Basics in Starting a Bakery

If you have plans to start a business, try to consider it as a challenge. It requires commitment and a lot of your hours. Even though starting a bakery is quite simple and practically straightforward, several bakeries do not succeed every year due to inadequate planning and without a prospective preparation. With these reasons, the first step a bakery entrepreneur should focus is on the path toward success. If ever that you do not have any business experience, try this basic guidelines to consider in starting a bakery business.

1. Before engaging to any type of business, it is best first that you will identify your vision in any form of investment simply by creating a life plan that incorporates your enthusiasm particularly on how a bakery fits into your personal goals. Defining what you expect from your bakery as well helps when it is about time to write the business plan. Try to list all the positives and negatives that may involve in starting a bakery to see if the pros prevail over the cons.

Bakery

2. After creating a business plan, if it is a 'GO' for business them decide whether to start from scratch, acquire a business franchise or preferring to buy a vacant bakery. Possible franchises include cafes such as donut shop and pastries. While buying a bakery is the quickest way to become a bakery owner, but be initiative as to what is the reason why the owner wants to sell.

3. Make an intensive research to the community where you plan to establish the bakery in terms of need for a bakery, whether there are sufficient customers, if there is a suitable location, what products the market needs and if you can provide excellent customer service.

4. After those mentioned above, it is now the right time to write a business plan that consist of the four major sections, a description of the bakery, the strategic marketing plan, the management plan and the financial management plan. Try also to be organized in all business activities you have.

5. If you are not that financially able to start a business, gain financial support to start the bakery. Different sources of financial support can be personal credit cards, savings, personal investments, a bank loan, venture capitalists, government grants, small business loans, loans or gifts from family or an investment by an individual who is doing well in the field.

6. If everything doing well, conduct pre-opening actions such as obtaining any necessary licenses, permits and insurance. It is also best to open a bank account, contract suppliers, set up utilities, purchase equipment and hire and train employees. Organize these duties and hire individuals that have a capability in these areas if needed. Keep track of the tasks and their progress in an organizer or spreadsheet.

7. Lastly, make sure that you generate interest in the bakery before opening by putting up a sign as soon as possible and promoting the grand opening date. Get business cards early and hand out whenever probable to generate interest. Have a sample party as a pre-opening event for family and friends and offer some treats that is advantageous for your bakery business.

In conclusion, to have a prosperous bakery business, make sure that you have dedicated enough of your time in thinking what the best activity to attract customers are. Conduct a research on what are those steps that your competitor misses and implement them to gain customers. Putting up a business is never a gamble if you are just doing your part on how to manage it excellently.

Basics in Starting a Bakery

The Crusty Baker
John Taberner

The author had been an expert in the bakery business for many years in the past. He is an expert in the field of bakery and knows what important factors are to be determined in starting a bakery business.

Bakery Management

Bakery management is the means of handling bakeries. Management takes a lot of effort, but through common sense, knowledge and, of course, hard work, this may not seem to be as tough as it seems.

One of the greatest steps in bakery management is introducing cross-merchandising in the bakery. To do this, you could display fresh herb breads near fresh herbs, or you could cut up your loaves for the customer to catch the taste. Also, try cross-merchandising your bakery items with the deli and soup counters. Keeping coffee on display with the other bakery items will definitely help the loaves fly off the shelves.

Bakery

The customer gets to know about the bakery through signs put up in your shops--so make sure that the customer is comfortable in the bakery by providing proper signage. Signage may be in different shapes and sizes, with small signs for cookies and muffins and bigger signs for sectioned areas of the operation. If you prefer handwriting your signs, make sure they are legible and attractive.

Another important aspect of bakery display is color. The best colors for a bakery are browns and beiges, but to liven up the operation, bright colors like red and yellow will complement any display. When concentrating on lighting, don't over- or under-light key areas of the bakery, as lighting adds life to your products. Be certain to watch lighting systems so that you can ensure cleanliness and accuracy of the beams and so that you can identify and replace burned out bulbs immediately.

