Do people rave about the bread, cookies, cakes, pies, and pastries that you make? If so, you might want to think about starting a bakery in your city or town.
There are currently more than 6,000 retail bakeries operating all across the country. But there is always room for one more, especially one opened by a person who is passionate about making baked goods.
Before starting a bakery, though, it’s important for you to take a series of steps that will ensure the success of your bakery. As long as you take the right approach, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting people to patronize your new bakery.
Here are seven tips for starting your own bakery.
1. Check Out Your Potential Competition
Prior to starting a bakery of your own, it’s a good idea to get out there and see what the other bakeries in your area have to offer. Create a list of local bakeries and make it a point to stop by each one.
While you’re visiting a bakery, check out what the bakery looks like inside and what they have to offer on their menu. See what kind of customer service you receive and glance at the prices that the bakery extends to customers.
By doing some research, you can find a way to make your bakery unique from all of the others in the area. The last thing you want to do is open a bakery that looks and feels just like other ones and allow for it to get lost in the mix as a result.
2. Find the Ideal Location
Once you’ve taken some time to scope out your competition, the next thing you’ll want to do is find a great location for your bakery. It should be located in a place where you won’t face a whole lot of competition.
At the same time, your bakery shouldn’t be so far off the beaten path that people have a hard time finding it. It should be in a spot where there is plenty of foot traffic so that people are tempted to stop in when they see what you have to offer.
3. Come Up With a Great Name and Create a Memorable Logo
Your bakery isn’t going to feel real to you until you have a name picked out for it. So if you don’t have something in mind already, now is the right time to sit down and brainstorm some bakery name ideas.
Your name could be something simple like “Bob’s Bakery” if you want. But you might also want to consider going with something a little bit catchier if you have a lot of competition in your area.
After you have a name all ready to go, use it to design a logo that you can put on everything from your bakery’s sign to your marketing materials. If you don’t have any experience doing this, turn to a graphic designer in your area for help.
Your name and logo are going to set the tone for your entire bakery. Choose them wisely and make sure you run them by people you trust to get their opinions on them before you move forward with them.
4. Decide What You’re Going to Offer
There are a bunch of items that you pretty much have to offer at your bakery if you’re going to be successful. For example, you can’t run a bakery without, say, chocolate chip cookies and apple pies.
But in addition to serving the staples at your bakery, you should also find some items that people can’t get at other bakeries in your area. If your plan is to run an Italian bakery, something like sfogliatella can set you apart.
At first, try not to offer too many items on your menu. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself and your staff. But you can obviously add to your menu over time and improve upon it.
5. Invest in the Right Equipment
When people walk into your bakery, they should be greeted by a bunch of cakes, pies, pastries, and more sitting in display cases. See here to find a few display cases that will provide your customers with a warm welcome.
But display cases are far from the only type of equipment you need to run a bakery. You’ll also need:
If you want to make delicious products that will keep people coming back to see what you have in your display cases, invest in the best equipment money can buy. It’ll pay off in the end when you’re making the best baked goods around.
6. Set Up a Website
Recent surveys have revealed that about 40% of small businesses still don’t have websites. At least some of these businesses are bakeries that don’t think a website will benefit them.
If you’re thinking about starting a bakery without setting up a website first, think again! Your website will provide you with a place to put your menu, your back story, your hours, your contact information, and, of course, photos of your most popular items.
A website is a must-have for any great bakery. Hire someone to help you design a great one that will bring in more business than you would get otherwise.
7. Figure Out Which Marketing Strategies You’re Going to Use
From the moment you have your bakery up and running, marketing it to the local community will be of the utmost importance. You can market your bakery by:
- Starting social media accounts for your bakery and updating them early and often
- Gathering email addresses from your customers and staying in touch with them
- Sponsoring local events and youth sports teams
Letting people know that your bakery exists and motivating them to come and give your baked goods a try is the name of the game. If you can market your bakery effectively, it shouldn’t take long for people to start lining up at your counters.
Starting a Bakery Can Be a Very Rewarding Experience
Do you love seeing the look on people’s faces when they bite into one of your baked goods for the first time?
You can spend all day watching people’s reactions to your creations by starting a bakery. By following the tips listed here, you can get your bakery off the ground in no time and live your dream each and every day.
Read our blog to find recipes for some of the items you might want to make in your bakery.
