Hey, I'm Aurelia. I help home bakers get consistent, repeat orders so they can stop hustling and enjoy calm, predictable income in their Home/Micro Bakery Business.
How to Know if You’re READY to Start a Home Bakery

How to Know if You’re READY to Start a Home Bakery

by | Home Baking Biz Tips

How to Know if You’re READY to Start a Home Bakery

Starting a Home Bakery Business has become a super attractive idea and topic over the last few years!

In this post I’m going to be brutally honest with you about the awesomeness AND the reality of starting a Home Bakery.

Here’s what going on; MANY families around the world have lost their jobs due to Covid-19…

If that’s happened to your family, I’m deeply sorry for the difficult time you’ve been going through.

Know right now that your story is not over yet! God loves you way too much to ever let anything happen to you without GREAT reason.

It might be a very difficult season for you now.

A Home Bakery Business can certainly help with the practical struggles you’re facing – like providing for your family. YES, it does work and it CAN help you and your family.

But I’m not promising that life’s going to be “perfect” a few years down the line. I’m not promising that a Home Bakery will “fix everything” for you.

This world we’re in places a LOT of emphasis on dreams and how fulfilling them will finally give you joy and contentment. Let me save you the suspense and tell you right now that no earthly thing has the power to do that.

No matter how shiny that dream is, it just won’t fulfill you. I’ve experienced this first-hand.

I believe and have seen that only Jesus Christ can fulfill you – because we were made by him and for him. If a car is made to function on diesel, no amount of petrol will EVER make it go.

Over time I’ve learned that if you’re not content WITHOUT your dreams being fulfilled, you won’t be content WITH them being fulfilled (email me if you want to chat about it).

If you expect a Home Bakery to fulfill you, it will become a HEAVY BURDEN instead of a delight. A new business struggles to grow well under such pressure.

A home bakery can absolutely be a wonderful thing! Truth be told, it’s certainly changed my life.

RELATED: How Starting a Home Bakery has Changed My Life

If you’ve been brain storming ideas of how to make an income with the baking skills you DO have, you’re totally in the right place!

And now I’m guessing you’re also here because you’re not sure if you’re truly READY to start a Home Bakery Business…

Are you wondering if you’re skilled enough? 
Prepared enough? 
What it’s going to take to build a successful home bakery? 
What are the first steps to start a baking business from home?

These are the type of questions I’m covering in this post.

Want to use your home baking to make an income for you & your family? Maybe you've been thinking about it for some time. But how can you know when you're truly READY to start a Home Bakery Business? Here's how to know if you're ready to it! #baking #homebaking #bakingbusiness #homebakery

 

I’m going give you all the specific checkpoints you need so you can judge for yourself if you are ready to start a home bakery business.

This blog post is here to give you more clarity – especially if you haven’t started a home bakery yet.

But even if you have started your business (that’s struggling to make profit) this post will help you tremendously! You may recognize some of these checkpoints that may have been holding you back.

Through this blog post you’ll understand how to overcome them so your business can start growing.

If we haven’t met yet; hi! I’m Aurelia Lambrechts. I’ve been a full-time home baker in Cape Town, South Africa for 6+ years.

Now it’s my mission to help flavor-obsessed home bakers to get the confidence and business skills they need so that they can confidently share their baking gifts with the world.

If you want to become a confident & successful Home Bakery Business owner, I’m here to help you make it happen!

Let’s get to it 😊

 

How NOT to Judge if You’re Ready

First, we need to go through some common misconceptions of how people judge their ready-ness to start a home bakery.

Here’s how NOT to judge your ready-ness.

1. “I need to have more baking experience and confidence in my knowledge before I am ready to start selling my baked goods to people.”

I hear this all the time and I just want you to know that this is NOT a sign that you’re not ready.

When I started out, I literally baked one batch of cupcakes as an experiment just because I felt like some cake and it tasted great, and about a week or two later I was selling them.

That was the extent of my baking experience. Here’s a photo of how amateurish my bakes looked when I first started selling them.

Do your recipes & baked goods need to be "perfect" before you can start selling them? Actually, NO!! Not at all! Many home bakers assume they need to be a super experienced baker that develops their own recipes before they can start a Home Bakery. And it's a total LIE! Here's the truth about what it takes to start a Home Baking Business... #homebaker #baking #bakingbusiness #homebaking #homebakery

 

Sure, I baked a bit earlier in university and as a kid, but really just in the same way any normal girl bakes in her life. I didn’t have masses of baking experience or whatever.

Truth is, you need very limited baking experience before you can start a Home Bakery.

When I baked brownies for example in university, we had to raise money for charity. Baking treats was my go-to when I had to raise money for ANYTHING.

Sure, the brownies that I baked back then weren’t perfect, but they were still VERY delicious!

The brownie recipe I’m using now I’ve been tweaking and tweaking through the thousands of times I’ve made these brownies. But it doesn’t mean those first brownies were bad. They were still pretty darn tasty!

If your baking TASTES good then you’re good to go. You’re ready. It just has to TASTE delicious. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Your baking doesn’t need to be the “most mind-blowing goods” you’ve ever had in your life or whatever. That’s not necessary. It just has to taste good and then you are ready.

Because baking experience, confidence and knowledge are things that you can LEARN. You can learn them on the go. You don’t need to have it “all figured out” before you’re ready to start a home bakery business.

 

2. “I need to have a spacious kitchen and fancy appliances before I can start.”

I’m going to give it to you straight. This is a total LIE. A complete and total LIE.

We see spacious kitchens and fancy appliances on social media ALL the time, right?

We see bakers with these fancy KitchenAid mixers – some even have like three of them! We see bakers with like twenty spatulas and a massive commercial oven.

The BIG mistake we then make is to assume that we’d need all that fancy kitchen gear TOO before we can start a home bakery. But it’s so NOT true.

