Working On Getting A Shop Open. Advice Please!!!

Business By WildSugar Updated 10 Oct 2011 , 3:35pm by cai0311

WildSugar Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
WildSugar Posted 15 Sep 2011 , 1:15am
post #1 of 36

I cant have an in home bakery where i live without having a separate kitchen. There's a loophole in the rule that says i can sell at the local farmers market and that has been going VERY well! I dont have the space to build a separate kitchen in my house, so i decided to shoot big and look for a space to open a shop. I found a FANTASTIC spot in the mall for a fair price that we're seriously looking into leasing. It used to be a SUbway so it's got all the plumbing and electrical in all the right places and it would be super easy to set it up as a cupcake/coffee shop!

Now that we're looking into an actual shop instead of a home bakery, i'm sort of lost on what this business is actually going to entail. It will be mainly a cupcake shop but i'll do custom cake orders too. With the repeat business i've been getting at the farmers market, the HUGE interest in it, the super well-placed shop space i'm looking at, the BOOMING economy we have here, and the fact that there are NO other business like mine in town (other than grocery store bakeries) i think i can do pretty well.

What i'm worried about is the unforeseen issues, problems and other stuff that i just wont know til i try it. That's where i'm hoping you ladies helpful insight will come in! icon_biggrin.gif I'm hoping to avoid some costly trial-and-error mistakes!

And what pieces of equipment and appliances are commonly looked over? I mean, ovens and fridges are obvious, but what are things i might need to purchase that i wouldn't otherwise need in a home bakery?

35 replies
scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 15 Sep 2011 , 7:25am
post #2 of 36

You need to do an in-depth, no shortcuts business plan. This is a serious undertaking with huge financial risks, even if you start out debt free. Hopefully you have business ownership experience. You need to start with your health dept, contractors, utilities... first. From there you need to know down to the cupcake, what you will need to produce. Cost out all ingredients and packaging.

When you put the words, "lost" and, "commercial retail space", in the same post, I'm sorry, but this doesn't sound good at all. People who are ready to open this size business don't have questions. They already have the answers.

Remember, when money gets tight, businesses will "borrow" from the IRS to keep the electricity on. Coupled with the lease you will be responsible for and the IRS, you could jeopardize your home, your credit rating, and years of your furure income. There is a reason why 85% of small businesses fail in the first year. Be very careful. Sorry to be negative, but realistic.

WildSugar Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
WildSugar Posted 15 Sep 2011 , 1:10pm
post #3 of 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by scp1127

You need to do an in-depth, no shortcuts business plan. This is a serious undertaking with huge financial risks, even if you start out debt free. Hopefully you have business ownership experience. You need to start with your health dept, contractors, utilities... first. From there you need to know down to the cupcake, what you will need to produce. Cost out all ingredients and packaging.

When you put the words, "lost" and, "commercial retail space", in the same post, I'm sorry, but this doesn't sound good at all. People who are ready to open this size business don't have questions. They already have the answers.

Remember, when money gets tight, businesses will "borrow" from the IRS to keep the electricity on. Coupled with the lease you will be responsible for and the IRS, you could jeopardize your home, your credit rating, and years of your furure income. There is a reason why 85% of small businesses fail in the first year. Be very careful. Sorry to be negative, but realistic.




Really? EVERY single successful business owner already have it all figured out down to the last detail? There's no learning curve to opening a new business?

Our business plan is in the works. I've already talked to the health department, i've been emailing with the owner and the mall manager about utilities and other costs with the unit along with the lease details, i'm researching the equipment and supplies, calculating costs for ingredients, deciding how to furnish and decorate the seating area, figuring out how taxes work with this type of business, if i can afford to hire a part time employee and all that entails, and today i plan on calling around to price insurance.

