How much experience did you have before setting up your own business?

While my story is a little unusual, believe it or not but my first bakery went from crazy idea conception to open doors in just over 2 weeks! I wasn't strictly a cake shop, but all sweets, and specialized in breads and cheesecakes. Now here is the kicker.....I hadn't baked my first cheesecake ever until I opened my doors!!! Yeah, I had done cakes here and there and even made my sisters wedding cake when I was only 15, but had nothing more than a crazy dream! One day while at the local flea market I stumbled across a booth that had a lot of really BIG stainless steal bowls, (yep, thats what started it) and as I was paying the guy I looked over and he had on a 3x5 index card a list of some equipment he was trying to get rid of for his daughter her had just closed her cheesecake boutiqe! He said one day she woke up and decided she didn't want to do it anymore and had everything stored in a semi on his farm. I took down the number, joked about it with my mom (mind you I was only 25, single and "taking a very long break" from college...okay, okay, I dropped out!!) and went about my way. At the time I lived in one very serious tourist town (St. Augustine) and we didn't have anything like that so to speak. That night my imagination totally exploded and I was going to do this on absolutely nothing more than a whim and a dream.
Called this guy up and said ok, I'll take the stuff but would he be willing to take 1800 instead of the 2,500 he was asking, and he said ok. If it doesn't work out it looks like I'll have one odd garage sale. Went out to his farm with a pick up and a small trailer and a check for 1,800, yes you read that right, and my jaw hit the floor when we got there. This semi was packed!!! Hobart mixers, walk-in cooler/freezer, tables, chairs, stainless steal counters and racks out the kazoo, pots, pans, 3 comp sinks, refridgerated deli/display cases and on and on etc. All less than 3 years old. It was fate I tell ya!!! This was suppose to happen! I found another deal on a location, jumped thru the legal hoops and opened my doors!
This was in 1990 and by 1994, I had 2 stores and was just about to go more wholesale when I made the biggest mistake in my life and I took on a business partner. To end this very long windy story, all within 1 week of opening my wholesale business end, I woke up one day to find my bank account beyond drained, vender and equipment accounts opened in my name (by her) oh and I was diagnosed with cancer that very week too! (this was 1997 and I am 11 years cancer free!!
Mind you, I was young when I start all this in 1990 (25), single and NO life. 12-14 hour days where all I knew, but oh was it so very rewarding!
Now my rewards are found in wiping the oatmeal fingerprints off my fridge and baking for friends and family!!!
I so dream of doing it again and maybe I will. I got a late start and have little ones at home, so I 'll have to wait until they can be legally put to work too!! ha ha, and I guess my only partner will be my wonderful husband!
Sorry this got soooo long.

wow what a gr8 story its really inspiring!

Wow, after that story, mine is going to be pretty insignificant!

When you say "set up as a business", I was "a business" in my home when I first got started. (Permits? HD approved? You need that? No kidding? huh! ). I had the sales tax license, reported all income, took all deductions, etc. I had this in place less than one year after picking up my first icing bag.

It took me over 20 years to actually throw the doors open on my own shop.

While I am realistic enough to know my story is purely a matter of things falling into place and being at the right place at the right time, looking back I could not give you a real reason why or how I succeeded. No hands on business training, no commercial baking.....just a huge dream and lots of drive and determination.
Where inexperience bit me in the butt came into play when I took on the partner. I failed to seek enough legal support/structure. Turned out she was a professional con (she had several aka's socials and identities.) and tapped my vulnerability.
Never never give up your dreams, after all, why do we bother to sleep if it isn't to dream!!

Gotta chuckle, because if I had an "Indydebi" tucked in my back pocket with all her wisdom, backbone and "not taking any c*#p from anybody" attitude, maybe I would still have my shops! lol

well that's some story!
i worked at several different bakeries and a cookie bouquet.

after several years i opened my place...i know i could have never handled everything without working at all those different places...theres so much more to it than i had thought.

congrats on being cancer free!