How to sell home made goods?

[Marx 10]

You start with a business plan. Business Link have several templates to assist you. This will help you to ascertain if your venture is viable. There are several places you can get support from in setting-up your business but you have to have a business plan.

[tinfoilhat 11]

But working for yourself will do just this.

 

You say you would sell to local cafes - many already have a food supplier. And greasy spoon customers are not going to spend more than 50p on a cake. The only cafes making any money on cakes are Starbucks and Costa. Plus many indy cafes are really suffering, as Costa is on a mass high street onslaught.

 

You would be up early baking cakes, then selling them at a pittance to clear them, and would earn very little for your troubles.

 

As for meeting other people, you need to get to business network events, research using google.

 

^^^^this post here hits the nail on the head.

 

Have a look through this forum. How many threads are started "I need somewhere who has quality xxxx". Very few. How many start "I want xxxx cheap or free". Thousands.

[raskel 10]

Try http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/ not sure how you get listed though.

[Bypassblade 10]

I definately dont expect it to be easy but I can no longer sustain the 6 am to 7 pm working day which is leaving me ill, stressed and exhausted and leaving me with no time or energy to enjoy life. Im prepared to try any other means of earning a reasonable income which doesnt zap the life out of me

 

I can't offer advice, but I can say follow your heart & the best of luck with the dream and venture, self health is the most important thing :)

[autumn 10]

For you to sell food to cafes you would have to have a environmental health checked kitchen . You cannot just use the same kitchen you use for your family . Work surfaces would have to be changed to stainless steel ect.If there was ever a case of food poisoning at the place you supplied all suppliers would have to be checked . Customers will pay for home baked goods ,trust me i know .When we do our own cakes they are the first to go. Unless you have lots of places to supply I doubt you would make a living out of it . Just think how many cakes you would have to sell and that would be wholesale price . Maybe look at having your own shop ,find something that isn't supplied in Sheffield ,something different .Good luck in what ever you decide to do .

[Driskell01 10]

Hi

 

With reference to Raskel's post regrading Not on the High Street, I had a business set up with a friend designing and producing furniture and house wares and were listed on NOTHS. It is not cheap to use, it cost us £750 to be listed and they will only take products that offer something a bit different. We were then tied to 25% commision on all sales which in the end made our products too expensive. If you do truely have a unique idea that fits the NOTHS model and can demand a premium price then I think the website is great. You also need to be prepared to spend a bit of money to get your products on the pick of the day page and into the magazines that are mailed out to people.

 

Good luck with it.

[indizine 10]

If you think running a business and being your own boss is less stressful, less hours and less dealing with other people who make your life stressful, think again. Sorry to dampen the bonfire but it's actually quite hard work if it's being done as the equivalent of a full-time job part-time hobbyists who sell a few cakes but it's not their main income or their lifestyle does not rely on it's income well, that's another matter. On top of all those things, you will then have to deal with a dotted income, which may be up and down, non existent to start with, draining at first, and depending how well you do, cannot be relied upon until you're established, then you will have the stress of less earnings as well.

[stryker1601 10]

Good luck with your business idea

[yovanny 10]

nice idea you have good luck for you

[molly's mum 10]

Hi there, instead of having the hassle of making and selling the cakes why not sell the items used in bakery instead? As baking is on the increase, it makes more sense to supply the end user with what they need such as baking cases, boxes, raffia, tags, bags, etc. The list is endless and, although there are other suppliers, concentrate on a certain category and find unusual items that not everyone has got. The other advantage is that there is less storage, no waste due to out of date and not sold, no inspections or health and safety to go through as you are not cooking, you can sell online or at markets, home parties etc. I'm not trying to make out that this will be easy either, same as the other replies have stated, but it is something you could try first whilst still doing your job and build it up gradually without having to sell it immediately as it's non perishable. It's something to consider! Hope it helps. Get in touch if you want any more info.

Edited December 30, 2012 by molly's mum

[epiphany 10]

Bespoke is the way to go with baked goods. My gf knows someone who sells bespoke cakes through her Facebook page. She is very good at what she does, and you'd be surprised at how tightly knit her customer base is, but the reason she makes a decent living is that customers pay for the personalisation.

 

First, you need to build a portfolio of images and make a Facebook page (Pinterest is also good for this) to show what you're capable of. It's the pics that will make people say "wow, that looks amazing, this lass can bake" and start thinking about what THEY want for their son's/father's birthday or special occasion. Show them what you can do and then open yourself up to bespoke requests.

 

Anyway, all just food for thought. Good luck.

[Munchie 10]

Oooo nice idea good luck I love cakes