I'd love to chat with anyone that sells homemade baked goods out of their home, or at a Farmer's Market

I love to bake, and am contemplating starting a small business out of my home.  I have already talked to the Dept. of Dairy & Foods (they are the ones that have to inspect your kitchen and approve your recipes/flow charts, etc), and am now at the point of just deciding if I want to do this or not.

I would sell breads, pies, cookies, muffins, and cakes.  DH & I have talked about it alot, and he wonders if I could "make a go of it" just offering to do custom baking for people, and not do the Farmer's Market right away, but see if I could do enough just filling custom orders.  People love my baking, so I don't think it will be a problem to sell it.

I'd love to chat with anyone that does something like this, to glean some knowledge or ideas from your experience. 

Thank you!!!

Sure sounds like you are off to a good start already.  Just start small then you can grow - if you start to big you'll be overwhelmed by it all.  I have done it out of my home from Oct.-just about Christmas to raise some extra cash.  Sometthing you should think about is:

1.  Pricing - how do you figure your prices

2.  You will be able to deduct your kitchen on your income ax for a home business, then you can include:

part of you phone bill

part of heat. air conditioning and electric bill

part of your water bill

Appliances depreciation:

stove, refrigerator,  microwave,  kitchen aid and all your bakeware, kitchen tools everything you need to use.

3.  Keep all recepits.

4.  Keep accurate records

5.  Have you thought of package and storage?

6.  Advertising (word of mouth is great from satisfied customers).

7.  Listing of what you will sell and that if someone wants you to make something not on your list, you'll have to decide if you want to do it for them which if you decide could be beneficial.

8.  Make sure you know of all tax regulation that's imortant so you don't get in trouble if something isn't done when it should be - it's different dates then for families.

9.  Delivery - if you choose. Then you charge so much per mile or free if order is so many $$$$.  Then you need a delivery vehicle or van (tax deductible deprecation) and then have your business name and phone number on it.  with pictures of baked goods or words of things like cookies, eclairs - that was just an example.

 10.  Business letter head stationary, business cards (that's good for passing out at places).

I know you can make a go of it, as long as people like your baking as long as you know your pricing - pricing can make or break a business because you over price - people won't buy and under -price you'll lose your shirt.

Your advantage is it is homemade and fresh without the store preseratives.  The customers are great for they'd rather get something they know they can count on and not what they have to settle for.

If you introduce something knew, let your husband , family and others be the first guinea pigs then give the customers a sample and ask for their opnion is if gets a good reaction add it, if not throw that idea out.

I will be here if you would like to discuss anything about it.  Just send me a pm or email me directly at :

oinkoinkpiggykins@yahoo.com

Go for it! Good Luck! 

Oh wow, what a lot of great advice   Thanks soooo much!!

Sure hope I helped!....

piggykins

I haven't any real advice, but I think there are a number of posters who are caterers or bakers for sale.  One of them is becuzican_PA and I think Mrs. Lucie.FL.  There should be more--just keep this bumped and you might find some. 

Barb

bumping up, thanks Barb

bumping for the morning, just in case

bumping up.

bumping up just in case.