While cooking is driven by pure emotion, running a business requires you to steer your ambition toward achieving the maximum profit with the products you make. Don’t get me wrong, running a bakery can be truly rewarding, if the business succeeds in luring people with its baked goods.

Not only is the baking industry crucial to the economy, but it’s a never-ending source of trends aiming to connect products with a variety of consumers. And as far the economy is concerned, the baking business is a 4.7 billion market in Australia, catering to 13.9 million of bread enthusiasts.

However, there are many factors influencing this delicious venture. It takes more than good baking skills to make something tempting – one needs to shift their focus to the right marketing moves, equipment, costs, and all other somewhat little but vital necessities.

Why Open a Bakery?

Asking why you should get into the bakery business is equal to asking why we need bread. Simply put, there is a huge market of consumers ready to invest in quality food. It is one of the rare businesses that never go out of demand because of its broad range of offerings, in addition to the fact that it always presents the opportunity to be unique.

All one needs is the ability to bake, some starting capital and a basic understanding of business and marketing. But even without any general corporate knowledge, the baker can reap the fruits of his labours by hiring a manager to deal with commercial issues. The only thing that matters is understanding people’s cravings and building connections through appetizing innovations.

What Do I Need?

To begin with, a serious chef needs to have the basics such as the equipment in check, including top-notch ovens, mixers, molds, baking pans, and so on. Once armed with essential tools it’s time to think about the location, i.e. the strategic placement of the bakery. Of course, the bakery can be home-based as well. Whatever the case may be, there are some common practices that need to be done for the business to keep running smoothly.

1. Make It Legal

When food is involved there must be a health inspector to give you permission to continue working. Make a call to the county food inspector, who will verify if the kitchen is clean and safe enough to serve guests. The food preparation and storage have to follow all the sanitary codes so that you don’t get people sick.

Likewise, the property should be registered so that your bakery brand can begin operating under the name you’ve chosen. A lawyer will be needed as well, to check the contracts and make sure everything is according to the legal orders.

2. Create a Plan

Successful bakers know which products bring in the bacon, meaning that startup bakers depend heavily on a coherent plan and ideas about the type of baked goods they want to sell. Furthermore, the list should include product descriptions and prices, which will come in handy for marketing later on.

3. Use the Power of Social Media

Now comes the part when newbie bakers should focus on advertising, and what is better than using popular social media platforms for a free, yet highly effective marketing campaign. Let’s be real, people are quite curious when the a food place opens up nearby. They want to try it, especially if the pictures look so good their mouth starts to drool.

However, people need to know that it’s there in the first place. A website is an ideal solution to get in touch with the consumers and share information about your opening day promotion online. Also, the site can be optimized and turned into an online store for people to place their orders. And with a quality service provided the business will spread in not time.

4. Build a Relationship with Other Vendors

Although informing your audience over the internet is great, it’s not enough for a baker to sit back and wait for people to come. He has to work hard to become a strong competitor, which is precisely why it’s best to contact other local bakeries, restaurants, cafes, etc. since they might be interested in making a deal and buying your food.

Nonetheless, research the requirements of the local market and other local vendors to further promote your baked goods via freebies and selling the merchandises on the spot. Print flyers and hand them out to raise awareness and give them out with free samples to inspire people to come back and ask for more.

People will always want to buy freshly cooked meals and healthy treats. Baked goods are associated with home through smell, taste, and that feeling of satisfying a person’s hunger. If we take into account the current busy lifestyle and workload most people deal with, it’s easy to see why takeout and fast food are resources everyone turns to on a daily basis. So it’s not a question of whether the customers will come, but a question of when to start. Then again, the time is always favorable for those who decide to open their pastry shop.