Start Your Home-Based Baking Business!

Do you have a dessert or pastry that receives rave reviews every time you make it?  Have

you ever wondered if your product would be successful on the market?  Are you in need

of additional income or a getaway from your current job?

A favorite product that you've made time and time again, could be the answer to your

questions and your financial dilemma.  You could be holding the recipe for the next

million dollar pastry.  Generally, repeated compliments from mixed audiences,

suggest that your product has market potential.  Restaurants, cafés, sandwich shops,

caterers, hotels, local retail shoppers, online shoppers, etc. are looking for new products;

and quality products are always in demand. 

Now, before you begin selling those wonderful baked goods, there are essential things

that you must put in place to make your business legal.  While there are many important

steps to starting your home-based baking business, I've decided to focus on the two most

important that will lay a great foundation for a successful home business. 

The first step in setting up your home baking business is finding out if you will be able to

acquire the necessary licenses and permits to operate the business.  Before continuing

with this step, I should tell you that you will not be allowed/licensed to prepare food for

commercial sales from your personal kitchen (the kitchen used to prepare your personal

meals).  You will be required to setup a separate kitchen for the business.

It is my understanding that every state in the U.S. enforces this regulation/health code in addition to others.

Your local governing agencies...business license office, zoning department and department of agriculture/health can

answer any questions you have concerning regulations and preparation of work space as they pertain to your area. 

Keep in mind, not all cities, counties and states have the same ordinances, regulations and

codes.  For example:  ordinances in your city or county might prohibit the operation of

food businesses in the home, OR, the location of your home might fall in a restricted

zone for home-based food businesses.  Invest a little time and effort in a few phone calls

or in-person visits to these offices. 

Once you have a "YES" response that will allow you to set up a home food business, the

next steps are:  choosing a room or area of your home for baking, getting estimates for

renovations, pricing equipment (only what's necessary for startup), creating a much needed

startup budget and writing a business plan (even if brief, for your personal use only). 

Because many questions have been asked concerning the difficulty in setting up a home

baking business according to codes and regulations, I felt it necessary to briefly discuss

the subject from an experienced point of view.  The level of difficulty in setting up your

home business is, more often than not, minimal in comparison to opening a bakery in a

commercial location. The amount of work to be done will vary, for each person,

depending on the current condition of the designated work space.  If the chosen work

space has no electrical wiring, plumbing, finished walls or covered floors, of course, your

startup cost will be more than it would be if some of these things were already in place.

To make an informed decision, you must first determine the actual cost of renovation. 

Don't leave out any cost, not matter how small.  It can negatively impact the bottom line. 

Before making a final decision concerning whether to embark upon this project, weigh

the cost you calculated against your needs, desires and determination to have a home-

baking business.

Several years ago, I personally setup and operated a home-baking business. It was done

according to the regulations and codes of my county.  I can tell you that the entire project

was far less expensive than leasing, renovating and maintaining a commercial location. 

One of the many attractive features of operating this business from home is that you have

the time to ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­create/renovate the kitchen space at your own pace without paying additional

overhead.  My renovation took place over a 3-4 month period.  My lean budget dictated I

complete one task at a time with sometimes a long pause between.  However long it takes to

get your kitchen up and running, you have that time with no additional overhead or

money pressures.

If baking is an area of interest for you, stop sitting on the sidelines.  You owe it to

yourself to explore the possibilities.  Don't be discouraged by unfavorable comments

from others.  Do your own research.  Find out what's involved.  Find out if this is doable

for you.  After all, there will be challenges with any business that you start.

Passion and enthusiasm, for your product and the business, can open doors to part-time

income.  With continued interest and persistence, your part-time endeavor could blossom

into a sweet, lucrative, full-time baking business.