Cleanliness is an important factor in ensuring the return of customers. No customer wants to find a dusty food counter or a spotty sneeze guard, so make sure the staff wear hairnets, hats and disposable gloves while handling bakery items. Have a well-stocked shelf of favorite bakery items at all times. Try variety, as customers get bored of the same items over and over again. Always make it a point to give the best service to customers by providing staff with the required training. You could try handing out customer comment cards to get comments on your operation. Keeping sample stations in the bakery is also not a bad idea; sampling proves to be a great customer service tool. Once the customer tastes the food, their cravings are satisfied and thus, the sale is closed much faster.

The final aspect of bakery management is to keep promotions and contests in the bakery. Use national holidays for special promotion periods to have customers bursting through the door. Holding bake-offs where you could encourage your customers to show off their secret recipes is also a great idea.

Bakery Management

Bakery provides detailed information about bakery, bakery equipment, bakery for sale, bakery management and more. Bakery is the sister site of Wine Picnic Baskets [http://www.e-WineBaskets.com].

The Best Cupcake Recipe is From Magnolia Bakery

When I was searching for the best cupcake recipe for my daughter's birthday party I thought I'd find a handful of different versions of some textbook cupcake that I could dolly up and make pretty. I was going out of my way to even look for a recipe, it would have been far easier to grab a premix at the grocery store. However given the enormous importance of a little girl's birthday party the search went on for the best cupcake recipe. Never would I have imagined the 100's of different recipes, frosting, decorations and the craziness surrounding this baby cake phenomenon.

Which rock had I been hiding under? All of a sudden we'd gone from enjoying the humble slice of carrot cake with cream cheese icing to these amazing designer cupcakes with unimaginable flavors, designs, swirls and sprinkles and names like 'Red Velvet'.

Bakery

So after a little more research of this delectable gem I stumbled across what I guess you could call a branded or trademark cupcake from Magnolia Bakery located in New York. This was my first attempt at making cupcakes and I'm delighted that the Magnolia Bakery vanilla cupcake is the one I set my benchmark with.

Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (makes 24)

1 C Unsalted Butter, Softened (225gm)

2 C Sugar

4 Large Eggs (room temperature)

1 ½ C Self Rising Flour

1 ¼ C All-Purpose Flour

1 C Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius).

• Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

• In a large bowl, on medium of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.

• Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

• Combine the flours & add in 4 parts, alternating with the milk & vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.

• Spoon the batter into the cups about 3/4's full.

• Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 to 22 minutes.

• Remove cupcakes from pans and cool COMPLETELY on a wire rack before icing with butter cream frosting.

Personal Tips to ensure success with this recipe

- Use unsalted and room temperature softened butter.

- Avoid putting all ingredients in a bowl and mixing, butter must be creamed first, then follow instructions on adding different ingredients.

- Use natural vanilla extract instead of vanilla essence, it costs slightly more but it makes the difference between a beautiful cupcake or an artificial flavored tasting cupcake.

My vanilla cupcakes turned out light and fluffy, golden and tasting perfect especially accompanied with a huge swirl of butter cream frosting. The best cupcake recipe from Magnolia Bakery was delicious, it had the perfect texture, appearance and taste. The compliments and request for more at my daughter's birthday is a testament to this little beauty.

The Best Cupcake Recipe is From Magnolia Bakery

For the best butter cream frosting to compliment your cupcakes visit http://the-best-cupcake-recipe.com/magnolia-bakery-vanilla-cupcake-butter-cream-frosting/

For the Magnolia Bakery chocolate cupcake recipe Visit http://the-best-cupcake-recipe.com/magnolia-bakery-chocolate-cupcake-chocolate-butter-cream-frosting/

Design Ideas and Tips for Bakery Logos

Once you have decided to open up your own independent bakery or cake shop, one of the first things that you will need to organize is a logo design. In this article we look at the importance of cake shop and bakery logo design and we offer some ideas and tips on how to go about getting a design that is right for your business.