My husband and i have ran more than one successful business. With his business and marketing sense and my background in business law, i think we'll do alright even though we haven't ran this particular type of business yet. (Aside from the custom cakes i used to do when we lived in ID that i did very well with)

And no, we will NOT be borrowing money from the IRS, or any other entity for that matter. We are doing this completely on a cash basis with some of our personal money to get started. We're going to form an LLC so if the business tanks, we can pull out, claim bankruptcy if we have to and have no personal repercussions. I couldn't care less if it effects our credit anyways, as we dont NEED our credit because everything to do with our finances is on a CASH basis. We've, unfortunately, learned the hard way that borrowing money is the dumbest thing we can do and are still paying on those decisions. We will protect our personal finances and if this business fails, we'll regroup and start over. Ask Donald Trump how that works icon_wink.gif.

I should just give up though, because apparently someone ready to open a store already has all this information by osmosis or something, right? icon_confused.gif

So my actual question is, what were some things that you figured out AFTER you got your business up and running? Because i DONT know it all, and i realize that it's going to take a bit of trial-and-error to get it perfected.

jason_kraft Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jason_kraft Posted 15 Sep 2011 , 4:47pm
post #4 of 36

Glad to hear you will have some help on the business side, a lack of business expertise is probably the main reason businesses fail. It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the costs involved. But the profit margin on cupcakes is relatively low compared to custom cakes (unless you will be subsidizing with beverages with a much higher markup) so you need to make sure you can be profitable long-term even with less-than-optimal estimates.

One thing to look at is if you will be better off with a by-appointment-only commercial kitchen with no retail storefront. While you would be giving up walk-in traffic, you would gain more flexibility with lower overhead costs (and significantly lower startup costs if the kitchen space already exists), and you would be able to focus on high-margin products like custom cakes.

How much is the rent at the mall, and how does that compare with renting a commercial kitchen?

And to be fair, based on your initial post it did seem like you were a little lost, your followup post helped to clarify the situation.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 15 Sep 2011 , 6:06pm
post #5 of 36

Thanks Jason, she was vague. I was giving basic information because your post had been overlooked for so long and nobody had replied as they usually do. Probably because of how you worded it. I'm sorry that I tried to show some interest in your query. But, since I've given this information countless times and have the pm's to show how many people are interested in this answer, I will disregard your attack and remind you that thousands of people read these posts, so it isn't always about you.


And yes, people who open in malls don't come on CC and ask the basic questions. A few miscalculations will cause you to lay out some serious cash.

Here's your unforseen... not enough business to support the outlay and you are sitting on a five year lease. Why did Subway close in this location?

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 15 Sep 2011 , 6:51pm
post #6 of 36

I think I will elaborate on this one.

How many independent businesses do you see in a mall? Over the course of 20 years, how many have you seen open and remain open for 10 years or more. I have never seen it. The payroll alone will be about $3600.00 for one person. You will need more on weekends. Add to that rent and utilities, taxes, probably B & O too, and buildout.

Now take into consideration that your inventory will go stale during the week because there is little traffic except for browsers with no jobs. On weekends, you will have to bake like crazy, unless you will do like the chains and sell so-so dry, box mix recipes that are nothing special, because that is what must be done in these situations.

Mall stores make all of their money in three months out of the year. Can you stock and employ enough people to support this business model, because that is how a mall works.

And don't think I don't know from experience. My husband and I had a kiosk in the mall, not a cart, but a $25,000 buildout. It was about 15' x 15'. He used it for free health screenings. We weren't trying to make money because we didn't sell anything. It was essentually a billboard. The weekdays dragged by with little traffic. On the weekends, we were innundated. It took as many as five employees to man it during peak hours. This was 15 years ago. We paid about $2500.00 in rent. This kiosk was the biggest hassle. October, November, and December were great. January was bad because people were just exchanging and using gift certificates in the mall, not spending more. The rest of the year, the rent and payroll stayed, but the traffic dwindled. Eventually, we decided that the 12 months were not worth the three months, so we negotiated to be in the mall only for those months. We could dismantle the cabinetry, store it, and put it back up. Not a cheap project, but necessary to avoid nine bad months.

