Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Posts: 248
Location: New Jersey
Posted:
Wed Jul 08, 2009 4:05 pm
I'd like to hear the experience of professional full-time home bakers. What types of cakes do you do mostly -- wedding, 3D, sheet cakes? How many hours do you work weekly? Do you find it profitable given the amount of time and effort you spend? Do you advertise? Thanks!
leah_s Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jun 19, 2007
Posts: 5749
Posted:
Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:20 pm
I do wedding cakes almost exclusively. I work anywhere from 30 - 80 hours a week. Profitable. yes. I run an ad in the specialized, glossy bridal magazine in my city and participate in maybe 4 wedding shows a year.
Motta Regular Member
Joined: Jun 19, 2009
Posts: 191
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
Posted:
Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:37 pm
Leahs - do you bake out of your home? What months are not busy or is there a pattern at all? Thanks
leah_s Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jun 19, 2007
Posts: 5749
Posted:
Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:49 pm
I do have a licensed kitchen in my home. Weddings start in February, really crank up April through July, decrease in August, crank back up in September through October. There are always a few weddings in November and December, but that's also planning season, and then the wedding shows are in Jan and February. There's really not much down time.
costumeczar Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Oct 18, 2007
Posts: 2564
Location: Henrico VA
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:12 am
I have a licensed home kitchen, too, and I find the same kind of patterns in business as Leah does. The least busy time is generally January and February, but that's the post-holiday proposal season, so there are always a lot of wedding shows to deal with then.
I work anywhere between 30 and 75 hours a week, depending on what time of year it is. I advertise in the two wedding guides in my city, both of which are given out at wedding shows. I also do some random print advertising here and there, but the guides are the best because they are handed directly to the brides.
It's profitable enough, but you have to make sure that you don't undervalue your time or you'll end up working for $3 an hour.
notjustcakes Regular Member
Joined: Jun 20, 2009
Posts: 121
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:30 am
I am struggling with whether to pursue this as a business. Over the past 7 years I've really accumulated alot of decorating equipment, but cottage kitchens are illegal in my state. So....I am trying to decide whether to lease some space and get licensed..If I do this, I don't want to "putter" along. I would like to make serious money...Leahs, tell us your story about how you got started, what the biggest hurdles were, did you have a business plan, etc
daniassis Newbie
Joined: Aug 25, 2008
Posts: 16
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:44 am
I feel the same way as notjustcakes!
Cottage kitchens are also illegal in my state, so in order for me to start a business I would have to lease a space...
I feel afraid of taking such a huge step. For now I only bake for family and friends, so I've never done a huge volume of cakes. It's all so unclear and scary...
daniassis Newbie
Joined: Aug 25, 2008
Posts: 16
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:47 am
I feel the same way as notjustcakes!
Cottage kitchens are also illegal in my state, so in order for me to start a business I would have to lease a space...
I feel afraid of taking such a huge step. For now I only bake for family and friends, so I've never done a huge volume of cakes. It's all so unclear and scary...
Motta Regular Member
Joined: Jun 19, 2009
Posts: 191
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:48 am
Leahs - I just checked out your site and it's wonderful! You're very accomplished. Beautiful work and very inspiring to me.
I'm becoming more convinced that I want to do this but not FT. I'm going to look into becoming a licensed home baker and see how things go from there. Now just where to get the money.....???
Notjustcakes - I've also accumulated lots of stuff (even an airbrush! I haven't used it yet) and I'm itching to use it to it's full extent but my hands are tied because I have to set up a home commercial kitchen, get permits, pay a contractor, etc. I still think it will be worth it. I'm picturing the praise and the happy faces of my future clients. I want to be part of people's happy memories.
leah_s Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jun 19, 2007
Posts: 5749
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:02 am
My story is fairly simple.
Retired very early. Went to culinary school, because, well, I'd always said that "someday" I would and I'd run out of excuses, so it was put up or shut up time.
Graduated from culinary school and thought, "Damn, now I have to do something with this education."
So, three weeks out of culinary school, I signed up to have a booth at a local bridal show, made some dummy cakes, printed biz cards on my computer and set up. Talked a fast story. To any question of "can you do . . .?" I said "Sure!"