Why You Need a Great Looking Logo Design

Bakeries

There are many different kinds of bakeries and cake shops that target all sectors of the market. Once you have a good understanding of what kind of bakery or cake shop you want to be, and understand who your customers are you can then work on developing a brand.

A professional looking logo design is one of the key components of your brand development strategy. It can help to bring new customers into your shop and it can encourage existing customers to remember you and to return. It will help people to identify exactly what kind of bakery you are and it will help you to stand out against the competition.

A Variety of Uses

A bakery logo has to serve a variety of purposes. The most important uses for a bakery or cake shop are typically on signage and the bags or packaging that are used to sell products. Of secondary importance are business cards, advertising and other marketing purposes.

Common Images on Logos for Bakeries

It is helpful if people can quickly glance at your logo and immediately determine that you are a bakery or cake shop. The best way to do this is to use an image or symbol that is related to baking. The problem with this approach though is that some images such as a bakers hat, a cake or a loaf of bread have really been overdone and would make it difficult for your logo to be truly original. However, a talented designer should be able to put a unique angle on one of these cliched images and come up with something that looks fresh.

Look at a variety of bakery logos and you will soon get an idea of what works well. Aside from the obvious, some bakeries have gone for images that match their name or their location. Some bakeries that focus on a certain theme such as 'French' or 'Italian' bakeries have a logo that enhances their theme.

Usage of Color

A good designer will keep color usage to a minimum as this keeps a logo simple and reduces printing expenses for bags, packaging and promotional materials. Two colors is fine and three should be the maximum.

Bakeries typically stay away from brighter colors, preferring natural colors or pastel shades. Cake shops on the other hand tend to favor brighter colors. These colors relate to the products in general but there are no rules really when it comes to color and anything can work well if the overall design concept is sound.

A Font Can Send a Message

The style of lettering that is used on a logo is important as different styles can convey different messages about a business and its products. One thing that we picked up on with bakeries and cake shops is that they either brand themselves as being old fashioned or modern. There are some great old style cursive scripts that can convey the message that your shop sells baking just like grandma used to make. On the other hand, other more contemporary looking fonts can convey the message that your bakery or cake shop is modern, fashionable or organic.

Tips for Choosing a Designer

The best option for getting a logo design online is to use a custom logo company. With the custom approach you will get an original logo that is tailor made especially for your business. You also get input into the design process and can make alterations to your design until you are satisfied.

Most custom logo firms have extensive portfolios of their work on their websites. Check out their previous work for samples of bakery or other food and beverage industry logos to get an idea of what they are capable of.

Let your designers know who your main competitors are so that they can come up with some concepts that will stand out in your local market. Give them as many details as you can about your bakery or cake business and the kind of customers that you hope to attract.

Design Ideas and Tips for Bakery Logos

To find out how to choose the best company to design your bakery logo visit - www.Logo-Reviews.com

We have reviewed many of the top online custom logo design firms.

A Sample of a Bakery Business Plan

In a bakery business, preparing a business plan is very necessary, as it gives you and the investors an absolute idea about how you would realize and execute the entire business plan options. This vital part is commonly known as the executive summary of the whole plan.

Category of the Business

Bakery

Prior in planning anything, get acquainted with the diverse types of business you can start. There are three general ways you can start a bakery business.

• You can begin a retail bakery business, where customers can buy bakery foods from you in a bakery shop. You can also choose to have a bakery restaurant, where people can buy and eat in your restaurant.
• Another way, you can start a wholesale bakery business where you sell bakery products to the retail bakery shops and restaurants.
• Lastly, you can work as retail and wholesale bakery business entrepreneur. It helps you gain more revenues and earnings. It also helps you get the most parts of the prospective market and consumers.

Bakery Products and Services
After you decide which type of business to go for; you have to choose about cooking specialties. There are selection of bakery products, such as, cakes, pastries, breads and a lot more so you may choose only some specialty items or may go for all the bakery pleasures. If you choose to go for retail business with a shop or restaurant, it is best to keep array of products so that you can cater to different customer demands. You need to give meticulous consideration to all the products and services you will be providing to the customers.

