How to Sell Home-Baked Cakes

Add some personal flair to your cakes to give people a reason to buy from you and not the grocery store.

When it comes to baked goods, delicious homemade cakes win out over store-bought any day, but figuring out how to market those cakes is daunting for many. If you can make top-notch cakes that everyone will want, it's time to draft a plan, and then make a name for yourself in the community. Although it will take some legwork, selling home-baked cakes isn't an impossible.

Instructions

1. Call your local state agency that deals with commerce or trade and ask them what regulations apply to home businesses, and for any forms you may need to fill out. Laws will vary by state, but generally you must apply for a license to sell baked goods out of your home.

2. Sit down and figure out a business plan before starting any business endeavor to ensure you have the resources and the capital needed to make it successful. The U.S. Small Business Administration has a number of helpful resources for new small business owners. Discuss your new business with a certified accountant or tax professional, who can advise you on how to keep business records in order to file your taxes correctly. The accountant may also be able to advise you on any deductible expenses, such as new pots and pans or a new oven for your business.

3. Do your research. Take a look at your competitors wares and find out how much they are charging for their cakes. Go to bake sales or fairs and see just what kind of cakes are the most popular, and how you might be able to improve on them.

4. Advertise your cake business in the local paper. Order business cards and hand them out to anyone you see. Stand on the street corner and hand out samples of your cakes. Take your goods to local fairs. Do whatever it takes to make people aware of your existence.

5. Consider asking customers for a deposit on any orders to help cover the cost of groceries should they back out at the last second on a large order of cakes.

6. Be persistent. Don't expect business to come flooding in immediately. Keep baking and keep spreading your name throughout the community. If you are capable of consistently making high-quality cakes, you will develop a devoted following in the long-term who may spread your business through word-of-mouth.

Tips & Warnings

• Use only fresh, non-processed ingredients in your cakes. Do everything from scratch. The result is worth it.

References

• ByMoms.com: Selling Home Baked Goods
• Mail Online: Cupcakes Saved My Home! How I Cooked Up a Plan to Bake My Family Out of Bankruptcy
• MoneyMagpie: Make Money Selling Cakes, Jams and Sweets

Resources

• U.S. Small Business Administration: Follow These Steps to Starting a Business