Check with your sba and see if they have a score section. They are retired business people that love to help new businesses get started maybe they can give you a hand in the right direction. Good luck with what ever you do and I hope you make lots of money!!!!!!!

hehe, thanks, me too! I will check into those resources thanks!

thanks, will check out those sites for sure.

I did some checking on the grants in Idaho, and the only grants offered for businesses are for stores that can offer (in my area) jobs to more than 5 people and pay them XX dollars, plus benefits. The grant is for $2000 per job created. I definately would not be able to hire more than 5 people to start or offer any benefits. FYI, For rural areas, the grant is a thousand dollars more and only have to create one job to get the money.

I agree with checking into SCORE and your local small business center or community college. SCORE offers a fill-in-the-blank business plan that is great. My small business center folks sat down with me on numerous occasions to help me with initial plans. Our community college offers a program for people wanting to start a business, which then will also assist you with financing, grants (and yes, some of the graduates have gotten government money for for-profit businesses -- including small food businesses), etc.

This is the first time I've ever posted here so I hope this works. I haven't read all the posts about this yet...so I don't know what all you need, but I just wanted to let you know that there is a bakery close to the town I live in that is looking to sell everything and at a pretty good price. I don't know if you would be interested or not, but if you are let me know and I'll tell you how to get in touch with them.

Everyone here would absolutely love to see a business take off the ground, especially with cakes. But like everyone said, with the economy right now, business is not what it used to be and can be a very volatile stituation in starting one.
A good business plan is a wonderful place to start. Here may be another.
http://services.business.vic.gov.au/workspace/startingABusiness.htm

Victoria magazine also has two books on the market, I'm sorry, but I don't remember the titles, but they were really helpful with SBA loans and such. Good luck in your endeavor.

I would also take my lemons, make lemonade and add vodka or something......... Then I wouldn't care what life threw me!!!

thanks for the sale info, but I am definately not at that stage in the planning right now.

I will see if I can find those books at the library, thank you.

I just wanted to say that I support you 100%! I'll help with the kids and cheer you on whenever you need it. That's all I got!
D~

Hey brogi,

I have absolutely nothing helpful to add. There. Said it.

But I do have a good dose of optimism for you and wanted to give you encouragement, LOL . I have a small baby and work full-time , with the hopes to oneday make my hobby into a business. Here is the encouragement part: In reading your background and your "education" (cake-wise)... I think you are going into this with a heck of a lot more experience than I have seen other people that suceed have!

Your family is/was in the restaurant/catering industry and you have family that can help out with the bookkeeping. Your dad can give great advice and you have a supportive and encouraging husband. I say you try to make your dreams reality; this is a huge step up from someone who is starting without help from others. Good luck and keep us posted. Ill be your personal cheerleader

Thanks D, Im leaving right now to bring my kids by!

And thanks for loriana for being my personal cheerleader, I need a good dose of optimism!!!

Hi Brogi
This website is an excellent resource and has been key in helping me set up my own bakery. Having just recently been in your shoes with start up, I would love to be able to help also.
As far as a home bakery goes that is how my partner and I started out. The department of AG as well as most states have what is called "Cottage food services". This means you can legally bake and sell goods from your home without a liscensed kitchen if the product has the ingredients posted on it and someting stating that it was prepared in someone's home. This is not the same as a home bakery and the two are often confused. Cottage foods do not require any special liscensing or equipment, home bakeries do.
After we built a good rep and outgrew the house, we decided to try and save money by partnering with another bakery that did everything but cakes. It has been a wonderful arrangement and a huge cost saver. We use thier facility and equipment and give them a percentage of our net profit. We have now out grown them as well and are turning away more orders a week than we take and we have become somewhat exclusive.
In less than 6 months we are ready to go it alone and move in to our own space. We are taking over a bakery/cake decorating business from someone who went under. Pay very close attention to why she went under - she sold cake supplies as well as cakes. Cake decorating is a HUGE trend right now mainly thanks to the food network, and we all know those people who "do cakes too" in refernce to a character pan and a star tip. I am not trying to belittle anyone, but there is a huge difference between an Elmo birthday cake and a wedding for 500 people. It takes more than technique and a tip to be a decorator. To reach that next level you need to have a good artistic and creative background too. However, the people who THINK they can decorate will buy supplies from you before they will buy a cake and the profitability for you is much lower. Especially when your customer figures out they can go online and buy supplies for usually the same price and eliminate the middle man.
I wish you all the best honey, but given your situation I would try baking at home for a while or hoping you get lucky and find someone in need of a decorator so you can test the market in your area first.

I really want to start my own business someday too. I don't have any advice but I do wish you the best of luck with your shop. you can add me to the cheerleader list!!