8 Steps how to start a baking business in South Africa
Cake, who doesn’t like cake? Many of us have a sweet tooth and we really love our cake. This creates the perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs to set up a pie business. This is a guide on how to start a baking business in South Africa.
8 Steps How to Start a Baking Business in 8 Steps
- Choose a bakery format. There are multiple bakery formats that you can choose from.
- Write a business plan.
- Find the right location.
- Get the appropriate licenses and permits.
- Register for taxes and obtain a CIPC.
- Brand your bakery.
- Separate your business finances.
- Secure business funding.
This is a great deal for anyone who loves baking and decorating cakes, has a low barrier to entry, and is very profitable. People love cakes and love to celebrate events with cakes, events such as weddings and birthday parties. The vast majority of their orders will come from weddings and children’s birthday parties.
Doing experience
The first thing you need to master is baking and decorating cakes; the learning curve is not that steep. You can learn how to bake and decorate cakes by watching online tutorials. There is a lot of information from blogs and magazines that you can use to learn these skills.
It is important to start by making cakes for your family and friends. This will make it easy to track your progress and get valuable feedback.
Operating premises
You can start a baking business from home in South Africa. However, you will need to make sure your kitchen complies with all health protocols. We highly recommend working from home, the overload of renting premises can put you out of business.
It would be necessary to work from an outdoor kitchen as your business expands. You can build this kitchen in your garden and use it specifically for cooking.
Charge a decent price
You don’t want to be too expensive when you’re just starting out. Charge the average or slightly lower price, but don’t underestimate yourself too much. This will attract many people to you, everyone loves discounts.
Create a portfolio
This is the best way to build trust with your prospects, many of whom will want to see your work before working with you. Having a good wallet gives them a sense of peace, as they know you will keep what you promised. Ideally, all of your work should be stored on one website as a portfolio, this way you can simply give them your website address and they will be able to see all of your work. You can get a website from as little as R1 800 from Warten Weg.
Market your cake business
Most of the marketing for this business is done by word of mouth, many of your customers will come from referrals. This is why networking with other people in the events industry is so important. Be sure to contact event planners, restorers, and people who design furniture. These people mostly work at events that need a cake; They will recommend you to their clients. You should also alert them to new opportunities.
This does not mean that you should neglect digital marketing. Digital marketing can be helpful when someone is looking for bakeries near them. That’s why you need to make sure your business is registered with Google my business. This is something your web designer needs to take care of.
What are the weaknesses of a bakery?
Poorly run bakeries waste ingredients and labor, driving up expenses and lowering profit margins. Improper equipment results in wasted cakes and loaves of bread that have not been baked properly. Train employees to keep the bakery sparkling clean at all times.
