Did you know that there are people who make a living by selling cookies?
In the past, when home-baked goods were daily staples in most households, hardly anyone made money from baking. But with today’s hectic lifestyle, many people don’t have the time to bake and cook for themselves anymore. That’s why they buy their cookies at stores.
Some people take this baking surplus and turn it into a business. They sell their home-baked cookies out of their houses, at bake sales, to friends, or online through social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. Selling homemade cookies is easy too. Here’s how you can get started.
How to start a biscuit business from home
1) Make your own rules
There are people who actually took a class in baking and knew what they were doing. Then, some people have taken a recipe from someone else and turned it into their masterpiece. There’s no rule that says you can’t learn to bake bread or cookies just by eating them every day.
If you want to start your business from home, you’ll need a home base. Even if you just have a corner of your kitchen table to display your wares, that’ll do for now.
Homemade cookies sell well because they’re traditionally associated with a housewife’s love and warmth. No matter what kind of business you start or how formal it is, presenting yourself as non-threateningly warm and inviting will go a long way in building customer loyalty and repeat customers.
2) Find your brand voice
It’s one thing to be friendly and warm; it’s another to sound like someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. If you’ve taken baking classes before but haven’t opened up a business yet, then try reading some recipes out loud until you find one that sounds like your voice.
3) Find a recipe
There are lots of websites out there dedicated to teaching you how to bake the traditional way, but for beginners, it might be better if you try baking recipes specifically created for home bakers. They have less complicated instructions and ingredients, so it’s not as big a deal if something goes wrong or you miss an ingredient. These kinds of recipes will also help you get used to baking with different ovens and at different levels of humidity. Be sure to check out this site for more help on finding the right recipe.
4) Price your product carefully before selling them
You don’t want to undersell yourself, but at the same, too high a price makes people wonder why you’re charging that much for a simple cookie. Find reviews for your recipe and look at other home-based bakers’ prices. If you price yourself higher than them, make sure you can back it up with better quality cookies or customer service.
5) Get the word out
You’ve baked the perfect batch of chocolate chip cookies, and now you’re ready to sell them. But who’s going to buy it? The answer: everyone! If you live in an area where there are many working mothers (or fathers), they offer free home delivery within a certain radius and give discounts if they order in bulk. You could also hold bake sales every weekend nearby and sell your products at schools, churches, bookstores—anywhere people gather.
You can sell your cookies on Facebook by creating a page and having friends like it. You can also tweet about your business or get into blogging (if that’s your thing). Promoting your business online is free and easy; the only trick is getting noticed without sounding too desperate.
6) Treat it like a full-time job
You might feel like selling your homemade goods is nothing more than an impulse buy—you had too much flour, sugar, and butter and thought you’d sell the surplus to make some pocket money—but this venture of yours should be treated as seriously as any other business. That means developing a work ethic that goes beyond just showing up for work five days out of seven—being professional means showing up on time, having a website that communicates your brand’s values, and following through with all of your promises. You might think that people are just buying cookies from you—and in a sense, they are—but you’re also selling an experience.
If you want to sell more cookies, then treat it like any other job: get there early, stay late, do the work well and make sure no one has a bad day because of you or your work.
7) Know when to close the business
You might have the best recipes in town for chocolate chip cookies or pecan pie, but if no one knows about it, then the chances are good that you’ll go under before long. Once things start going south for your business, don’t fight it. The time to close shop is when you’re still making a profit, but your heart’s just not in it anymore. After all, you can always try again after taking some time off for yourself or doing something else altogether.
Related Content:
How To Start A Candle Making Business For Make Money
So there you have it: seven steps on how to start a cookie business! Now go get baking—and good luck!