I started my side-hustle home bakery while I was working as an architectural technologist. I had a tiny salary and a heap of student debt, so there was NO WAY I could buy fancy appliances!

Back then I was living in a student house and the oven in the kitchen was unfortunately broken.

So, I would drive to my boyfriend’s (now husband) house to make my bakes there. After everything was baked, I drove back home and finished my bakes there – slicing brownies, frosting cupcakes, packaging everything.

Here’s the honest truth; I know life often doesn’t feel fair and it feels like other home bakers have it easier than you… But where there’s a will, there’s a way. You can MAKE this work.

If you don’t have a lot of space in your kitchen, that’s fine too!

After my first year of baking on the side, we got married. Then I decided to scale my side-hustle home bakery into a full-time one. For the first year and a half of full-time baking we lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment and the kitchen was three square meters. I kid you not. Here’s a photo of our little kitchen.

I had two little counter tops and the oven in the middle and that was it. That was my entire kitchen.

In that tiny, 3 square meter kitchen I baked full-time for a year and a half! So, I repeat; you can MAKE it work.

Whatever your kitchen setup looks like, you can make it work. And if it seriously can’t work in your kitchen then ask a friend or family if you can bake in their kitchen once a week.

You don’t need a spacious kitchen to start a home bakery.

In my tiny kitchen I even baked for a massive event called the Good Food and Wine Show. In that tiny space I baked 1000 treats in four days. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

You don’t need heaps of resources to be successful. Success isn’t reserved for people who have an “easy life” or bottomless resources. Success goes to the people who use effective business strategies, are determined and work with what they have.

That’s what it takes to be successful.

So, whatever your situation is right now, you can make it work. Don’t let your kitchen size or lack of fancy appliances hold you back or determine whether you’re ready or not.

Your resources (or lack thereof) are NOT a sign of your ready-ness at all.

 

3. “I need to create my own recipes & they need to be perfect before I’m ready.”

I already covered this a little bit in point number 1.

The very first brownies I made and sold weren’t perfect at all, but they still tasted really good! They weren’t the “ultimate chocolate brownies” that I bake now, but they were still pretty darn tasty.

Your baking does NOT have to be perfect before you’re ready to start a home bakery.

No-one is going to ask for your baking qualification or whatever. No-one cares. If it tastes good then people will buy from you. Your recipes don’t need to be perfect. Your baking just needs to taste good.

There are loads of amazing recipes online. You don’t need to develop your own recipes before you can sell your baked goods!

You can just find a delicious recipe online from Baker by Nature, Cleobuttera, Sally’s Baking Addiction, Brown-Eyed Baker or whoever else has a recipe with a high star-rating.

There are so many amazing baking blogs out there with stunning recipes. Always look at the star rating of the recipe and then make them. Make them, follow the recipe to the T and then taste it, if it tastes great then start selling them.

This is not a copyright infringement at all. If you started a blog and you copy their recipe and claim that it’s your own, that’s not okay. That would be illegal.

But, you may bake whatever recipes you find online and sell them. That’s totally okay and legal.

Of course, if you post that bake on social media it’s just good manners to tag the recipe’s creator in your caption. Please always do that.

 

4. “I’ll feel ready (not scared) when I’m ready to start a home bakery business or when it’s time for me to start one.”

This is so not the case.

You see, our brains are very interesting things. Have you watched The Croods? It is such a great example!

It’s about this family of cave people and the father has this rule in their household that anything new is BAD. He’s so set on this rule that anything new is BAD because that’s how their family has survived for years and years. NOT avoiding new things is the reason why all their neighbours have died.

This is exactly the way many home bakers approach something like starting a home bakery!

Your brain will ALWAYS make you scared of things that are NEW.

Fear is NOT a sign that you’re not supposed to start a Home Bakery.

Fear is NOT a sign that you’re not ready. It’s just a sign that you’re HUMAN, that’s all. Don’t let the feeling of nervousness and fear make you assume that you’re not ready to start a home bakery.

 

Now that we’ve discussed how NOT to judge your ready-ness, let’s go over the ACTUAL signs that you’re ready to start a home bakery.

The 3 Signs that You’re READY to Start a Home Bakery Business:

1. You’re not looking for a “get-rich-quick shortcut” but you actually LOVE baking.

During Covid-19 people’s eyes have been opened to the benefits of a home bakery business.

You get to be at home – which is mandatory during quarantine and lockdown. You get to make money from the comfort of your own home and you’re able to be there for your family.

There are so many benefits to a home bakery business.

And now during Covid-19 I’ve received so many e-mails from people saying; “my wife and I are at home and we realize we have this time, let’s start a baking business!”

That’s great and all but you need to realize that if you’re going to start a home bakery you’re going to be baking – A LOT.

If you don’t love baking, you’re going to have a very tough time having a BAKING business! A home bakery is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s not a shortcut to quickly make money.

You’re going to have to grow. You are going to learn how to be a business owner.

In the beginning you’ll be baking after hours as you build up a side-hustle home bakery. Are you willing to make that commitment?

And then, when you’re baking full-time, you’re going to be baking about four to five days per week. Every week. Do you love baking enough to do it five days per week?

If you do, then that’s GREAT! Then you’re ready to start a Home Bakery.

If you only want to make a heap of money quickly then a home bakery business is not right for you. But, if you want to make an income AND the idea of baking on a very regular basis excites you, then you’re ready for a home bakery.

You LOVE baking and the idea of starting a baking business from home has been lingering in the back of your mind... But how can you know if you're really READY to Start a Home Bakery? If you've been doubting whether you're prepared enough, skilled enough, talented enough, experienced enough, etc. This post is for YOU! #baking #homebaking #homebakery #cakebusiness #homebusiness

2. You’re open to learning new things for the rest of your life.

Being open to learning new things is VITAL for the success of a home bakery business.