My cousins owned a candy store in the mall. There were four of them waiting on customers and making candy. It was so much work they ended up hating it. After about five years, they shut it down. It wasn't losing money, but nobody got rich. It just wore the four of them out. They had no life.

It doesn't matter how busy you are, malls are not condusive to small businesses. Chain stores buy in quantity, have experience in the retail cycle, have proven marketing plans, have carefully considered their branding, are capitalized, can make almost all of their revenue in three months and can lose money for nine months, and they still fail.

Cupcake Girls, that show, gives a true picture of a retail cupcake location in a mall or high traffic area. Their franchise price is $345,000.00. They have money, make a lot of money, and go through serious financial issues.

Good Luck

salokin Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
salokin Posted 15 Sep 2011 , 9:41pm
post #7 of 36

The "attack" was kind of justified though. Your post, here and in other threads, came off as you saying that there is no point in even thinking about starting a business if you've never ran one before. Plus it comes off as you thinking your superior then everyone else. Not saying you mean to sound like that, but you do a little.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 3:44am
post #8 of 36

My point is that people don't go in malls, one of the highest rent districts with no experience.

Do you know how many times in two years I have seen these threads?

My posts are accurate. 85% of businesses fail because somehow, someone got a little money... home equity, inheritance, etc., and decide to go in business with little experience. I owned a marketing company that specialized in small business for 15 years. After the initial interview, I could tell how long the business would last... 3 months, 6 months, a year. I was rarely wrong. I bring this experience here, hoping that people who are planning a business in the future will be diligent in their persuit of all of the knowledge and experience they can gather, so that their quest and their future retail operation will be a success.

If you all were talking commercial kitchens, home kitchens, or even a stand-alone bakery, the cost is less.

Some people just have their head in the clouds about how simple this is. And I'm sorry, for this type of undertaking, people shouldn't have toa sk the most basic questions. It gives away the level of experience. I certainly didn't come on CC and ask these questions. I went to the source of the the information. The health dept, dept of ag, state tax dept, plumbers, electricians, engineering dept, and planning commission. I am looking at commercial retail space now. And with all of my experience and capital, the last place I would go is to a mall. For retail space, you go to the experts. Commercial real estate agents, leasing agents, banks, Chamber of Commerce for stats, shopping center corporate offices, the electric company, retailers in the vicinity, and restaurant equipment stores. Then an analysis of all competitors and a mock-up of their approximate structure based on gathered information. A visit to a similar city, interviewing similar businesses would be a help.

This is what people do if they expect to be successful in a high rent area. Sorry the reality does not sound as much fun as the fantasy.

As an exercise in the viability of any business venture, go to your personal bank and try to get a loan based on the knowledge you have at present. You may not need one, but it will be an eye-opener. They will be happy to tell you exactly what amount of risk you will be taking. After that meeting, see how far off my post is from the truth.

This is the business forum. Do you want reality, or do you want the pretty fairy tale version. Business in the best of times is difficult. And now, more than ever, being profitable will be a challenge. I am not sorry that you find this offensive. I just hope it helps other who have a more realistic view.

Annabakescakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Annabakescakes Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 3:53am
post #9 of 36

I "get it" scp1127. I would much rather have the real true life version than a fairytale, RAH-RAH! session when I ask a qustion. I agree it seems a bit naive to ask that, and did not "tell" of any experience.

Maybe you should have just said, "Your cakes are gorgeous and your flavors sound delish!! You should totally take out a second mortgage and go fo it!!! icon_biggrin.gif "

If someone truely wants to start a business, and comes here asking a question, they need to learn how to take advice with out the hand-holding and molly-coddling. If you can't take it, then you are going to have bigger problems before you even get your doors open!

