First off - thanks to this site I am actually doing this!
Now, I went and got my license but now what do I do? How do I let people know I am ready for business? Are there any mistakes/pitfalls I should be aware of? I want to go after this...but I'm not really sure how to do the business end of it. Any advice would be appreciated!

Congratulations.

What sort of cake business are you opening? Home based or storefront?

Home-based. It is a second kitchen, but it is actually in another house. We live on a ranch and had several buildings available to convert into a bakery kitchen.

congrats! I would probaly start a website andmake some business cards and start passing them out. tell all your friens and family pass the word. or even post an ad in all your surrounding newspapers.--just a thought--


Good luck!

congradulations! Iam going for my license soon and I also dont know the business part of this. I hope someone out there can help us.

Congratulations on your new business.

-Debbie B.

It's extremely important that you learn the 'business' stuff. The easiest way, if you have access to a community college, is to take some business classes. You need to understand proper bookkeeping and record keeping, cost control, not to mention deciding the legal/financial structure of your business for tax purposes.

Please search for other threads on this website about setting up and running a business before you go too much further. It will save you a lot of frustration and money in the long run to educate yourself now than to get carried away and rush into the "fun" stuff without having your ducks in a row.

Make a website and business cards. I do cookies as well so I made about 250 cookies and handed them out with my business card to other businesses and people on the street. Register at weddingwire.com. Introduce yourself to your local paper, talk to them about advertising specials they have, and maybe they will even write an article about you. Get in touch with your towns Sales Tax person, that way they can help you with filing or any other questions you will have down the road.... and you will have them. Permote Permote Permote!!!!!

thanks i will try these steps and i pray that i can get started very soon.

The small business development center is a government program and they have free resources to help you start your business. If you just go hand out business cards, well you're setting yourself up for some disappointment. You need to plan your business, create a marketing plan, and figure out who your ideal client will be.