It’s fine if you feel like you don’t know enough. It is fine if you don’t have enough experience and knowledge right now and you don’t feel confident in your knowledge, that’s fine.

It’s only a problem if you don’t want to learn new skills or grow them.

Because learning new skills and growing them is the ONLY way you’re going to become a successful business owner.

A] You’re going to need to grow as a person.

Here’s a quote from small business expert Michael E Gerber (from his book The E-Myth Revisited): “Your small business will always be nothing more than a distinct reflection of who you are.”

Here’s what he’s saying: YOU are the center of your baking business. YOU are the person making all the decisions. And therefor your business will magnify YOUR weaknesses and strengths.

Every single business decision will be made in your mind. You are the person that makes those decisions.

So, if you’re very un-confident and insecure and doubt yourself then that’s going to come out in your baking business. It’s inevitable. It just happens.

I saw that in my own business and that’s why I had to grow so much as a person.

But once again, if you’re just OPEN to learning and growing and changing, then you are going to be totally fine. Then you’re ready to start a home bakery.

 

B] You’re also going to need to grow as a business owner.

School was a wonderful thing, I’m very grateful to have gone to school.

But you need to understand that school was created during the Industrial Revolution. It was a different time. School was intentionally designed to produce docile factory employees – someone that works for a boss.

The way you think, the way you function, the way you make decisions; ALL of it was shaped by the traditional schooling system.

Right now, you’re functioning like an employee that works for someone else. It’s not your fault. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just what school trained you for. That’s a fact.

But now that you want to become a successful business owner, you’re going to need to learn how to become an ENTREPRENEUR. That’s a totally different ball game.

The Employee mindsets, employee beliefs, employee ways of doing things (which you were taught in school) do not work when you’re trying to become an entrepreneur. Employee-thinking won’t help you when you want to become a successful business owner.

But once again, you just need to be OPEN to learning about entrepreneurship.

You just need to be open to learning new entrepreneurial skills and how to think like an entrepreneur, how to act like an entrepreneur.

Great news is that ANYONE who is open can learn how to be an entrepreneur!

It’s not something that you’re “born with” or not.

Anyone who is open can learn entrepreneurship skills. They are very simple. They are very straightforward and they can be taught. It can be learned.

You just need to be open and willing to learn; then you are ready.

 

3. You don’t have it all figured out. You’re scared but you’re ALSO excited!

I want you to imagine something for a moment. Picture yourself with a thriving home bakery. You are fully booked for this week and next week in advance.

You are baking full-time. You’re baking about four to five days per week.

Now, I want to ask you; does that thought make you feel tired and overwhelmed? OR does it make you feel nervous, but ALSO giddy and excited?

That’s how you know you’re ready to start a home bakery! If the thought is scary but it ALSO excites you.

In summary; what makes you ready is NOT the knowledge and experience you have. It’s NOT about feeling ready. It’s not about having a massive kitchen with fancy appliances.

None of those are signs that you are ready.

THE SIGNS THAT YOU’RE READY TO START A HOME BAKERY ARE:

  1. You’re in love with baking,
  2. You’re open to learning new skills and
  3. The thought of a home bakery makes you feel nervous and scared, but ALSO very excited.

 

I’m READY! What do I do Next??

And now, if you’ve just realized you ARE ready to start a Home Bakery Business, I’d love to show you HOW to do it 😊 Yay!

Remember how I told you need to learn how to think & act like an entrepreneur – not an employee?

Well, here’s an entrepreneurship TRUTH you need to know: Home Bakery success doesn’t happen by accident or luck or talent alone. Success happens with STRATEGY.

Even if you’re one of the best bakers in your town/city, you’ll still need to grow beyond being a baker and LEARN how to become an ENTREPRENEUR.

Because a successful baking business is 30% great baking and 70% great Business Strategy. That explains why commercial bakeries are so successful. Their baking doesn’t taste as good as yours, but their business strategy is on point! Make sense?

Imagine how far you could go if you had the business skills to MATCH your delicious baking!

Here’s how to get consistent sales every week:

Learn about ENTREPRENEURSHIP and learn about how CLIENTS THINK before they buy (in other words, learn about Marketing). Invest in a proven STRATEGY to get clients & sales every week.

If you want a home bakery that gets consistent orders and a stable income; you need a proven STRATEGY to get you there.

So, come join me in my next, free Home Bakery Masterclass to learn my exact system for creating a fully-booked baking business.

Register Now

I can’t wait to see you there! 😊

Aurelia

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers build calm, profitable businesses that actually fit their lives by fixing the underlying reasons their orders are inconsistent – not by throwing more marketing, trends, or pressure at it.

Learn more →

POPULAR BAKING BIZ TIPS

Want to start a Home Bakery Business? Or maybe you have a business but you want more customers and consistent orders? Here's a free library full of resources, tips, tools, secret recipes and ideas to grow your Home Baking Business. Click through to access the free library! #homebakery #homebaking #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness
You absolutely DO NOT need to make fondant cakes to have a successful Home Bakery Business! Learn how I've been baking, full-time, for 6 years without EVER touching fondant! Click to learn how you can do it too... #homebakery #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness #homebaking #baking
One of the BEST ways to make your home bakery business stand out from your competition, is to pick a business name that actually attracts customers! In this post you'll get a behind the scenes look at what customers look for in a business name. You'll finally understand which types of business names attract them to a baking business, and which types of names put them off or bore them. Click the post to get the tips now! #homebakery #bakingbusiness #businessname #baking #homebaking

POPULAR BAKING TIPS

Don't throw out your split chocolate ganache! You can save it and make is 100% smooth & shiny! :D Click through for all the tips you need to fix and prevent split/oily/grainy chocolate ganache. #chocolateganache #splitganache #bakingtips #bakingtipsandtricks
Want to get that thin, super shiny crust on top of your brownies? Great news is, you don't need to drop your favourite brownie recipe in search of a shiny-top brownie recipe! You can use this simple baking tip to get a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe that contains dairy and sugar! Click through to get the step by step method for baking brownies with a shiny crust on top... #baking #bakingtips #brownies #homebaking #bakingtipsandtricks
Plan your Home/Micro Bakery in 1 afternoon. Download this free Home/Micro Bakery Business Plan template to start turning your passion for baking into an income.

