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f/u to "am I crazy" and question for those with home based baking businesses
I asked last week (which I now cannot find bc of the stupid new "My Posts") if I was crazy to enter a cupcake competition with four days notice, trying to bake 12 regular and 300 mini cupcakes with my 2.5 year old running around. I did a pistachio cake filled with dark chocolate ganache with a toffee buttercream on top drizzled with ganache with chopped pistachio and toffee bits on top. Definitely a complicated cupcake but other than having to make an extra batch of toffee at the last minute and letting it cool bc I ran out of icing everything went great. I didn't win (unfortunately some people didn't try the pistachio bc they didn't like it and with only 3 days notice, I wasn't able to get many supporters there which was 50% of the vote). I did get rave reviews though and at least five or six people said my cupcakes were the best there (9 amateurs and 6 businesses - all of them smaller ones). So...that brings me to my question.
I have been baking cupcakes seriously for a year and a half. I've made about 100 different kinds and I frequently get comments about how I should start my own business. I SAH to my son so "special order" is the only way I would do it. At this point, I have zero interest in opening a store front. I know the state I live in (PA) has a cottage law but I need to look into the specific requirements. What else should I consider before making my decision? Also, where you do find all your recipes? Do you use recipes you find on blogs online, tweak recipes you find in cookbooks, etc etc?
Things already in consideration - start up costs (some more baking supplies, business start up (legal fees), website design & purchase, business cards), ongoing costs (running the website, insurance) and looking into pricing and figuring out how much I can actually make from this. I really truly enjoy baking - it's like "free" therapy but don't want to do it without a decent profit as well.
Re: f/u to "am I crazy" and question for those with home based baking businesses
First, those cupcakes sound delicious!!
Second, it sounds like you know a lot of the logistics of starting your own business. I started my own business last year (not cooking related) but there are fundamentals of starting a business that are the same whether it is a good or service. My advice is to draft a business plan and have very clear guidelines. Do a SWOT analysis (stengths, opportunities, threats, and weaknesses) and write out the 4 p's of marketing. It sounds so textbook, but it really helps to think those things out and have a clear and specific plan for what you want your business to be a where you want it to go.