Starting a Wedding Cake Business
Business Overview:
If you are a skilled baker who loves making cakes for special occasions, and you want to be your own boss, starting a wedding cake business is the perfect fit. In any economy, people will continue to get married and most weddings have a grand cake as the centerpiece. There is much more to consider when looking into how to start a wedding cake business, however, than buying a few more mixers. You should start with a solid business plan. This plan will help you focus your business and decide how you will market it, what types of licenses are required, how many (if any) employees you will need, etc. You likely already have some basic baking supplies but you will need to purchase professional mixers and other equipment and set aside a large enough area to have multiple cakes in the works simultaneously. Be sure to check with the health department to see what types of inspections and permits are required. Next you will want to experiment with different cake and icing recipes until you have a few that you are confident with. Set up a website to showcase photos of your beautiful cakes. This way when prospective customers ask about your cakes, you can simply refer them to your website. Have business cards and brochures printed up and distribute them to area businesses that cater to brides – bridal boutiques, florists, catering companies, etc. Another important marketing tool with this type of business idea will be word of mouth advertising. Be sure to give your clients a few business cards to pass along to their friends and even consider offering discounts initially. Soon you will need to hire a small staff to help fill your orders and deliver your cakes all around town.
A Day in the Life of a Wedding Cake Business Owner:
Your day will begin with a check of your email and voicemail for any new orders. You will contact prospective customers to go over their cake needs and you may even need to meet with them in person to discuss specifics. They will likely also want to do some taste testing, so you’ll need to have small samples ready. Next, you will need to check your schedule for any deliveries that need to be made that day. You will make sure the cakes are finished and perfect before transporting them to the wedding venue. If you have a staff working with you, you will assign some of these tasks to them and follow up with your contact at the wedding to make sure the cakes were delivered as promised. If you have some down time, you will distribute marketing materials to local businesses to get the word out. Finally, you will check your finances to ensure everything is in order.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be brides, caterers and wedding coordinators looking for the perfect wedding cake for their ceremonies.
What You Need to Start:
- Business plan
- Marketing plan and materials
- Licenses and permits
- Professional baking equipment and supplies
- Designated baking area
- Vehicle to transport cakes
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- Demand for wedding cakes will always be high.
- Once you have a few “signature” cakes, baking and delivering them is simple.
- Start up costs are low.
- You can charge top dollar for exquisite wedding cakes.
- You can easily run this business from home and in your spare time until you want to hire a staff and really expand your business.
The Bad:
- Deadlines are extremely important in this business so it can be stressful at times.
- It could take some time to build up your client list.
Resources:
- International Cake Exploration Society
- American Bakers Association
- Bureau of Labor Statistics on Food Processing Occupations
- Wikipedia on Wedding Cakes
About The Author
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