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 4:00am
post #10 of 36

Anna, you ought to know. You have just done this. How accurate is my post?

jules5000 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jules5000 Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 4:15am
post #11 of 36

scp1127: I really do not know how or why people are not getting what you say. They are not "listening"(reading) to what you have said about your experence nor do they seem to be getting that you are speaking from your level of expertise in and experience concerning this subject. you are trying to help the lady that asked a question and I would just say go ahead and share your expertise and advice and not even bother with replying to the attacks. I have learned a great deal from you myself or what you have shared has confirmed what I was told before. I have wanted many times to go into my own business and be my own boss, but my parents and true friends have set me down and said think on these things before you think this would work. Most of what you have said has already been shared with me and I am not in business yet because I listened to them. Yes it was discouraging, very much so, but I am also not floundering around and hurting financially either. Because I listened to what I was told and heeded the advice.

If we would all just share advice or opinions and not attack each other on these forums it would be more fun. Even when we disagree we can be agreeable. If I have ever attacked someone, it certainly was without intention and I am sorry for it if I have not already said so....I am not perfect either, far from it, but I try to learn and apologize when I realize I am wrong or I 'm confronted on an issue.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 4:43am
post #12 of 36

jules, you are on her gathering like crazy. And I am sure that this is not your only source. I always read your posts. Obviously you have some future plans and your approach is methodical and shows a real knowledge of the process. If nobody gives real information, is that fair to the ones who are planning a business.

As I have posted before, you will not find me telling someone how to roll fondant or how to deal with unruly brides. But you will find my posts in the business forum and any threads about scratch baking. In both areas I have knowledge through experience and education.

That story I told about the new businesses... it started with my first job out of college as a salesperson for the local newspaper. I remember we all had a Rolodex on our desks. We would visit a new business and then on their page, we would write down an estimate of how long they would be in business. About 5 salespeople were in on the "game". We were eerily accurate on our data. It brought home how accurate that failure rate actually is. People lost so much. Their lives and demeaner were so changed after a public failure. And they all had such high hopes and enthousiasm when the venture began. And these people weren't even at the mall. I would be very worried about a location that was formerly a Subway. Maybe it just moved two stores down. But if it is gone... why? I will bet that she hasn't even walked the mall, gone into every store, and gathered useful information from each manager. They would be happy to share what they could, especially about traffic flow, income levels, and overall viability. There is a cupcake store in our mall. It is owned by a well-capitalized lady with a successful cake business and years of retail experience. But even she chose a location that happened to be on the outside of the mall, no inside entrance to the mall. It is basically a stand-alone store within the walls of the mall. I'm sure she knows what she is doing, but those kind of numbers are daunting. I don't have the experience to go into a mall. Wait, yes I do... way too much work with only a slim chance for profitability and multi thousands to lose. And the IRS issue... do you shut down when you are running out of money, or do you "borrow" to keep the lights on... or more importantly... to make payroll? I doubt you will ever find a businessperson who has an IRS issue say that it was planned. No, it was a last ditch effort to keep from drowning. If that tax money sitting in your account will provide the answer to a serious financial problem and all other sources are depleted, it usually gets used with the intention of putting it back next month. But for most, "next month" never comes. Isn't business fun?

LisaPeps Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
LisaPeps Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 5:57am
post #13 of 36

And everyone keeps telling me "like OMG, you should totally open your own business"... Really?! Realllllyyyy?!! This post has made it so obvious how much hard work is involved in doing that.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 7:19am
post #14 of 36

Lisa, the risk is so much lower and profits are potentially higher in a smaller bakery. The chains have the buying power, experience, and capital to make high rent districts viable. But we, as individuals, really don't. When the poster stated that not everyone has had business experience when they opened and later became successful, it's like stating how many people win millions in the lottery vs. how many play. There will always be a rogue success story, but they are seldom based on how many try.

My posts in this thread are strictly about high rent districts. I will stand corrected if this person knows how many cupcakes to make a gross personal income of $70,000, because that is probably what could be made after this much effort at another job. If she knows how much electricity it takes to run her ovens and calculates that for how many hours the oven needs to run to make this work, based on the rate at her local electric company, I'll stand corrected. If she knows how many man hours it will take to produce enough to be profitable and the resulting workers comp bill, I'll stand corrected. Does she even know the rate of a workers comp bakery policy? I don't, but many on CC do. What is the B & O rate? Is there one? And is there one of these questions that is not critically pertinent to signing a mall lease?

