Gourmet-related businesses are one of the most popular categories of home-based business ideas and large numbers of people, especially stay-at-home moms, are turning to cookie making, cooking classes, and recipes. cooking online as an opportunity to make money.
General aspects of a cookie making business
Everyone loves fresh, homemade cookies. Many Americans work full time and find that at the end of the day there is no time to bake delicious treats for the family. This is where you come in. As a homeowner, you can provide cookies and comforts to people of all ages, incomes and types of work.
If you are interested in getting started, chances are you already enjoy baking and your cookies win the approval of friends and relatives.
However, if you would like a little more training, check out the culinary schools in your area. Baking classes can be a great way to learn more. Also consider learning from an established baker in your area.
Starting this type of business is attractive to many people because it requires minimal investment capital. You probably already have most of the equipment. You may need to purchase additional bowls, mixing tools, or cookie sheets.
Skill set
- Knowledge of nutritional values.
- Patience and knowledge that not all batches will turn out as expected
- Reliability and consistency with the creation, baking and delivery of high quality cookies
- Excellent baking skills
- List of common business skills
Consideration of the employee and the work during the initial phase
- Bakers
- Common Staff Positions Needed to Run Some Businesses
Approximate daily hours needed
Plan to spend about an hour making cookie dough, another hour baking batches and packages, and extra time if you’re delivering still-warm cookies to a location. After hours work includes accounting, checking email and voicemail, and preparations for the next day.
Equipment, supplies and services
- Mixing vessels
- Utensils
- Cookie sheets
- Cooling racks
- Great Recipes – Grandma’s Secret Recipe is Good!
- Vehicle to deliver cookies to stores or customers
- Food ingredients
- A good oven
- Cookie Containers
- Stand-alone portable heating units or stands
- Postal scale and packing materials to send cookies
- Unique packaging (such as a box in the shape and design of a very large cookie).
- Essential office equipment.
Monthly expenses and operating costs to consider
In addition to our list of common business expenses, your cookie making business will require a budget for the ongoing cost of baking and packaging materials.
Licensing
If you are working outside of your home, check the zoning regulations to make sure you can operate there. In addition, you will have to register in the Health Department as a baker, as long as you comply with the guidelines established by the FDA and other legal requirements established by your locality.
Approximate minimum start-up cost
Average cost: Average startup cost varies depending on the amount of equipment and supplies you already have. Start-up can range from $ 250 to $ 2,500.
Suggestions and considerations
- What will make your cookies special enough for people to drive across town to buy them, or take out their credit card and pay for them through your website? Maybe it’s your nice dark chocolate, or the special design of your cookies, or your cookies turn into bouquets or cookie baskets.
- Your ingredients could connect with a particular market and attract particular customers. Are your cookies low carb, vegetarian, or only contain organic ingredients?
- Try your original cookie recipes on your family and friends to find the coolest cookies to sell. You may need to add a secret ingredient to certain recipes, to separate them from other companies’ cookies.
- Think of places you can give batches of cookies to get free publicity, such as on radio and television stations. Leave your card inside the lot.
For local marketing, the best way to get people talking about your cookie is to get people to taste your cookies.
- Make cookie baskets to donate as prizes for a school or church auction.
- Rent a booth at a craft show and sell cookies. Have your business card and brochure available so customers will know how to find you again.
- Contact locally owned grocery stores and coffee shops to bring your wares. Locally owned stores may be able to make simple purchasing decisions; larger chains may not.
- Find gift basket companies in your area and suggest they list your cookies as one of their offers.
- In addition to a love for creating edible treats, you will need to develop a solid understanding of how to run your business. Finding resources for your supplies, negotiating the best prices, keeping track of inventory, and determining the retail price are necessary skills.
- Before selecting a name, make sure no one else claimed it. Look in the list of corporate names on your state’s Secretary of State website. Type your proposed name into the search engine to see if it is already in use. You can also see the yellow pages. Consider names that make a game in their own name: “Katie’s Kookies” or something more exclusive like “Frances’ Gourmet Desserts.”
- Join a cookie industry organization like The Biscuit and Cracker Manufacturers’ Association, which offers educational seminars like their Cookie and Cookie Making Course, the only self-study course designed for the baking industry, plus annual lectures, seminars online and a list of members.
- «The important thing is not to be afraid to take risks. Remember, the biggest failure is not trying. Once you find something you like to do, be the best at doing it. Debbie Fields of the Mrs. Fields (R) cookie franchise.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages
- People spend billions of dollars on baked goods in America
- You have the advantage of being your own boss
- There is a big market for cookies
- Ideal for parents at home
- Low start-up costs
- Fully expandable
The disadvantages
- Lots of competition, including giant companies
- People can make their own cookies and cut back on baked goods when money is tight
- You will be busiest on holidays when demand skyrockets
- It can be difficult to market your products due to existing competition
- It can be difficult to create a unique niche