Came home and thought seriously about having a nervous breakdown. What had I done? Well, now I've got orders, so I have to make a real biz out of this.
So, while it sounds sort of random, here's the backstory.
I grew up in a family biz, so I understood what kinds of sacrifices running your own biz means. I'd had my own consulting biz for nearly ten years, and I have an MBA, and owned the B&B for several years, so I already had my corp set up, tax numbers, and a "mini" health department license. No kids at home any more.
I had to expand the health department license to a full catering license. I already knew, from the other businesses how to build a website, and I'm always marketing.
I didn't have to go into debt, as I was able to finance the small kitchen renovation required for the catering license from my own funds.
Lucky? Maybe. Determined? You bet. Sleep? Not much. Love what I do? Totally. Even at 3 a.m.
notjustcakes Regular Member
Joined: Jun 20, 2009
Posts: 121
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:21 am
I didn't go to culinary school, but I have always loved cooking...I am accustomed to huge orders as I am responsible for serving breakfast or pastries at church (1200 members) once a quarter. Plus I do most of the food for banquets and celebrations at our church out of their commercial kitchen...I am trying to convince the powers that be at church to expand the license for the kitchen to a full fledged commercial license so I can rent the space from them...Currently their license only allows for use for church sponsored activities, not catering or baking for retail consumtion. They are convinced that they will have to hire a full time staff person to keep the kitchen to health regulation code...I'm not so sure..It is a very new modern kitchen with all the bells and whistles...
leah_s Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jun 19, 2007
Posts: 5749
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:36 am
Umm . . .notjustcakes . . . "knock, knock"
What's that?
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING
Girl YOU are that full time person in charge of the church kitchen.
Problem solved.
notjustcakes Regular Member
Joined: Jun 20, 2009
Posts: 121
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:49 am
Allright, Allright...I gotcha Leahs...(hee hee!) I have a 7 yr old and 4 yr old...I would do it if I could do it on my own schedule...I am close to all the pastors at church and have put it out there that they could generate income for the church. I have it from a good source that it is being discussed....Maybe divine intervention? Serendipity? Hmm...could it be the free BD cakes they all get on their birthdays? Nah...not that...
ruthi Junior Member
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: 47
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 11:01 am
Leahs - you obviously have tons of experience in this - I would like to have a legal home business as well, but have no idea of the steps to take and the legalities required.....in order to have a home business, from the equipment side of things - does my kitchen have to be a commercial kitchen in order to do business out of my house? And if so, what exactly constitutes a commercial kitchen? Because I have a kitchen and workspace readily available in my basement (was going to be a rental, but we decided not to, if I can use it for a home business instead) and this would be my area, but it is a regular kitchen with regular stove and sink and formica countertop....what would it take to bring it up to par for a business. Plus, what are the requirements? 1. a license - what kind of license is required to have a home baking business? - I am not a caterer, I just decorate cookies and cakes; 2. how is the department of health involved? Is the license from them, or from the tax department or I don't know!....Would you mind giving over the general logical steps that need to be taken - I realize that each state has its different requirements, but surely there is a general guideline that all home bakers need to take????
leah_s Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Jun 19, 2007
Posts: 5749
Posted:
Thu Jul 09, 2009 11:34 am
In my state a commercial kitchen is no different than a home kitchen. Notice I said in my state. In fact I asked specifically what constituted a kitchen. It one of those things everyone thinks they know, but maybe not. Always ask for definitions and assume nothing.
The answer from the health department is "A kitchen is a place where you can wash hands, (and food), cook food and cool food." So then I asked, "Then a bar sink, dorm refrigerator and a microwave, like in a wet bar area would qualify as a kitchen?" Answer, "yes."
To be a biz in my state you would need a catering license. Catering means (again, ask) "any food made in one place, but eaten in another place."
You'll need a tax ID which you get from your state, an EIN which you can get online from the IRS. You should get liability insurance (call your homeowner's agent). You might also have to register your biz with a local government.
But first, check applicable zoning laws to see if you can even have a biz in your home. Also HOAs if applicable.
And if you're really smart, you'll write a business plan. There are lots of resources on the interweb.
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