Needing Some Advice - Encouragment - Thoughts

Lounge By nikki72905 Updated 11 May 2009 , 12:03pm by ozcake

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nikki72905 Posted 8 May 2009 , 3:47am
post #1 of 3

Hi!

I have been working with baking pretty much since I was old enough to stand -

I have been decorating for about 2 years.... maybe 1.5 years


My husband and I love to cook and want to open a bakery/bistro someday...

Now for my much needed advice...

I am thinking about going back to school and getting a culinary degree (Culinary Mangement - to be exact) What do you think about this?

My thoughts are, If my husband and or I have a degree, that we might be able to get a loan to start up a business a little easier... I would gain expertise and experience, and I would be furthering my current Associates Degree in General Studies.. Which I have wanted to do for a while. I have a few classes already done, in the program that I am interested in, mainly I would have to take the culinary classes and skills!

Thanks for all your thoughts, Encouragment, and Adivce.

2 replies
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nonnyscakes Posted 8 May 2009 , 2:49pm
post #2 of 3

Wish I could give you advice, but I have some of the same questions as you. I can give you encouragement by telling you that no matter what you do with it in the end, learning is not a waste of time and that if this is something that you truly desire you should go for it. Best of Luck to you!

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ozcake Posted 11 May 2009 , 12:03pm
post #3 of 3
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My thoughts are, If my husband and or I have a degree, that we might be able to get a loan to start up a business a little easier...




Maybe - you could try talking to your bank/lender to see their thoughts on this. I can't really comment on the bakery side of things but My husband up until recently owned & ran a restaurant together my husband is a chef with a lot of years experience and I have a business degree (but at the time had no hospitality experience but did have customer service experience) in our dealings with lenders the first thing they asked is have you had a business before, the second is what is your experience in the field the 3rd was why do you want this business & 4th is what deposit/collateral do you have.

I don't mean to discourage you but loving to cook is very different from running a restaurant, the hours are long, the work is hard, there is a lot of pressure to get the meals out fast, dealing with customers, staff issues, paperwork, govt rules & regulations etc so you will need be prepared for that. My biggest piece of advice is to do some work in a bistro/restaurant and see how you like it, whether you think that it is something you could do & make a good living from. We did well but a lot of other nearby restaurants struggled financially, you need to know your market and manage your expenses.

Like anything there are both rewards & challenges. Its great when people tell you how much they love the food, when sales are growing and we liked the control your own business gives you. Good luck hope all goes well whatever you decide.

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