Market Research
This part is one of the significant steps in any business plan. You need to know necessarily about your competitors that can be locally well recognized bakery shops or branded bakery products. You must be responsive of the business strategies, promotional plans and specialty products of your rivals. It helps you in marketing your products

Capital Venture
Your business plan must comprise the details about how you are going to put in money to the business. You should plan as to how many employees need to be selected and their salary, and a lot more. You will have to think about the land investment, whether you are going to buy, rent out a shop or place to put up business. You need to make preparations to meet these operating costs in the initial stage of the business.

Bakery Design
Every type of bakery business always needs different arrangements. Your work is moderately easy if you are going for a wholesale bakery business. All you need to do is, get the orders from retailers and provide them with demanded products with the help of skilled employees. You do not need to have an attractive spot, set up for wholesale bakery business. But if you are planning to start a bakery with a restaurant, then you have to give attention to a lot new details, such as, atmosphere of the bakery, sanitation of the bakery, chairs arrangement for customers, and eye-catching display of food products. You also have to think if you are going to keep waiters or adopting self service process.

A Sample of a Bakery Business Plan

The Crusty Baker
John Taberner

The author had been an expert in the bakery business for many years in the past. He is an expert in the field of bakery and knows what important factors are to be determined in starting a bakery business.

Wholesale Bakery

There are many wholesale bakeries, like Sara Lee, that produce cakes and biscuits on a large scale for distribution purposes. Maintaining a wholesale bakery is not that easy, as it requires the knowledge of bakery management and the maintenance of hygienic conditions for the production of bakery foodstuffs.

To maintain a safe and clean bakery, it is necessary to assess your business procedures and to ensure that your employees are adequately trained. Make it a point to keep first aid kits in the wholesale bakery with a person who is well trained in first aid. This is important for any immediate care that may be needed if anyone gets hurt by the numerous knives, mixers and equipment found in the bakery. Another important procedure is to make certain that there are no food containers around in the bakery that are used to hold chemicals; a box may accidentally fall on the next batch of bread dough. There is always a possibility of a fire occurring in a bakery, so there should be maps of evacuation routes and outside gathering places posted at intervals for the staff to learn the fire evacuation procedure. Have all electrical equipment checked frequently to make sure that the cords are free of nicks, cuts or exposed wires. And, in cases where you employ more than ten people, it is vital to complete an OSHA 200 Accident log.

Bakery

Wholesale bakeries naturally require many types of equipment to run successfully. There are knives, dough mixers and mixers that help in the manufacturing process of the bakery. For the storage part of bakery items, there are many racks and trolleys for the stacking of bakery products. So the next time you happen to open a Sara Lee cake, just think of the numerous hurdles it had passed through before landing on your dining table!

Wholesale Bakery

Bakery provides detailed information about bakery, bakery equipment, bakery for sale, bakery management and more. Bakery is the sister site of Wine Picnic Baskets [http://www.e-WineBaskets.com].

Recommended Bakery Shops in Singapore

Cakes, pastries, puffs and all manner of baking has taken over the entrées of the dining experience and no desert is complete without a cake and ice cream. So many events simply demand the presence of some sort of baking activity, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and simple celebrations. There are many bakery shops in Singapore but which too choose? Which oe of them can build you your chocolate double fudge empire state building cake or design a something so unique and special that it is bound to be an ice breaker at any event you host?

For simple gatherings and birthdays, there are many bakery shops all over Singapore of the local fare that can cater to your needs. They usually have a wide range of flavours and some even give you the option of pre-ordering and delivering the birthday cake (or any sort of cake for that matter) right to your doorstep. They come with the standard candles, wafers a liberal spray of your loved ones name and digits in some delectable cream shop. Some of the flavours are pretty standard fare, from your blackforest cake, to your white or dark chocolate fares - they even throw in some local favourites like pandan or even chendol flavoured cakes. Don't expect the extravagant, as these humble cake shops can provide good tasting and normally round shaped cakes, if you are looking for something shaped in a name with five or more syllables, you are more likely to find what you want in specialty cake shops.