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

Share
Pin382
382 Shares
The 4 Essentials of Marketing Your Home/Micro Bakery in a Way that Attracts Customers

The 4 Essentials of Marketing Your Home/Micro Bakery in a Way that Attracts Customers

by | Home Baking Biz Tips

The 4 Essentials of Marketing Your Home/Micro Bakery in a Way that Attracts Customers

“Home Bakery Marketing” sure doesn’t get your heart racing as much as the thought of trying out a new recipe, right?

You’re so not alone!

But if you’re here reading this post, it means you’ve probably realized there’s MORE to a successful Home Bakery than JUST the BAKING part.

“Bake great treats and advertise them.” That’s what I thought I had to do to get more Home Bakery customers and orders. Maybe this is your approach right now?

This strategy may have worked in the 80’s, but honestly, it’s just not enough anymore because there’s a lot more competition now!

I’m sure you’ve been experiencing this reality first hand and that’s why you’re here looking for answers.

Down that path the inevitable happens…

We bake our hearts out, post on social media feeling so proud and hopeful!
But then you get crickets and no one orders anything…

Here’s the big secret my friend…

The best products don’t get the most sales. The best MARKETING gets the most sales! I always tell my Home Bakery Students a successful Home Bakery is 30% great baking and 70% great BUSINESS STRATEGY.

That explains why bakeries with average quality baking often get MOST of the sales! Sure, their baking doesn’t taste as great as yours, but they’re ACING that 70% Business Strategy – and that’s why they’re getting sales consistently, without fail.

If you’re serious about making a profit, you can’t afford NOT to learn about business & marketing.

The GREAT news is that ANYONE can learn marketing! It’s not something you’re “born with” or not.

If you’re open to learning you can also become a marketing ninja!

Before I dive in, I just have to tell you that you’re amazing and I’ve got HEAPS of hope for your home baking career!

Not many home bakers realize that the success of their Home Bakery completely DEPENDS on their Marketing Strategy.

The Home/Micro Bakery scene is NOT a Baking Competition… It’s a Marketing Competition!

The fact that you’re here reading this post tells me you think differently about your baking business.

So, congrats on being open and so dedicated to your business!

Here are the The 4 Essentials of Marketing Your Home/Micro Bakery in a Way that Attracts Customers.

 

1. Marketing is About STRATEGY, Not “Quick-Fix-Tips”

The most important thing you need to know right off the bat is that Marketing isn’t about a few quick tips. There’s no silver bullet that will “fix everything” and suddenly attract hundreds of customers.

Is there ONE ingredient in a super delicious recipe?

Is there ONE step in the method?

Nope.

Struggling to get consistent Home Bakery clients & sales? You bake your heart out and know for a fact you've got great bakes, so WHY aren't people buying? Truth is, if you're struggling to get sales, you've got a MARKETING problem. In this post you'll learn the 4 Essentials of REAL Home Bakery Marketing that every home bakery business owner needs to know. This is your marketing survival kit! #baking #homebaking #homebakery #bakingbusiness

Some recipes have over 30 ingredients and 40 method steps in them.

In the same way, effective home bakery marketing doesn’t have just one ingredient or one method-step in it.

When a baking business succeeds, it’s because there are lots of elements working together in harmony. Just like with the best recipes.

Effective Marketing is about many things working together to create a powerful result. That’s what “strategy” is all about.

So, IF you’ve been hoping for shortcuts, silver bullets, quick tips etc. that will get you hundreds of clients in 1 month, let that expectation go. Save yourself the frustration and disappointment!

>> Don’t look for “quick fixes”. Those might get you 1 or 2 orders this week, but next week you’ll be stuck hunting for customers again. Repeat orders require effort and, most importantly, CHANGE.

Through my own painful, frustrating experiences, I’ve found that when we look for quick fixes, we’re really just avoiding our own growth – and success.

If you want a home bakery that gets consistent sales every week; pursue LEARNING & GROWING. The more you truly learn and grow, the more your business will grow.

MANY home bakers don’t want to learn & grow. They just want to BAKE. I totally understand that because I felt the exact same way for YEARS! I didn’t want to know anything about business or marketing at all.

But the bakers who don’t want to learn and grow are the ones who eventually need to close their baking businesses and return to a desk job.

If you want DIFFERENT results, you’ll need to CHANGE the way you do things.

Here’s the biggest thing I wish I knew when I started my home bakery:

The day you decided to start SELLING your bakes, you signed up to become MORE than just a baker. In that moment you signed up to become a BUSINESS OWNER & ENTREPRENEUR.

And if you want more customers & orders, you’ll need to be as devoted (actually even more) to developing your business skills as you are in developing your baking skills.

Marketing is almost like learning a new language.

REAL Marketing is a whole NEW way of approaching your entire business.

Effective Marketing isn’t about promotions and discounts.

REAL Marketing will make you re-evaluate EVERYTHING about your business; your business name, what you bake, how you interact with customers and everything in between.

RELATED: How to Choose a GREAT Home Bakery Business Name

And if you’re worried that I’m going to tell you to pour thousands into advertising, don’t be 😊

Paid advertising is not how I roll – just ask my course students. Ads only amplify what’s already going on in your business.

If a business needs to pay for advertising, it never made the effort to understand PROPER marketing.

