Start a Cake Decorating Business
As a cake decorating instructor, I have a lot of students that have ideas of starting a business of their own. Unfortunately, many of the students dreams have been clouded by the glamour of such t.v. shows as, Ace of Cakes. Many do not realize the amount of work that goes into starting and operating a business, nor do they see the financial cost. I have written this article, because it is always difficult to try and explain to a student who has NO previous experience in either cake decorating or business management, that it is just not that simple. Nor is it LEGAL to operate a food service business from your home.
Instructions
1. If you are serious about making cake decorating your life long passion, then you need to educate yourself. Take cake decorating classes, either at a culinary school, Wilton Classes, continuing ed. classes. Please understand that their are several different methods of cake decorating, and each location will teach a different style. Wikipedia has a nice article about the different methods, that I will attach. Obviously, the best idea would be to pursue a Baking and Pastry Degree from accredited school. Along with that would be business classes, you will need at the least a business math class. While you are pursuing your education, it is a good idea to get involved in as many pasty/sugar activities as you can. There are "cake clubs" all across the US. The benefits of joining one of these clubs is invaluable, you will be able to keep up with current trends, meet others with the same interests, and will most likely receive constant notices about up-coming shows and events. A good group to join is ICES, the International Cake Exploration Societe, a major in the world of cake decorating. It is not a bad idea, to try and get a bakery job. You most likely will not be paid very well in the beginning and working for some grocery store bakeries can be mundane. But it is experience that you can put on your resume, and it also gives you a chance to practice.
2. Now that you have a good basis, it is time to decide if you are going to open a free standing bakery or a commercial kitchen. A commercial kitchen is a kitchen that is attached to your home. Please understand that it is illegal to operate a food service business from your home, without a permit from the Health Department. Operating from your home will require some construction since you can not use your personal kitchen. Most health departments require a separate place, away from sleeping and living quarters. Your "business" has to have a door that opens outside, not into the home. Also, there are several rules regarding tri-part sinks, drainage, and pest control. If you are able to convert your garage for the purpose, you are looking at a minimum of $15,000. That is assuming that you are able to do some of the construction work yourself.
3. If you are planning on opening a free standing business, you most likely do not have the $50,000 to $100,000 start-up. You will need to apply for a business loan. The Small Business Association is most likely the most well known lenders for this purpose, and recently they revamped their web-site. It is now full of helpful information about write your business plan, and all the steps required for applying for a loan. Their loan application is now available on-line.
4. While this article has hopefully given you an idea of the amount of work that goes into starting a Cake Decorating Career, there is still a lot that I did not mention. For example, scouting locations and reviewing the market, inventory building, advertising, etc. It is highly recommended that you follow step 1 and really see if this is something that you want.
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