Bakery

If you are looking for that something special and need the touch of a chef to make your cake more extravagant and give it a veneer of awe, then famous places like Bakerz Inn can give you plenty of choices to choose from and even an option to customize your order to fit even the most bizarre of tastes. These sort of places use very special ingredients and infuse exotic methods with expensive ingredients, combining to give you a mouth watering and eye opening experience. Just a fare word of warning though, they are going to be rather expensive, even going beyond the 0 dollar mark.

The buck doesn't stop here as they are even more intricate and gastronomic infused creations that are abound in some five star and beyond hotels. Hotels like Fullerton Singapore and the Oriental Hotel has some of the best bakeries and melt cafes that infuse special ingredients and new age baking methods to create fantastic creations. These are photo finish creations that come with a hefty price tag, but are apt for that really special occasion.

Finding a bakery shop in Singapore is easy; most of the really good ones have had their reputation taped upon rave reviews online. Bakeries in Singapore have become more than just a location to raise flour and add a dice of icing, it is a full or artistes and creative geniuses who see the empty baking tray as a potential for magnificence. From the simple to the intricate, there are many bakeries to choose from, catering from simple get togethers to that 50th anniversary with that someone special.

Recommended Bakery Shops in Singapore

Singapore is a beautiful country located in South East Asia. Besides being well known for Singapore Tourism. Singapore is a shopping paradise for all you shopaholics out there and well known for Singapore shopping.

Bakery Marketing Plan on a Shoestring Budget

Your bakery marketing plan details the brand image you intend to create and how you will communicate the message of your business to customers. These tactics often include public relations campaigns, print and internet advertising, or direct mail pamphlets or coupons. All of these techniques can be costly. Consider whether you can market your bakery through one of these low-cost tactics.

Your Product as Your Marketing

Bakery

Your product itself, given away to potential customers, is marketing. This could be through free samples given out on the street in front of your store or gift baskets sent to local businesses when you open. The cost is limited to your labor and supplies and can he high if done on a huge scale. However, if your products are high quality and will get potential customers talking, this tactic can create the buzz you need.

Your Brand as Your Marketing

Creating remarkable branding, including your store and package design, logo, slogan, business cards and other printed materials, can help to create images and ideas that stay in the customers mind. By standing out to passersby from your location's exterior you are much more likely to bring in foot traffic. By creating a unique store interior you can persuade more customers to stay and try the products. If you have a remarkable idea for a brand strategy, as well as good design sense or the ability to work with a talented designer, you can build awareness for your business with minimal investment.

Deeper Relationships Rather Than More Relationships

When customers cannot be counted on to return and growth means selling to more and more customers, the cost of marketing can be huge. When you focus instead on creating deeper relationships with the customers you have, this cost can drop significantly for the same revenue level. Loyalty programs are one way to encourage customers to keep returning to earn bonuses or discounts. However, unless you have one amazing item, you will need a variety of options to continue to interest customers to return time after time. Also look for ways to sell more to a customer each time they visit. For example, can a harried worker who buys a croissant and coffee for breakfast be interested in a bag lunch to eat on the job later? It might not be for everyone, but this is one way to make a greater claim on the customer's share of wallet - the total amount they spend on food and drinks each day.

Bakery Marketing Plan on a Shoestring Budget

Are you looking for more tips on how to start a bakery or advice on developing a business plan for a bakery? Call 877-BIZ-PLAN to learn how Growthink can help you build your bakery business.

How to Run a Bakery

Running a bakery requires a lot of things all coming together at once.

I prefer the term, "The Daily Operational Requirements of a Bakery" rather than "how to run a bakery".

Bakeries

The word "running", is a term used in the sports field and though we as bakers do a lot of fast movements and it might seem to some that we are literally running from place to place. It is structured and designed to make as much use of our production time as is humanly possible.

Also running in a bakery business is one of the top reasons for professional accidents. The only time anyone should be running in a bakery business, is in the event of an emergency!