Great news is; you can totally create a sold-out home bakery without ever paying for advertising! I’ve done it and so have my students. And YOU can do it too!

 

2. Understand the Difference Between Marketing and Advertising

Marketing is ALL about learning how to make strangers see & understand that YOUR baked goods are exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Bakers tend to view business in a very outdated way. I did too at first! They believe that there are 2 things you need to do to build a successful Home Bakery Business; bake great treats and advertise them.

But since there are so many bakers to choose from, this strategy simply doesn’t work anymore.

Pretty much everyone has great quality products, so why would a customer choose YOU over another baker?

Don’t get me wrong; it’s great that you’re devoted to creating high-quality bakes! I’m simply saying that this isn’t enough anymore because PLENTY of bakers are devoted to quality.

We believe we just need to “bake great treats and advertise them” but no matter how hard we try, we just DON’T get more customers and orders.

It sucks!

And we start assuming that the reason why it’s not working is because we:

A] Aren’t “good enough” bakers or we
B] Aren’t spending enough money on advertising.

This is TOTAL GARBAGE my friend. You’re a victim of totally outdated information!

 

First of all, I want to tell you that businesses don’t struggle because their products aren’t good enough. They also don’t struggle because they don’t advertise enough. And they definitely don’t struggle because they don’t spend “enough money” on advertising.

Want to hear a shocking fact?

For 4 whole years I didn’t need to spend a single cent on advertising and my Home Bakery was fully booked every month! And it’s all because of this ONE thing – Effective Marketing.

Truth is that if you’re not getting consistent orders you’ve got a MARKETING problem. NOT an advertising problem.

Advertising and marketing are NOT the same thing.

Here’s the difference between Advertising and Marketing:

Marketing is about all the things you do to ATTRACT people to your business.

When you understand marketing and apply it effectively to your business, you’re essentially turning your biz into a high-intensity MAGNET that attracts your ideal clients to you on autopilot.

Your clients then come looking for YOU, instead of you trying to hunt them down.

Advertising on the other hand is like deep sea fishing…

You spend lots of money to go OUT and hope to find customers. It’s stressful. It’s risky. And most of all it gets expensive very fast! I’m sure you’ve felt that with your advertising efforts!

The honest truth: My Home Bakery has been fully booked 98% of the time (sometimes for 3 months in advance) with ZERO advertising.

When I started out in 2013 I DID TRY advertising and I didn’t get any business from it whatsoever! But investing my time in learning about MARKETING has made all the difference in my business.

Your home baking tastes great, you're posting on social media, but for some reason you're just not getting clients & sales in your home bakery! It's frustrating and it hurts. I understand, because I've also been there. But there's hope my friend! Truth is that if you’re not getting clients in your baking business, you’ve got a MARKETING problem. NOT a baking problem. Good news is that ANYONE can learn effective Home Bakery Marketing! This post is the perfect place to start... #baking #homebakery #homebaking #baking business

 

3. The FOUNDATION of Proper Home Bakery Marketing

For the first 5 years in my Home Bakery Business I always positioned my Home Bakery to “impress people”. I thought that’s what you need to do to get people’s attention. You need to IMPRESS them.

Impress them with your baking, your long list of ethically sourced ingredients, your fancy logo, with your social media, etc.

If you WOW them the most, they’ll choose you over another baker, right?

Maybe you feel that way right now in your business?

The socking fact is that people DON’T buy because they’re impressed (with your logo, or website, or ingredients, etc.)! They buy when they believe you UNDERSTAND their problems and can fix it for them.

Here’s the biggest marketing mistake Home/Micro Bakery owners make…

… They position themselves as the hero of the story. They make the story all about them and how amazing their business is.

But meanwhile all customers are only interested in ONE story – their OWN story! Not yours.

Here’s a practical example:

We all tend to think WE are Daniel LaRusso at the end of the Karate Kid movie.

On our social media and websites we parade around with our trophy trying to show people “Look! My home bakery it legit! Look at the delicious things I make! Look at the list of organic ingredients I use! Come over here and read my life story that’s all about me!”

I did this too. It’s how we all start out and there’s no shame in that because it’s what we see so many other businesses do so we assume we need to do the same.

But if you want your Home Bakery Business to GROW, you’re going to need to start to approach your business’ story DIFFERENTLY.

Truth is, my dear friend, we are NOT the hero of the story.

YOUR CUSTOMER is the hero.

Your business’ story is about guiding your customers to success.

You’re Mr Miyagi!! You are the GUIDE, not the hero.

A successful business is the one guiding Daniel (your customer) and helping him to overcome his problems and reach success.

Customers are constantly on the lookout for business who understand that everything is about them (the customer). When your business is all about YOU, it won’t attract new customers.

But when your business starts to revolve around your clients’ success, they start flocking to you automatically!

So, spend less time talking about yourself; all the “did you know” facts about your business, the high quality ingredients you use, etc. Your customers don’t really care about this.

Start talking about your customers’ problems and how you can help to solve their problems.

When you talk about the problems they’re ALREADY thinking about, you start breaking through the noise. When you empathize with their problems and present a solution, you suddenly start becoming USEFUL to them.

🌟 People don’t buy products or services; they buy SOLUTIONS to their PROBLEMS.

So, spend some time to really think about this. Write down any and all problems your ideal customer faces in their day.

Then include those words in your social media posts, your website, etc. and explain how your products solve those problems for them.

If you want to learn more about marketing, then you HAVE to read “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller. This book transformed my business! If you read ONE book this year, let it be this one.

books for home bakery business owners - building a story brand by Donald Miller

 

4. Be a HUMAN, Not a Robotic Business

As I’ve said earlier, I always assumed that people buy when they’re impressed by a business and their products.

But I was wrong!

Do yourself a favour and memorize this line right now: People buy from people they know, like and trust.