If you look at the trend... look at Cupcake Wars where most of these people are in commercial kitchens and are building very nice businesses. You can tell the ones who have family money like the 20 year old last week. Any with storefronts are small. The nicer buildings usually belong to those who have been in business for years. Look at Georgetown Cupcake. Two highly educated corporate women who started in a tiny building. Another example is Gesine Bullock-Prado, a great autobiography for anyone thinking of opening any baking business. She had plenty of money and it was still difficult.

I am currently planning a retail location. I already have a 1500 sf commercial kitchen that is debt free with room to grow. It is on the ground floor of my home. All baking will come from there with no overhead except the electric bill. The retail space I would love to find will be in an older home. Probably one that is not selling and the owners will consider renting. I will only need about 600 sf, so I plan to find a place that will allow me to rent just that much. I have a plan for sharing the rent with another business owner in a great related field that I won't disclose. This person can man my counter for reduced rent. No employees, just two business owners. Fill in employees will be from my daughter's prep school... not your average kids. I already own every fixture, decoration, and all display stands and platters. All antiques for an upscale shop. My husband pays for my SUV with the cupcake wrap, my commercial auto insurance, all other insurances, pest control, my electric, and most of the time he pays my grocery bill just to be nice. And I am still looking into how much I will have to produce to make this work. You would think I had a sure bet. But once I have all of the information, I then must consider what I will need to make as income for myself in order to make this worth the effort. I have years of experience and it has taught me to move forward cautiously and slowly. And that experience tells me that I have much more work to do before I start looking at space. That is the last step once all issues are known. My rent will be relatively cheap compared to most bakeries. I can't imagine a higher COGS. And if someone considering a lease doesn't know what that is... oh well.

jules5000 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jules5000 Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 2:11pm
post #15 of 36

scp11277, you are right, this is not my only source of help. As much as it always frustrated the dickens out of me when my parents always "rained on my parade", it was because they loved me and did not want me to go into something with out all the angles and perspecitves I could get. My parents are both very wise and intelligent people and it doesn't hurt that they both have a college education. I don't have so I know that to listen to their advice no matter how discouraging it was at times was wisdom too. I know that there are a lot of things that I would like to do someday, but whether they happen or not is up to God. He is the one that will have to provide the financing of it to start it off and the financing of kitchen appliances and all. I have had a lot of friends tell me that I ought to go into business for myself, but after listening to mom and dad all these years I know that I am still a long way away from it and even if by the time I have the finances to do it, I may not want to do it? But I love being on Cake Central and learning. Well I had better be going.

MimiFix Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MimiFix Posted 16 Sep 2011 , 8:20pm
post #16 of 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by WildSugar

Now that we're looking into an actual shop instead of a home bakery, i'm sort of lost on what this business is actually going to entail.




Well apparently I'm late to the party... scp1127 is doing a favor for anyone who posts a business question. When I see someone make the above statement, I am nervous for their outcome. And when they respond to advice by attacking the poster it makes me feel sad for their defensive nature. Owning and running a business can be tough going and expensive. I'm glad that some posters understand, even if the OP does not.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 17 Sep 2011 , 6:51am
post #17 of 36

Thanks Mimi. I've gotten some very nice pm's on the subject from serious aspiring business owners because of this post. This is why I post.

And Mimi, who is much nicer than me and explains the process from the start, has the best book out there for people interested in baking as a business. I bought them all, so I should know.

You can get it on amazon. The title is,
Start and Run a Home-Based Food Business, by Mimi Shotland Fix.

Another CC member has a great book too. She goes through the problems and running of the business too. I don't remember the name of the book , but the author is Kara Buntin. If she chooses to give her CC name, she can chime in. This book is also on amazon. Sorry Kara, I don't have the book near me to get the exact title. I'll edit if I find it.

