Anyone that enjoys cooking up a storm in the kitchen will have dreamed about opening their own bakery at some point. The idea of creating your favorite pastries all day to make a profit is a dream come true, so you will want to get everything right the first time.
There are several aspects of business that you will need to know when you start your own bakery, but there are some unique aspects to running this type of company. As such, here is everything you need to know about opening your own bakery.
Location
Location is everything in business; however, it is far more important when you are selling food items. You need to pick a location that receives a steady flow of foot traffic but also has room for you to make the food. A busy town center is the most obvious choice of location, but you may find that you receive some stiff competition in this area. Make sure you have a storefront far enough away from potential competitors, and you should be able to receive a steady profit.
Beating The Competition
Take a stroll down your local high street and you will start to notice that there are several bakeries within a small area. How can they all compete for the same market?
The key is offering your customers something unique. What can you make that no other bakery can provide? Try to open with a few specialist ideas in mind to cement your place on the high street. It is the only way you can survive with so much competition around you. Of course, it also helps to practice service with a smile.
Supplies
As a bakery, you should think about your ingredient supplier before anything else. The most important part of running a successful bakery is ensuring that you can sell your goods for profit. Therefore, you need to negotiate with an ingredient supplier so they can provide you with stock that fits your business plan.
Next, you will need to think about the cooking process. You can’t be expected to do everything by yourself. This means that you need to think about tray loaders and how you can implement loading automation or naked product handling solutions into your business. Again, these suppliers must also fit with your initial budget.
Marketing
Most bakeries market within their local community, so you will need to think about these types of strategies. You won’t have the budget for wide-scale advertisements around the local area, which means that you will have to get creative.
A lot of your initial trade will come from the local businesses, so try and target these individuals first. You can set a stall on the high street to get your name out there or ship out some free samples on your opening day. The aim is to get your goods in the hands of as many consumers as possible. do this and you will have customers returning in no time.
Licensing
Unfortunately, you cannot start selling food to the general public. While you do not need any qualifications to become the owner of a bakery, you will need to gain some licenses. The first license you will need to obtain is the General Business License. This document allows you to sell goods within a local jurisdiction. The second license you need is a Health inspection permit. This license is specific to food handling and ensures that your business can operate within the current food hygiene guidelines. Once you procure these documents; you are free to sell to your customers as you see fit.
It may seem like a long road but follow these steps, and you can have your bakery up and running in no time.