Meaning, people are WAY more likely buy from people they can relate to and connect with. We’re relational beings. Acknowledge your own and your customers’ humanity.

Here are 2 ways you can do that:

A] Speak in the first person. Don’t say “we”, “us” and “our” on your website & social media if you’re just ONE person running the show. Be honest. Be REAL. If you’re one person, use “I”, “me” and “my”.

Speak to your clients & followers in a human-to-human way. Don’t talk to them like a cold, huge, robotic corporation. This is HOME baking, not a legal institution.

B] And show your FACE!

I’m forever grateful to Instagram Expert Carla Biesinger for stretching me outside my comfort zone on this one!

For the first 2 years in my Home Bakery I was so shy. I NEVER showed my face anywhere on Instagram.

This was such a big mistake!

I know it’s difficult, but I urge you to be bold and SHOW YOUR FACE on Insta! Use a photo of yourself as your profile photo.

And use your first name in your profile!

The fact that you, a real person, are baking everything they see is a MAJOR asset to your business! Don’t hide the fact that YOU are the baker.

 

Want more practical step-by-step methods and ideas for marketing your Home/Micro Bakery?

In this post we covered the foundations of marketing your business.

And now that you’ve got that down, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

In the next post, you’ll get a super practical step-by-step breakdown of some of my favourite, most effective methods for marketing your home baking (without paid ads) >>  https://philosophyofyum.com/home-bakery-marketing-ideas/

Hugs & donuts,
Aurelia

 

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers build calm, profitable businesses that actually fit their lives by fixing the underlying reasons their orders are inconsistent – not by throwing more marketing, trends, or pressure at it.

Learn more →

POPULAR BAKING TIPS

Don't throw out your split chocolate ganache! You can save it and make is 100% smooth & shiny! :D Click through for all the tips you need to fix and prevent split/oily/grainy chocolate ganache. #chocolateganache #splitganache #bakingtips #bakingtipsandtricks
Want to get that thin, super shiny crust on top of your brownies? Great news is, you don't need to drop your favourite brownie recipe in search of a shiny-top brownie recipe! You can use this simple baking tip to get a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe that contains dairy and sugar! Click through to get the step by step method for baking brownies with a shiny crust on top... #baking #bakingtips #brownies #homebaking #bakingtipsandtricks

POPULAR BAKING BIZ TIPS

Want to start a Home Bakery Business? Or maybe you have a business but you want more customers and consistent orders? Here's a free library full of resources, tips, tools, secret recipes and ideas to grow your Home Baking Business. Click through to access the free library! #homebakery #homebaking #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness
You absolutely DO NOT need to make fondant cakes to have a successful Home Bakery Business! Learn how I've been baking, full-time, for 6 years without EVER touching fondant! Click to learn how you can do it too... #homebakery #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness #homebaking #baking
One of the BEST ways to make your home bakery business stand out from your competition, is to pick a business name that actually attracts customers! In this post you'll get a behind the scenes look at what customers look for in a business name. You'll finally understand which types of business names attract them to a baking business, and which types of names put them off or bore them. Click the post to get the tips now! #homebakery #bakingbusiness #businessname #baking #homebaking
Plan your Home/Micro Bakery in 1 afternoon. Download this free Home/Micro Bakery Business Plan template to start turning your passion for baking into an income.

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

Share
Pin1K
1K Shares
6 Reasons Why Home Bakeries Should NOT Bake Wedding Cakes

6 Reasons Why Home Bakeries Should NOT Bake Wedding Cakes

by | Home Baking Biz Tips

6 Reasons Why Home Bakeries Should NOT Bake Wedding Cakes

Did I hit a nerve with this post title?

Honestly, if some blogger told me 4 years ago that I should NOT be baking wedding cakes, I would have slapped them.

I completely understand this because, more often than not, wedding cakes are the MAIN source of income for bakers, right? So HOW will your baking business survive if you don’t bake wedding cakes?!

Maybe wedding cakes have been YOUR Home Bakery’s main source of income up until now…

The idea of being a full-time baker and never baking wedding cakes IS quite absurd to most home bakers. Probably because clients pay hundreds (and sometimes thousands) for wedding cakes. Who DOESN’T want a piece of that action?!

Wedding cakes are typically quite huge, need to feed lots of people and require extensive decor which you can charge extra for – so what’s NOT to love?

 

I did bake wedding cakes (among other things) during the first 3 years I baked from home.

Although I was stressing my face off, they did work out and every client was happy!

But over time I’ve realized that although the wedding cake scene might be exciting and prestigious, it is (shockingly) NOT the most practical or profitable source of income for a home baking business.

And after reading this post you’ll understand WHY.

I know this is completely going against everything you’ve SEEN in the baking world. It’s hard to even THINK about considering an alternative approach than wedding cakes.

But if you’ve regularly been worrying about where your next customer is going to come from, this post is totally going to help you understand WHY you’re struggling to get consistent clients.

So please read this with an open mind. You owe it to yourself to at least check this out if your current Home Bakery approach hasn’t been getting you consistent sales.

This post is here to HELP you reach success in your Home Bakery business!

Here are the 6 Reasons why Home Bakeries should NOT bake wedding cakes.

The wedding cake scene is exciting & prestigious, BUT it's (shockingly) NOT the most profitable source of income for a home baking business! I know this is completely going against everything you’ve SEEN in the baking world. But if you’ve regularly been worrying about where your next customer is going to come from, this post is totally going to help you understand WHY you’re struggling to get consistent clients in your Home Bakery Business! #baking #cakebusiness #homebaking #bakingbusiness

 

1. Weddings Are ONCE Off, Not Ongoing

When I first considered baking part time, I had a short interview with an acquaintance of mine to learn more about the whole home baking scene.

I’d been to multiple weddings that she’d baked for.

