Home cake business

paddyrg

hayley11 wrote: »

This wouldn't work, it would end up costing you a fortune in ingredients and time and no business can afford to give samples away like that.

What does a cubic inch or less of cake cost in ingredient terms? Probably on a par with a printed leaflet. What's the impact of doing so? You can show potential clients that you can do what you're promising. It sticks in the mind better than just another business card and establishes some basic reciprocity. That's hardly the disaster scenario you paint!

earthstorm

hayley11 wrote: »

This wouldn't work, it would end up costing you a fortune in ingredients and time and no business can afford to give samples away like that.

These should come out of the marketing/advertising budget, just like business cards/leaflets.

How many times do you go into a supermarket and see them sample tables, its the same principle ( lets prospective customers taste in the hope they will like the product enough to buy it)

macman

AHewlett wrote: »

Concerning people coming to the property, I live in a flat. However, they won't be coming to the door because my address is awkward and I'll be waiting outside for them. As for neighbours being bugged, everyone in my block has been informed as well as my social landlord who has given me permission.

And for me getting to and from fairs, most of these fairs are either every few months or once a month depending. To get there, my boyfriend will use his car. I don't know if I have to cover his car with insurance seeing as he already has insurance.

I've tried with a couple of cafes if they would be interested in my cakes. I took a couple of samples round but never heard back.

Sorry but this is completely unrealistic. Just because you say that the cake will be 'ready from xam' doesn't mean that they're going to turn up on the dot. Are you going to spend half your day hanging around outside waiting for them, and then hand over the cake and process the payment on the street? You either need to offer a delivery service or a proper premises where people can collect from. It doesn't sound like your flat is that place.
Just because you informed the neighbours doesn't mean that if you end up having twenty people arriving every day and wanting to park etc, that you're not going to get complaints.
Why would you buy 'large amounts of stock' before you've actually taken any orders? Cake making ingredients are presumably available fairly rapidly, so why hold more stock then you need, and stretch your cashflow?

earthstorm

macman wrote: »

Sorry but this is completely unrealistic. Just because you say that the cake will be 'ready from xam' doesn't mean that they're going to turn up on the dot. Are you going to spend half your day hanging around outside waiting for them, and then hand over the cake and process the payment on the street? You either need to offer a delivery service or a proper premises where people can collect from. It doesn't sound like your flat is that place.
Just because you informed the neighbours doesn't mean that if you end up having twenty people arriving every day and wanting to park etc, that you're not going to get complaints.

I agree, so OP your immediate neighbours may be happy, your landlord may say its OK, but what about the other people along your street etc. what about the council regarding extra traffic. also if you are waiting outsite in the street for customers this say your LL is not happy with you using the premises or your neighbours at every tom, !!!!!! and harry entering the flats. also this would be deemed street trading, so have you a street traders licence.

notanewuser

I'm not sure who is going to buy homemade but undecorated cake from somebody at their home......? Unless you can bulk bake it will cost you a fortune to make each order (oven on for short bursts) and nobody wants to pay a fortune for "normal" cake.

notanewuser

And it's extremely unlikely that your boyfriend's car insurance will cover carrying you plus cakes to markets and fairs.

macman

notanewuser wrote: »

And it's extremely unlikely that your boyfriend's car insurance will cover carrying you plus cakes to markets and fairs.

It certainly won't. It will count as commercial use, and need insurance as such.

nonnatus

I also don't understand who you see your customers being...

I definitely wouldn't buy cakes from someone who sold them from their flat.... And I don't think I'm alone there.
Which leaves you selling to retailers. Is there enough demand locally to keep you in business?

So I would say your NUMBER ONE priority, before stock, bank accounts and council permissions is sourcing CUSTOMERS!

Good Luck

LE3

AHewlett wrote: »

Concerning people coming to the property, I live in a flat. However, they won't be coming to the door because my address is awkward and I'll be waiting outside for them.

Hmm ... I'm certainly not buying cake from somebody who's standing on the street corner whose premises I can't see, who I can't trace if anything goes wrong! When it's pouring with rain and I'm running 15 mins late because of roadworks/traffic etc are yous till going to be standing outside with my cake? or am I supposed to phone you when I get to the "red door three lampposts down from the junction" so you can run out with my cake?

What sort of cakes are you planning to make if they aren't decorated? Like a loaf cake that I can buy in ASDA for £1? Who *exactly* are you going to be selling to if you can't deliver and they can't collect from your door? People pay more at farmer's markets because they want to support small independent producers who use quality ingredients. The people that may buy a cake at a market as a treat aren't going to want to pay the same for one they have to fetch (causing them inconvenience/cost) from you when they can chuck one in their trolley at the supermarket!

Have you actually produced a business plan for this or is it just a bit of a hobby that might make a few ££ here & there?

earthstorm

AHewlett wrote: »

START UP
- Kitchen Inspection (done with 5 rating.)

If you only have a small flat with a small domestic cooker/oven then i very much doubt you would have got a 5 rating also if they knew you would be standing outside in the rain/wind with a cake for customer to collect then i doubt you would have even got a 1 rating.