Now as far as the heading is concerned we are running a bakery but of course as I have explained my preferred term is the day to day operations of a bakery.

For some, it is also going to be a headache. It is certainly going to be a fun and rewarding experience to others. But it can also be your worst nightmare!

I am telling you this right up front...

...NOT to scare you into giving up your business venture, but to open your eyes, so you can see outside the box.

You have heard that statement many times i am sure. But, if you can think outside the box then many of the challenges will seem like an easy crossword puzzle. (Unless you hate crossword puzzles of course).

YOU!

YES you!

Whatever you do will be imprinted onto your business and whatever your employee does will also have a bearing upon "YOUR" business. It is therefore up to you to know as much about that business as is humanly possible.

What you don't know can be purchased, such as managers, accountants and lawyers.

You will need to oversee every aspect or employ someone with whom you have complete trust and I do mean complete trust. This person will be spending YOUR money. They will be operating YOUR business. They may not be writing the checks, but they maybe designing the production flow and controlling your staff so that is where I say they are spending your money.

So, just what is involved with how to run a bakery?

Or as I have already said, arrange the daily operation of the bakery production.

One of the first operations is to cost your purchases and then cost the recipe's you will use to acquire a sale price to pay all the expenses of your business.

Of course I am assuming here that you have already written your business plan and you have arranged an ingredient supplier, these are the steps to become a profitable bakery business.

The daily operations of the bakery are going to change every day. This is because production will change daily. After-all the chance of selling out every product every day is unrealistic - NOT impossible, but not likely.

We of course strive to produce just enough so that few pieces are left over. That way the product is at its freshest.

In the bakery we produce bread dough's, and some of those bread dough's require a bench time and some bread dough's are what we call "No-Time" dough's. So it is important that we arrange our time to work all these productions times into a standard operation for optimum use of every piece of equipment as well as utilizing our oven space appropriately.

Besides the bread dough's we also make cakes and cookies, pies and other products that require different operational procedures. They also bake at different times and temperature.

Breads bake at a temperature of 400 to 450 degrees. But if you were to put a sugared top puff pastry product into that same oven, three things will occur.

1. The sugar will burn
2. The puff pastry will not cook correctly

3. The time, ingredients, labor and product are wasted!

Similarly, if you make meringues, the oven temperature will be 150 - 175 degrees so trying to bake a sponge

cake or bread at that temperature will be the same result of number three above.

In most bakeries, that is a small bakery with just a few employees will use a system called "baking down".

Baking down is a way to run a bakery by baking all the highest temperature products first then the cake production then the cookie products and finally the meringues.

The products are then cooled, decorated, packaged and sold.

How to Run a Bakery

The Crusty Baker http://www.how-to-start-a-bakery.com 53 years of successful bakery operations

From Traditional to Trendy, Bakery Crafts is #1 in Wedding Cake Kit Sales

Believe it or not Bakery Crafts® has put together an easy system to help in decorating wedding cakes. This system has the ability of one wedding kit to be transformed into literally, hundreds of wedding cake designs. Each kit will contain everything necessary, while leaving no excess inventory or missing pieces.

Cake decorators will take advantage of the complete library of wedding kit photos to customize their presentation of inventoried Bakery Crafts Wedding Kits. They even have a wedding cake making video which is an instructional video showing techniques used to decorate wedding cakes. The video is about twenty minutes long.

Bakery

Presentation Manual: The Presentation Manual includes a things to consider list. Future brides and grooms can browse through tips from how to pick the perfect wedding cake to which accessories will accentuate their personal wedding centerpiece. Bakery Crafts has a variety of cake jewels, gum paste flowers, figures, and ornaments to adorn any design. Other helpful information includes a serving's guide for cakes with or without a top layer to plan for any size gathering.

Instruction Manual: The coordinating Instruction Manual includes pictures of each cake with step-by-step instructions in both English and Spanish. Other instructions include: Stacking and separating a cake, making scallop and other design features on the cake sides, cutting the cake, boxing the cake, using Fondant, and adding bow details.

