Now more than ever before, people are taking their hobby to the next level and starting their own business. Being your own boss and going self-employed can be a lot of fun. But, there is also a lot of responsibility you take on. From getting safety certificates to paying tax, you will have to learn the ins and outs before you start offering your products and services.
In particular, if you love to bake cakes, you have the opportunity to capitalise and thrive from your hobby. Homemade cakes and treats are popular and you can have a lot of fun starting your own cake business. We have some helpful tips to ensure that your new business venture is a success. So, let’s get started now.
- Know the Rules
If you are new to starting a business, you have to educate yourself on the rules. In other words, you need to begin by registering as self-employed. You will be in charge of keeping a record of expenses and profit, as well as putting in your tax returns every year.
You are also going to have to follow all of the regulations for baking at home. The Food Standards Agency set out a lot of rules you have to follow if you are going to be baking for your cake business in your own house. It is important that you get acquainted with them.
In the UK, you may be surprised to learn that having a level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate is not a legal requirement. However, it is highly beneficial to have this since it can make you appealing to customers. It is also going to ensure that you are keeping high standards of hygiene in your home, which can lower the risk of anything going wrong with something that you bake.
- Think About Packaging
It does not matter what type of sweet treats you are going to sell, you need to think about how you are delivering your final product. In other words, you need to consider packaging. Of course, the priority should be to invest in quality packaging that is going to protect your goodies. But, you can also benefit from choosing bespoke packaging for your cake business. With IPW1, you can have experts assist you on designing eye-catching and unique bespoke packaging that is going to leave a lasting impression on your customers. Do not forget that you can take advantage of the unboxing experience with good packaging.
- Work out Pricing
When you start your own cake business, you are going to have expenses for each order. For example, you are going to pay for all of the ingredients, as well as accessories people want, such as candles and other decorations. So, you need to work out how much you are going to charge your customers.
A lot of businesses fail because they choose a figure out of thin air. You have to sit down and work out all of the ingredient prices and how much profit you want to make on each cake you sell. You need to consider your time and how much work the cake is going to take too. It is not easy to come up with a pricing strategy. So, take your time and even check your competition.
- Stand Out from the Crowd
It will come as no surprise to hear that there are a lot of local cake businesses out there. You are going to have competition. This does not mean you should give up. But, you will have to put some thought into how you can stand out from the crowd. For example, perhaps you are offering healthy and sugar-free bakes. Alternatively, you could specialise in gluten-free goodies. Think of something you are able to offer that your competition does not.
- Use Social Media
In today’s world, your cake business has to have an online presence. This is going to be how the majority of your customers find you. So, from an early stage, start posting images and updates on your social media accounts. In particular, Facebook can be a good page to have to start taking orders. Instagram is also going to be good for posting images of lovely cakes and sweet treats you have made. Just ensure that all of the photos you take are quality images and do your cake business justice. Using the relevant hashtags and encouraging people to share your page is going to help get the word out.
