I am a stay-at-home mom and I have been wanting to find a way to make some extra money. I got started on the making cakes idea from my sister who also makes them. I have made one cake so far for a friends graduation. I did it for free since I have no real experience and wasn't sure how it would turn out. For never doing it before I thought I did a pretty decent job and I love it. So I am going to take some Wilton classes next month and can't wait to get going. My only problem is I am not sure how to get my name out and how to go about it all. Since I have no job I can't really go through that. I keep trying to come up with ideas but keep getting stumped. I also am not sure whether I should not charge for the first few just because I am new at this or what? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Sarah

As far as charging goes, if you ever plan on charging, I would charge now, otherwise people will get used to them being free and may balk at paying. First thing you need to do is find out if it's legal in your area to sell baked goods made in your home. It may be illegal, or maybe you can have your kitchen inspected, or you may have to rent space at a commercial kitchen, or or or! So many possibilities. Good luck!

There's a sticky at the beginning of this Forum that lists which states will license a home kitchen. If OK won't then you'd need to renovate, build, rent or such. And sometimes local regulations can override state regs. Always start with your local Health Department and planning and zoning.

I am in a similar situation. I'm a sahm of three young (oldest 4) and we could definitely use an extra income. Plus we are planning on homeschooling so for me having a part-time job making cakes would be ideal. Fortunately I'm in VA so I can get a license and bake at home. I am not planning on getting started in the next couple of years but I already have a few steps I can start with. If I were you, I would do a business plan and that way you know what to charge for your cakes as well. But I'm sure you know what to do since your sister is already doing it! Good Luck!