Are you a keen baker and believe you could make a successful business from your talent? Many business-minded individuals have turned their hobby of baking into a thriving enterprise, and you can too.

If you have been considering leaving your current job role to make a living from your baking skills, there’s no better time than now to abandon the 9-5 and get your new business underway.

It’s straightforward to start a cake-making business from the comfort of your own home, providing you put key strategies in place for success.

Here is a brief step-by-step guide on starting a home-based cake-making business:

Set up your kitchen

As you’ll be baking as a full-time job, you’ll need to have a relatively large kitchen kitted out with professional-level appliances which will not only withstand frequent use but will help you bake large batches each day.

Some cake business owners choose to convert their garage or cellar into their work kitchen to separate their home and business life, as well as keeping on top of hygiene levels at all times. This can be a very practical idea but will require some new equipment for it be feasible, from a new extractor fan to keep the heat and steam out to Overhead Garage Storage Racks to conveniently expand your storage space a bit more. It’ll certainly be worth it in the end!

Get hygiene-rated

As you’ll be working with food, you need to ensure you have the right licenses and certifications. You will also be subject to home inspections which involve an investigation of your facilities to determine whether they are up to standard and at a suitable hygiene level. It’s essential to keep your baking kitchen clean and tidy at all times, as a home inspection can be carried out randomly.

All food businesses must also register with the local council. Apply for a food premises license at least one month before you set up your home-based baking business.

Consider marketing strategies

Marketing is a key aspect of securing clients in any business, so if you want to get the message out about your baking business in the local area, it’s crucial to set up a website where customers can find out more about you and check out your portfolio. Without a web presence, you’re guaranteed to be overlooked in such a crowded market.

Also, ask friends and family to spread the word to their own circles about your company and hand out business cards with your contact details and website link. In no time at all, you should be receiving inquiries and building a loyal customer base.

Shop for supplies

As food is perishable, you’ll need to purchase small batches of supplies every week to avoid it going past its best-before date. You can now shop for supplies online, as opposed to constantly having to venture to the local supermarket, which will save you a significant amount of time. If you have been wondering, ‘where can I order groceries online?’, you’ll find everything from dairy products to fruit and bakery goods on specialist food ordering websites.

Food-grade packaging

As you’ll be sending out your cakes to customers, you need to ensure they’re packaged hygienically and securely with food-grade packaging. This prevents your bakery goods from becoming affected by germs and chemicals through the infiltration of poor packaging materials – affecting both the taste and your customers’ health.