The Assembly Kit: Everything you need to build the cake comes in the kit, except the cake! No need to figure out what plates, columns, boards or wedding boxes to order. Ordering extra pieces creates excessive inventory. Delivery and set-up are worry-free with no equipment to be returned. I suggest to build the cost of the wedding cake kit, directly in the price of your finished cake.

Single Plate Separators (SPS) plate system and columns make assembly a breeze: One-time use concept, Simply and accurate centering of supporting tiers, Adjustable columns height, Easy dismantling of stacked cake on boards for cutting slices, Eliminates unsafe pegs and wooden dowels, Selections using our Single Use Stands (SUS) benefit from:

Strong, durable, and recyclable tubing, Extremely stable construction, Disposable Styrofoam plates, White drape and ivy accessories included, 3, 5, and 6 tier designs, 1, 2, 3 assembly.

The Bakery Crafts unparalleled Delivery System consists of boxes with templates that secure the cake tiers in place for transportation. Use the fold away sides for easy cake removal and a smooth, undisturbed placement. Delivering the cake is most important. After all the time and effort that you put into the making and decorating of the wedding cake, you'll want to make sure that it is delivered in one piece!

From Traditional to Trendy, Bakery Crafts is #1 in Wedding Cake Kit Sales

Oasis stands for Ornaments and Specialty Ingredients Source. We represent all major manufacturers of cake decorating supplies. We are your personal purchasing agents and act as a one stop shopping source for all your cake decorating and candy making requirements including holiday cake decorations, edible cake decorations, specialty cake ingredients, Edibles. Rolled Fondant, & more http://www.oasisupply.com

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Bakery

The title asks a question and of course it begs an answer, but we cannot give a straight answer to that particular question as it is too vague at this moment. So how can I answer the question "How much does it cost to start a bakery"?

I cannot today tell you that your bakery will cost one hundred thousand dollars nor can I say it will cost a million dollars. But both dollar amounts are quite reasonable depending upon your definition of the word bakery.

Bakery

The word bakery can be and is used to define a business that produces food for public consumption. But again we have used a generic term in the word "Bakery". You can see that just using the word bakery is like opening and umbrella. It covers a large area.

Let's start by saying we are going to start a bread bakery. We can also define the word as a cake bakery or donut bakery and even a bagel bakery. Plus there are other types of bakery that we can define that question too. Now we have defined our term bakery.

Can you see where I am going here?

Your business plan is going to define "YOUR" bakery! This is where you answer your own question of how much does it cost to start a bakery.

Another question I have to ask is, "Will I be starting a franchised bakery"? Because here again is the question, "how much does it cost to start a bakery"?

When I can answer to the type of bakery, I can say to some degree the total price of that bakery.

I can tell you that there are a number of pieces of equipment that are almost standard in every bakery. The type of equipment and the size of that equipment is again going to decide for you as to, "how much does it cost to start a bakery"?

In today's employment standards acts, there are rules and regulation that have been put in place to prevent some types of equipment from being used. So again we have a problem here to answer your first question.

Notice too that I did not say; "prevents that equipment from being sold". This is because pre-owned equipment is still for sale and some of this equipment is in today's market requires upgrading to today's employment standards. The equipment still works and still does that job it was originally designed for, and very likely the price it is offered at, is extremely attractive. Meaning; it peeks our interest, because it is such a great price.

There are food equipment auction houses that offer all kinds of equipment that can do the job we are looking to do, so we could get that equipment at perhaps as little as ten percent, or less, of buying the same piece of equipment brand new.

The age of these pieces being sold pre-own, also has a bearing on the sale price as does the condition. For instance on a mixer it is possible that the oil seal of the spindle is cracked or has stood un-used for some time and so could break when the machine is placed into regular use.

If you were to purchase an oven from a pre-owned operation, that oven will quite often have to be dismantled and rebuilt. The rebuild could be faulty or rebuilt without installing new components in the proper place, or rebuilt on uneven ground.

I can go on but we haven't answered your question of "how much does it cost to start a bakery"?

