With all the baking TV shows being shown globally, the art of baking and decorating has become a very popular hobby. When you watch beautiful things being being made on TV, pick up a cookie decorating book in a store, or see some beautiful cookies online, it's very easy to get inspired to try decorating yourself. Once you start, you realise that it is a lot of fun to do, and people really admire and appreciate what you have achieved. Many people start out having no intention at all to launch an actual food business; they are just excited by the idea of making something fun and edible. Before they know it, people are asking them if they make cookies for people other than family and what they charge, and suddenly they find themselves going into business without really meaning to.
If you're at the stage of loving the craft of cookie art but not really sure if you should go into business, there are some things you should think about before taking the leap. If you are already finding yourself in business, it's not too late to look over these things and think about whether or not you want to stay on the path you've started down. There is no shame in choosing to keep your hobby as a hobby, or to take your business back to a hobby if you found yourself accidentally there without really wanting to be there.
The first thing to think about is this: do you really have a dream to own your own business, or have you been seduced by how fun cookies are to make and the idea that someone would pay you to do something you love? Many people who go into business don't really have the entrepreneurial dream; they're simply talented people who were pressured into business ownership by other people encouraging them. One thing to remember is that the more successful you become, the less time you have to dedicate to your craft. The more clients you have, the more inquiries you get, and the more responsible you must be for things like responding to emails, dealing with suppliers, and taking care of marketing your business. You become more responsible for the business of cookies rather than the cookies themselves! For many people, the harsh reality of being the boss and not having as much time to be the creator is what brings their cookie business dream crashing back down to earth.
Once you've established that you really do want to be in business, it's time to get real about what that might mean for you. Speak to other business owners about their experiences and the paths they took to get to where they are. Often, hearing how others have done things helps you avoid costly mistakes and better define what you would like to do with your own business. Hear what they have to say, and take the good with the bad, because you need a realistic picture of what it means to be a business owner on a day-to-day basis. Speak to people in different situations, too – perhaps one whose business is run from home, one who has a shop front, and so on. Perhaps some only do it for relatives (but charge proper prices) and others do it only for relative strangers. There are many, many different ways you can choose to run your business.
Next, take the time to speak to your family or partner, as those people often get pulled into the business to help. Are they supportive of your ideas, keen to see you succeed, willing to help if needed? You are going to need their support emotionally as much as anything else, so it's really important that they are included in your plans.
Lastly, take a really good look at the numbers. When you start your business from home, doing a couple of orders for friends and family, the majority of the costs are hidden in your normal family expenses. Sit down and work out what it really costs you to create your cookies, and start to make a list of other business expenses that aren't in your product. For example, businesses have costs such as website hosting fees, registration fees, advertising costs, and insurance that can't be hidden in household expenses. One of the biggest challenges small business owners face is money – how to make it, where to spend it, how to ask for it. Starting out your business with a business mindset will serve you really well in the long run as you negotiate the up-and-down finances of a business. Business needs to be about business more than about the cookies themselves. In some later articles, I'll get into more detail about pricing, but before falling down that rabbit hole, it's a good idea to be thinking about costs and expenses. [EDITOR'S NOTE: More about business expenses and building a cost model to capture those expenses can be found here.]
Running a baking and decorating business can be such a rewarding experience. Sadly for many, the reality is nothing like the dream, and they find themselves wishing they had kept their hobby as a hobby. As a cookie maker, you know that the time you spend preparing your cookies has a direct impact on the quality and outcome of the finished product, and preparing to be in business is no different. It's the effort and preparation at the beginning that often defines what happens at the end. I encourage you to take these starting steps so your business path runs more smoothly and successfully.
Michelle Green is the author of The Business of Baking, the blog that inspires, motivates, and educates bakers and decorators to pursue their sweet business goals.
Photo credit: Michelle Green
Note: This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To read more Cookie Connection business posts, click here or here.
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