Anyone serious in this business should read everything they can. Both of these books give you start to finish instructions. Mimi's comes with a CD ROM with a wealth of information, including worksheets.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 17 Sep 2011 , 7:14am
post #18 of 36

jules, I'm a parent just like yours. My daughter is planning to go to vet school. I told her to get a double major in pre-vet and business, because without the business, you can't be self-employed. My other daughter is going to beauty school and the local community college so that she may also become self-employed. The third daughter is taking a break from a para-legal career to have some babies. While she is off, she is getting her degree in business with a concentration in finance.

They used to get mad when I would say, "You can't get there on the path you are taking", when they would aspire to do one thing but were trying to take the easier path. They hate it when I'm right, but now all three are on the way to self-employment. Just like me, my parents, and most of my family.

I just watched, "The Social Network", and the President of Harvard said what I had told them for years, without the Harvard part. He told the students that Harvard graduates don't get jobs, they make their own jobs. Find a need and fill it. Make a plan and work it.

I think many of those failures in small businesses are due to poor planning too. How many times have we heard on this site, "I found a place to rent. Now what do I do?". Just like this OP. As I have shared, I am opening a retail business. But I promise you that I have not set foot into any retail space. I have so much more work to do. The space is last. You must make the plan first. How would you know if the space will fit the plan? My husband is expanding his business. He is a physician. The expansion involves the new rules about only specifically licensed doctors performing DOT exams. Too many doctors have been overlooking serious issues with truck drivers, causing injuries and fatalities. This is a new federal law. He needs a location that will accomodate tractor trailers. We have been planning this for over six months. The added expense of moving or adding a location, buildout, staffing, taxes, B & O, pricing and competitors... all real issues that take a slow, careful plan. The result of poor planning is a loss of money. Not something we plan to do. We are still months away from a decision.

MARA79 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MARA79 Posted 3 Oct 2011 , 1:59am
post #19 of 36

Thank you scp1127 for your posts. I found them very informative and a real eye opener. Thanks

LKing12 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
LKing12 Posted 3 Oct 2011 , 2:55am
post #20 of 36

Word of caution about retroing an existing space. We know of a caterer who just wants to remodel and the powers that be are creating havoc. Just because the space was used by a food service doesn't mean that it won't have to be brought up to current code. Baby steps and wishing you success.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 3 Oct 2011 , 3:21am
post #21 of 36

Mara, thank you.

Since this post, I am now reading Mimi's new book, Home Baking For Profit. I am really learning some great information. In the first pages, I learned to streamline when higher numbers of products are needed. This was the thing that bogged me down the most, as I do lots of charity and school events.

tiaracakes Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
tiaracakes Posted 4 Oct 2011 , 10:48pm
post #22 of 36

I learnt the hard way SCP1127 is right! I wish I had info like this when I started out but I am in it for the long haul.

jamieq Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jamieq Posted 6 Oct 2011 , 12:43am
post #23 of 36

I am in the process now of trying to branch into the legal world of selling my cakes. In my journey, all of the information I have been compiling has led my husband and I to determine we will just make a kitchen in our basement. We have all the correct inspectors keeping us in check as we go... Blah blah blah... What I am getting at is the experience I can read on these threads, I don't have the ability or time to aquire on my own, is absolutely priceless in our determining I would do my baking from home. I certainly appreciate all the information I can get... And now i am so ordering mimifix's books!!! icon_biggrin.gif

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 6 Oct 2011 , 6:50am
post #24 of 36

jamie, I read CC as a non-member for about two years, just making sure I had reviewed everything and I wasn't missing anything. Plus everyone sharing mistakes is a big help.

jamieq Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jamieq Posted 6 Oct 2011 , 12:29pm
post #25 of 36

scp1127, you got it. I am actually terrified of all the stuff I didn't know! I don't plan on having my kitchen completed, to code, for about another year, and believe me, I will be spending that year poring over all the information about small business that I can get my hands on, and well thereafter!!! Somethings you can only learn from experience in having done them, failed and learned from it, or succeeded and wanted to pass that on. I can't even begin to thank you for your experiences shared. You are making it quite visible to others things to keep in mind. Even as harsh as it is to hear the "bad" stuff... you really remind us "newbies" to keep our eyes open and to not get carried away with the "fairty tale." Thank you for that. I know that when I finally do become legal, the only question mark that I am going to truly have, is what flavor will my "grand opening" cake be?!! icon_lol.gif

knlcox Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
knlcox Posted 6 Oct 2011 , 12:53pm
post #26 of 36