I have tried to answer you as best I know how. We could do more if you want to know how to start a bakery then we have a program in our book where we go into all the different types of equipment that is used within a bakery.

Not to scare you too much your bakery could cost you as little as a few thousand dollars to well over two million dollars. This of course will depend upon you and your business plan.

That is where the answer as to how much does it cost to start a bakery will come from!

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Bakery

The Crusty Baker
John Taberner
http://www.how-to-start-a-bakery.com

Bread Bakery - 10 Tips on How to Start a Bakery Business

Nothing smells (or tastes!) quite as delicious as a freshly baked loaf of bread straight from the oven. So it's hardly surprising that bakery businesses flourish no matter what the economic conditions - bad times or good, people still need their daily bread.

But running a successful bakery requires more than just good bread-making skills. As a business owner, you also need to have the necessary skills to establish and maintain a business, so let's look at the most important points you will need to start a thriving and popular bread bakery business.

Bakery

1. Qualifications. You need to have the appropriate bakery qualifications. While you may be a whizz at creating a gorgeous sourdough in your home bread maker, those skills won't get you far in a commercial bakery. Quality bakery courses not only teach you how to make mouth watering breads and pastries, they also teach fundamental business skills to equip you for the real world.

2. SWOT. Whether you are going to start a bakery business from scratch, purchase an existing business or buy a franchise, you'll need to do a SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats - Analysis. You may need to discuss the legal aspects with a solicitor as well as consult an accountant who will help you formulate strategic plans and forward projections to assess estimated current and future costs and profits.

3. Location, location, location. Running a thriving bakery business requires a steady stream of regular customers. Look for newly established or newly developed suburbs, high traffic locations, and little competition. Also look at areas that may not be well serviced, like industrial estates or high density office blocks where you can draw eager customers.

4. Cash flow. Most business advisers will tell you that you need enough available cash funds to support your enterprise for at least 3 months. Set up costs for a bakery can be considerable, particularly if you are starting from scratch, so you need to factor leasing costs for equipment, shop rental, staff wages and food preparation costs into your budget. Know how much it is going to cost you on a weekly basis for the first 3 months and ensure you have sufficient liquid funds to cover all outgoings.

5. Equipment. The quality and size of the equipment for buy or lease will be determined by how big your bakery is going to be, how many customers you have forecast on a daily basis and, of course, the amount you have to spend. Don't over-capitalise on equipment at the outset if you can't afford it. Look for good quality, pre-owned equipment or a satisfactory leasing agreement for the time being until you are well established.

6. Pricing. Your pricing depends on a number of factors, so it makes good sense to consult a business adviser or accountant to help you at the outset. Your prices need to be set at a rate that provides you with an acceptable margin but not so expensive that you drive customers away. The prices will also be determined by the quality of your produce.

7. Products. The quality of your bakery goods can make or break your business. A bakery business relies on a high turnover to make a profit, so it's important you research your market demographic to assess what type of bakery goods are likely to sell well. For example, are you located near schools? Factories? Retailers? The type of customers you expect to service will help you determine the type of products you bake.

8. Marketing. A clever and responsive marketing campaign can get your bakery business up and running in no time. You can start advertising before you've even opened the doors with a letter-box drop or pamphlets delivered in local neighbourhoods. When you initially open for business, use special offer coupons or provide samples of your breads and pastries to encourage higher sales and plenty of returning customers.

9. Décor. Although the quality of your bread bakery is more important than the quality of your décor, it's important to make your customers feel relaxed and comfortable. Covered display cases which present a yummy assortment of delicious pastries and breads will encourage patrons to come back time and time again. And while it goes without saying, clean, hygienic surroundings are a must.

10. Staff. As they say, a smile is worth a thousand words, so encourage and train your staff to be as pleasant and helpful as is possible. A happy customer is a customer who will keep on coming back.

If you get the fundamentals of your bakery business established from the outset, you can build a thriving business that is a recipe for success for both you and your customers.

Bread Bakery - 10 Tips on How to Start a Bakery Business

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