• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Home
  • About Us

Small Business Brain

Education, Inspiration & News to Help You Build a Thriving Career

  • Start
  • Grow
    • Market
    • HR
    • Real Estate
  • Finance
    • Accounting
    • Budgeting
    • Credit
    • Personal Finance
  • Reviews
  • News
    • Opinion
  • Business Directory
  • Get More Customers
  • Get Business Funding
You are here: Home / Starting a Business / 5 Things to Do Before Opening a Bakery

5 Things to Do Before Opening a Bakery

Orginally Posted On: January 11, 2023 By SBB Content Team -- Updated On January 11, 2023

Starting a small business is one of the most challenging things you can do. But it’s also one of the most rewarding. Be your own boss, set your own hours, and make your own money by starting your own bakery. You can bake only what you want to bake, market to the kind of customers who share your unique vision, and free yourself from the meddling of those who will only drag down your momentum. But first, you need to get your ducks in a row. Start with these five steps.

1. Pest-Proof the Building

Table of Contents hide
1 1. Pest-Proof the Building
2 2. Choose a Bakery Format
3 3. Pick a Specialty
4 4. Hire a Bookkeeper
5 5. Choose a Business Structure
5.1 Make It Sweet

Pest-proofing may not seem like a top-order item, but it is whenever you’re working with food, especially when you’re working with sweets. You might be asking—won’t extermination contaminate the food I’m baking? How long does rat poison take to work, anyway? Vermin extermination and pest-proofing is something you most certainly can’t do alone. Call a professional exterminator and ask if they can inspect your premises. They can offer you a quote from there.

2. Choose a Bakery Format

There are many different types of bakeries, but they generally fall under four categories:

  • Counter bakery
  • Food truck
  • Cafe + bakery
  • Home bakery

Each of these has its benefits and disadvantages. Owning a counter bakery could be a simple countertop interior layout where customers come in, purchase their food, and leave. Alternatively, you could set up a cafe + bakery where you own or rent the space for your bakery. That means you have maximal control of the aesthetics of the space, which can attract customers. On the other hand, you have to deal with all the responsibilities that come with property ownership. With a food truck, you can go to your customers rather than wait for them to come to you. You can save on property expenses with a home bakery, but reaching customers without a sign is harder.

3. Pick a Specialty

Plenty of bakeries offer a daily variety of cookies, cakes, bars, and other sweet treats. But you’re at an advantage if you pick a specialty and market yourself as the local expert. Deciding is easy: What’s your favorite thing to bake? Have a family recipe for incredible lemon meringue? Choose whatever is the most fun for you to make.

opening a bakery

4. Hire a Bookkeeper

Small business accounting is a job unto itself. Focus on the daily operations of your business, the quality of your product, and your relationships with your customers. Let someone else handle the money. Just make sure it’s someone you trust.

5. Choose a Business Structure

As there are different types of bakeries, there are different types of business structures, and these, too, fall into four general types:

  • Sole proprietorship
  • General partnership
  • Limited liability company
  • Corporation

Each of these has its tax advantages and disadvantages. What’s best for you depends on the size of your business and your ambition. The U.S. Small Business Administration has a guide to picking the best structure for your small business.

Make It Sweet

However you decide to go into business as a professional baker, make sure you always remember to do one thing: make it sweet, savory, and successful.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
SBB Content Team
SBB Content Team
The SBB Content Team creates well-researched and informative content to serve as a guide for entrepreneurs and professionals who want to build thriving careers.
SBB Content Team
Latest posts by SBB Content Team (see all)
  • 5 Things to Do Before Opening a Bakery - January 11, 2023
  • Travel Insurance Hong Kong: How to Buy Travel Insurance Online - December 22, 2022
  • Tips to Get Your Handmade Product Business Off the Ground - October 23, 2022
Copyright © 2019 SBB Media Group | All Rights Reserved.
  • How Our Publication is Supported
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use