Soooo....I've been baking for years (family, friends, co-workers) and this year I've decided to make my dream a reality and start my own business. I'm wanting to expand my inventory and buy more supplies but I really don't know what I need to get first. I'm new to using fondant and gum paste. I'm also getting requests to do several theme cakes (which is new to me).

1. What supplies should I start off with (ie cake pan sizes, utensils, etc. etc.)
2. What's the easiest (inexpensive) way to show off my creative side (theme cakes)? Should I buy cake dummies?

This is a large question with more then one answer, that actually only YOU can answer. If your going into business, I usggest you do more research about your target market and what type of cakes you want to do to see what you'll need. I also suggest you learn more about the use of fondant and gumpaste before selling those type of products. Like I said, no one can answer this, but you. We don't know what your business plan is or what you are trying to accomplish and even if we did, we still couldn't answer that for you. Asking that question here is not going to tell you what you need for your area of business.

What kind of cakes do you want to do? Weddings? Birthdays? That will be a big part of how you market yourself.

I buy the supplies I need for a specific cake--cutters, veiners, whatever, to build my inventory. No need to spend money to stock up on stuff you may not use just to say you've got it. Your inventory will grow with time and you'll learn what things are essential to you and what techniques you want to try and the supplies they'll take.

More importantly, are you prepared? It's easy to say 'hey I'm going to start a business!' but have you researched anything yet? Like what kind of licenses you'll need... where you'll be operating your business...what kind of restrictions and zoning requirements there are. Does your state have a Cottage Food Law that allows home baking sales?

I'd worry more about that right now than what cake pans to buy. Baking for friends and family (which is what I do)is all I can do in my home state right now unless I rent a commercial kitchen...which is not cost effective at this point. I

I at least have a food handler's license that I had to get when I worked at a bakery. (I highly recommend getting one just to take the course. You think you know everything about sanitation and cross contamination but you'd be surprised!)

If you haven't checked into all of this, you might want to before investing money in equipment.

I would start by checking local laws as other CC members suggested. I've been doing this for a little over a year and am very happy to say Texas will have a cottage food law in September!
1). I started with two of each of the basic pans: 6 in, 8 in, and 10 in (round but you can do square also). It's much easier to bake once rather than to bake twice waiting for that same pan to come out of the oven.
2.) get your standard beginners tips: # 12, 104, 1, 3, 21, etc. Or just get a begginers tool set which should include bags and couplers.
3.) a good turn table
4.) a large and small straight and off set spatula.
5.) bench scraper (without the plastic handle)
6.) a level
7.) A good stand mixer (you can make it w/a hand mixer though)
8.) a good sturdy plasti container with several compartments to store your tools and tips.
9.) Plastic containers to store leftover icing.
10.) A decent digital camara
I could go on but these for me are the basics. HTH
Fedra