Hi!

I'm opening my small in-home bakery next week. There are just a few more little things I need to do but I am starting to FREAK OUT!

What if all of my inventory sells out the first day? What if nobody buys it because the prices are too high?

I'm doing this by myself so I can only make so many things at any given time, is this going to make people mad that there isn't a huge selection like at a regular bakery or will they understand that it's a small scale operation?

What have you all done in this situation? Have people understood that if you're doing it on your own that there's only so much you can make in a day?

I'm rezoned commercial so I will have a small retail space, this is what I'm worried most about, what if it's too empty looking no matter how much I try to keep it stocked.

I'm seriously nervous, I think I may puke, or have a nervous breakdown, one of the two, lol.

Any advice for me? Stories? TIA!

Oh no! Can a mod erase this? Sorry!

Congratulations. Those fears sound normal to me. I'm going through the same basic feelings/insecurities. I think it's normal. My bakery won't open until fall, but I've already got those same fears!

Let us know how it goes. What is mod?

Thanks for your reply! I'm glad to know it's not just me. And good luck to you this fall. That was my plan too but things came together much faster than I thought and now it's here! EEK!

A moderator (mod) is one of the people who "run" the site, I think. I had a triple post, dont' know how that happened, and I think they can erase the extra ones.

First, B-R-E-A-T-H-E.... Calm, calm, calm.

Are you baking just to order, or will you have walk-ins? If the latter, how are they going to find you? Pay a couple of teenagers to walk around with flyers or tickets for a free taster or a discount (free is better...) Can you have help those first few days while you're finding your groove?

Probably make more stock than you think you'll need for the first few days. If everything is wrapped well it will keep. I'm sure you'll soon find your rhythm and what sells well and when. Cookie bouqets with lots of tissue are a good way to fill empty looking shelves! Also things like (new looking!) stuffed toys, pretty vases and jugs etc. Think outside the cakebox!

Good luck with your new business!!!

If you want what you wrote gone...go back and delete it. Or just erase what you said.

Oh, I didn't know I could do that, erase a post that is. For some reason it posted three times, annoying!

I will definetly do cookie bouquets and have a lot of other cookies, frosted and drop, ready. I freeze the dough so if I stock the freezer I can have dough at the ready if I do get really busy. I'm just worried about making things too far ahead of time and not being fresh.

Thanks for the advice and wishes!