I will never open a store front bakery until I have researched and researched anything and everything. I work for a bakery. I LOVE what I do. I'm the decorator there. There are times my boss can't pay me. Since we're cousins, I allow that from time to time. There was a time she was very close to closing. It's not a walk-in bakery, mind you. It's a specialty cake place with a store front and if someone comes into the store I can sell them a cupcake or 2 if they ask. When she went on vacation for 3 weeks, YES 3 weeks, I watched the store and kept her paperwork. She was very disorganized and spent money like crazy with the idea "it's all tax deductible at the end of the year".
I spent the majority of those 3 weeks organizing and purchasing programs to help with organization. I asked my husband if he could come in and help me with the paperwork and he was more than happy to create a system for her (he runs a successful medical equipment business on the side of his full time job) All with her permission, of course. It was hectic. She is now on her 2nd mortgage and is not earning much. She earns just enough to pay her rent, pay me, and order supplies. She is barely staying on top of the water, so to speak. She's been struggling this way for 2 years now. Her husband has finally decided to take a business course at the college in the city to see if it would help. I confirmed it would help!!

She was very excited to open her bakery and I remember her having no knowledge of how or where to begin. I believe she said she came on this site to ask how. I'm hoping she can come here again and give her experiences of what she would do differently if she could do it over again. She has so much to say about it.

Her bakery is located just outside of a very busy mall. She still wonders why that location has not brought her the fortune she dreamed of.

fedra Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
fedra Posted 6 Oct 2011 , 1:01pm
post #27 of 36

I find the posts from Jason Kraft and scp1127 very useful and accurate. I get a real insight into what is Reality and just how much I would have to prepare for. Thanks Jason and scp1227 for being nice enough to share your knowledge and experience with us.
Fedra

MimiFix Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MimiFix Posted 6 Oct 2011 , 3:00pm
post #28 of 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by fedra

I find the posts from Jason Kraft and scp1127 very useful and accurate. I get a real insight into what is Reality and just how much I would have to prepare for. Thanks Jason and scp1227 for being nice enough to share your knowledge and experience with us.
Fedra




I am thoroughly amazed at the time and energy both Jason and Susan (scp1127) devote to helping CC members. I am also thoroughly amazed at the poor behavior exhibited by others who prefer to attack. (Unlike fearless Susan and Jason, those posts have only made me afraid to add helpful information.)

I hope that the dedication shown by these folks is rewarded with your support when they need it the most.

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 6 Oct 2011 , 9:48pm
post #29 of 36

Thanks everyone. You don't know how many small businesses I have seen go under. The house is lost, kids get pulled from private school, the new cars are gone, and you have to say hi to that nice person with all those dreams as she is bagging your groceries.

Edit: Yes, I get attacked all the time. But I know this information is at least considered by those serious about business. Those are who I like to help. I get many pm's from people afraid to be ridiculed because they want to open the right way with the right information considered. Now to be a not so nice person. For those who come on spouting bad advice or illegal advice and shoot down the information given by those really in business... I really don't care if you end up bagging my groceries. But as long as there are people who want the information, I will give it. I ask questions on other threads and I get great answers, especially in the scratch baking threads. As long as I choose to receive great advice form this site, I will give back.

karateka Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
karateka Posted 7 Oct 2011 , 9:40pm
post #30 of 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by fedra

I find the posts from Jason Kraft and scp1127 very useful and accurate. I get a real insight into what is Reality and just how much I would have to prepare for. Thanks Jason and scp1227 for being nice enough to share your knowledge and experience with us.
Fedra




Ditto.

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%