training to ensure that everything is on the up-and-up. Don’t be intimidated; just do your research, follow the rules, and keep checking back for changes in the laws.
2. Don’t Start Too Big
It’s easy to dream big and start big, but that usually leads to failing big, too. Start with well-known and well-liked favorites. Glazed donuts, freshly baked bread, vanilla and chocolate cakes – whatever is popular in your area right now. You can always add more later as you get requests. This will help to keep your initial costs low by reducing the amount of kitchen equipment needed. It’ll also prevent you from having to pull items from your menu as often. If you want to test something out, you can either do test runs before opening or offering special, limited-time menu items. If people keep requesting them after you’ve stopped selling them, you know that it’d be a good idea to add them to your regular menu.
3. Install Water Softeners
You may be surprised to know that hard water can sometimes alter baking times, taste, and even appearance. For example, the extras in your hard water can feed yeast, often resulting in tough, rubbery dough. Installing water softeners in San Diego County and other places with hard water supply is a great idea. Not only does this offer a better taste, but it also ensures that the water you use in baking is clean and consistent.
4. Get Your Wholesaler’s License
One of the biggest mistakes any business owner makes (next to taking credit out on their SSN rather than your business’s EIN) is putting off getting their wholesaler’s license. This is crucial to any successful business as it brings both your initial and repeating costs way down. If you’re ever buying from a supposed wholesaler and they aren’t asking to see your license, then you’re being duped. Look up restaurant wholesalers and give them a visit. If they ask for your license – as they cannot sell to anyone without one – then you’ve gone to the right place! The savings are enormous, meaning your profits are more considerable.
5. Put Your Money into Marketing
Numbers are significant. Calculating out costs for each product, the profit margin you need to both create 2-8 more + pay employees + insurance (and so on) can leave you tired of math and make you want to scrimp and save at every turn. However, don’t skip out on bakery marketing and advertising. If you wish to go the DIY route or hire a professional, this is crucial. You can have the best bakery in the world, and if no one knows where you are, what you sell, and how to contact you, your business will be DOA.
You’ve still got a lot of work ahead of you and plenty of research too, but with these basics, you’re off to a great start! While focusing on business, laws, and safety are all important, we’d like to offer a bit of bonus advice: Just like with any extensive life choice, this will take dedication, determination, hard work, understanding, and hope. Not every day will be happy, not every pastry will turn out perfect, but if you keep going, it is worth every bit of effort that you put into it.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