She bakes SUPER delicious cakes…

Her baking is honestly some of the most delicious baking I’ve EVER had. My mouth is watering just thinking about the flavours and textures of her bakes!

And on top of that she’s phenomenally creative! Her cakes and cupcakes are works of ART. Every design is totally unique and leaves everyone in awe.

Here’s the thing though; over her 6 years of baking, she’s only really baked for weddings. And in all that time she hasn’t been able LEAVE her day job and bake full time.

Despite her talent, despite her 6 years of HARD work, despite her TOP NOTCH QUALITY products and great reputation… She still hasn’t been able to make enough money to even bake PART time – never mind FULL time!

Her baking is definitely not the problem.

It’s her NICHE that’s the problem. (A niche means that you specialize in solving a very specific problem for a specific type of customer).

👉 Follow this link to join my Free Resource Library and get the >> FREE GUIDE: How to Find the Perfect Niche for Your Home Bakery.

I’ve found that people who order wedding cakes are unfortunately ONCE off buyers 98% of the time. And they know it! They know they’re only ordering for their wedding and will never order from you again.

They’re not the home-baked-goods type of people. They’re just getting a cake for the tradition and novelty of it.

These couples buy a cake from you once and then you’ll never see them again.

No matter how delicious and beautiful your cake was – 98% of the time you just won’t hear from them again. Remember that they are not actually your ideal clients. Your ideal clients are people who are regular cake buyers.

And even if the wedding couple are regular-baked-goods-buyers, they will probably label you as their “wedding cake baker” and not their “weekly baker”.

For a Home Bakery to be successful you need CONSISTENT, super regular business and the wedding cake niche cannot provide that for you.

Your baked goods probably aren’t the reason you’ve been struggling to get a consistent income.

🌟 Your NICHE determines the consistency of your sales.

On the other hand; investing your energy and care in baking for handpicked restaurants, coffee shops, delis and direct loyal clients is super sustainable.

They guarantee consistent, long term business and will keep your home bakery operating FULL TIME for as long as YOU choose! It’s AWESOME!

 

2. Super High Stakes

Wedding cakes are usually quite colossal, right?

I remember I only wanted to stick to baking cupcakes when I first started my home bakery. Mostly because the thought of dropping a regular 8-inch cake was already too stressful for me to handle!

Eventually I was able to gather some courage and started baking 9-inch cakes. These cakes are now the financial backbone of my home bakery and I’m very grateful that I haven’t dropped one yet!

But with wedding cakes there is SO MUCH at stake if something goes wrong!

Do you remember that episode in Cake Boss where they made a cake for this girl called Lexi? Due to some poor communication between 2 of the guys, they accidentally dropped the ginormous 4 tier cake down the stairs… 😱

 

This cake had taken the team DAYS to bake and now they were forced to recreate it in just 1 and a half hours!! NO THANKS!!

Fortunately, they are a huge bakery and always have extra sponge cake on standby, so they could make it happen.

But in our Home Bakeries we don’t have the time, money or physical space to always have extra cake lying around for “in case” we drop a cake!

Home bakers also typically work alone. This means we definitely don’t have a team of 6 bakers and decorators who can all jump in and make a cake happen in 1 and a half hours.

And always remember that wedding dates and times are SET IN STONE. This means you can’t ask the client for even a tiny extension.

So, in a nutshell: With wedding cakes the stakes (and therefor the stress) is SO MUCH HIGHER and if something goes wrong, it WILL be the end of the world.

 

3. Brides Can Be… Challenging

Dear oh dear… Business in and of itself is already challenging. Doing business with a stressed, tired, high-strung bride is seriously not for everyone.

Yes, you charge them for their cake and the time it will take you to create it.

But what you WON’T be charging for is the HOURS of texting back and forth that she should not worry. “YES (for the fifth time) the cake will turn out just fine and yes I did take notes (detailed, to the letter) of all the details you want.”

No matter how clearly and sincerely you explain that you’ve got it under control, they WILL text you again in 2 weeks to chat through all the same things – again.

They are just tired and stressed out. Unfortunately you might need to be at the receiving end of that a few times with a lot of grace and patience… and free time you’re not being paid for.

I’ve personally dealt with a bride that kept phoning and texting for the entire 6 months leading up to their wedding. All in all, the extra communication took about 4 HOURS. I didn’t get to charge a penny for all that time and effort – and neither will you.

And when you don’t get paid for all those work hours you end up making a loss.

 

4. Always More Money & More Time

Wedding Cakes are often like… very large building projects (Forgive my architecture half for kicking in).

My husband and I have been talking quite extensively about his architecture office. They have these super rich clients that often use the architectural services of my husband’s office.

Because their project is so vast, it’s difficult to take account of absolutely every little detail and cost right at the very beginning when payment is calculated and made.

The clients also keep changing their minds every week about what they want – even after building materials have been ordered!

This results in unforeseen extra work and costs which the clients never end up paying for.

The architecture company always ends up absorbing all the extra costs. They do it because they want the high paying client to be happy. They also don’t want to get a bad reputation for “not caring” or putting out a sub-standard building.

Brides are exactly the same.

ALL brides (myself included) expect everything to be PERFECT for their once-in-a-lifetime event. They want the entire day to match the ideal they’ve been dreaming of for decades.

So, it often happens that they see a new detail (after they’ve paid for a different cake) on Instagram or Pinterest or Instagram that they now want to add to their cake.

This means that there will always be extra things the bride wants to add or remove from the cake – often last minute when it’s too late or trivial to charge for it.

The “magic of a wedding day” can become this cause that will manipulate you into going above and beyond what was agreed upon and not getting paid extra for it.

If someone told me 4 years ago that I should STOP baking wedding cakes in my Home Bakery Business, I would've SLAPPED them! I know this is completely going against everything you’ve SEEN in the baking world. But if you’ve regularly been worrying about where your next customer is going to come from, this post is totally going to help you understand WHY you’re struggling to get consistent clients in your Home Bakery Business! #baking #cakebusiness #homebaking #bakingbusiness

 

5. Constant Search for NEW Clients

The general intention is to only get married once. One marriage, one wedding, one client couple, one order, ONE cake. Even if the cake is huge, it is ultimately still only ONE cake.

As I mentioned earlier, wedding cake couples will unfortunately label you as their “wedding cake baker” and not their “weekly baker”. This means they will order from you once for their wedding and then never again.

If your home bakery relies on wedding cakes, you will need to spend SO much time, energy and money to find and reel in more ONCE OFF wedding cake clients.

If you live in a large city where loads of young people keep pouring in, getting new wedding cake clients will be less difficult, but if you live in a small town – forget it!

But even if you’re in a large city, you’ll NEVER be able to compete with the large, popular bakeries. They’ve got an advertising budget that’s literally 100 times what you’ve got.

They’ve got the resources and reputation to intercept all the new brides and to keep you invisible. You just can’t swim with these large sharks in the tiny wedding cake pond.

This whole process is super tiresome and unsustainable.

I’d much rather invest my limited resources and energy into securing sources that get me CONSISTENT orders on repeat – like building up a LOYAL client base and/or baking restaurants & coffee shops.

With the right strategies you can create a stable income for your Home Bakery WITHOUT ever paying a cent for advertising!

I NEVER pay for advertising – and yet my home bakery has been fully booked since 2015.

If you want my strategies for creating a Home Bakery with consistent orders and a stable income then my FREE Masterclass is perfect for you 👉 Register here!

 

6. Creative Restriction

Brides always have a VERY SPECIFIC idea of what they want their cake to look like. Let’s just say they’re MORE than ready to show you their Pinterest Board for wedding cakes.

Wedding cakes are, for the most part, super prescriptive. Meaning, the BRIDES decide what you’re baking and you’ve got no say in it.

Although it does help when a client provides you some direction with a design, they’ll unfortunately (probably) not ask you to use your own intuition or creativity.

If you’re well known for your wedding cakes and are labelled as a unique wedding cake artist, then they might consider your opinion. But still, probably not.

All bakers are generally creative people and this restriction can lead to mounds of frustration & exhaustion from constraining yourself. It can even result some conflict with the bride when you take the “risk” of having a different idea to hers.

And if the bride is a friend or family member it can become very difficult to protect the relationship.

 

Collectively, these 6 reasons have been MORE THAN ENOUGH to convince me to stop baking wedding cakes for ever. And I hope they’ve given you some perspective too!

I’m less stressed, happier, my business is WAY MORE successful and I have more creative freedom.

It’s worked brilliantly to rather DEFINE MY OWN NICHE. My niche isn’t dominated by large, prestigious bakeries. Finding my own niche is how I was able to start a FULL TIME Home Bakery Business. And YOU can do it too!

Would you like to find your own niche too??

👉 Follow this link to join my Free Resource Library and get the >> FREE GUIDE: How to Find the Perfect Niche for Your Home Bakery.

What’s your stance on baking wedding cakes? I’d love to hear what you think, so comment below!

Chat soon

Aurelia 😊

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers build calm, profitable businesses that actually fit their lives by fixing the underlying reasons their orders are inconsistent – not by throwing more marketing, trends, or pressure at it.

Learn more →

POPULAR BAKING TIPS

Don't throw out your split chocolate ganache! You can save it and make is 100% smooth & shiny! :D Click through for all the tips you need to fix and prevent split/oily/grainy chocolate ganache. #chocolateganache #splitganache #bakingtips #bakingtipsandtricks
Want to get that thin, super shiny crust on top of your brownies? Great news is, you don't need to drop your favourite brownie recipe in search of a shiny-top brownie recipe! You can use this simple baking tip to get a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe that contains dairy and sugar! Click through to get the step by step method for baking brownies with a shiny crust on top... #baking #bakingtips #brownies #homebaking #bakingtipsandtricks

POPULAR BAKING BIZ TIPS

Want to start a Home Bakery Business? Or maybe you have a business but you want more customers and consistent orders? Here's a free library full of resources, tips, tools, secret recipes and ideas to grow your Home Baking Business. Click through to access the free library! #homebakery #homebaking #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness
You absolutely DO NOT need to make fondant cakes to have a successful Home Bakery Business! Learn how I've been baking, full-time, for 6 years without EVER touching fondant! Click to learn how you can do it too... #homebakery #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness #homebaking #baking
One of the BEST ways to make your home bakery business stand out from your competition, is to pick a business name that actually attracts customers! In this post you'll get a behind the scenes look at what customers look for in a business name. You'll finally understand which types of business names attract them to a baking business, and which types of names put them off or bore them. Click the post to get the tips now! #homebakery #bakingbusiness #businessname #baking #homebaking

POPULAR POSTS

How much income is your home bakery missing out on every month because you keep undercharging for your baking? It shouldn't be this way! You deserve to be paid well for your hard work! In this post you'll learn how to stop feeling guilty for charging customers full price. Then you'll get step-by-step tips for raising your prices so you can start earning more income from your home baking :) #homebakery #homebakerypricing #cakebusiness #homebakingbusiness
Struggling to find time for yourself and your family in your home bakery business? These AMAZING time management tips from a 6+ years full-time home baker are exactly what you need! Learn how to use what you've got to get your baking done faster. Learn how to prioritize and plan effectively so you are in charge of your schedule, make a great profit, and don't burn out in the process! #homebaking #homebakery #athomebakery #cakebusiness #cupcakebusiness
How do you price home baking? What if you charge too little for your home baking and don't make enough income? What if your home baking's prices are too high and no customers want to buy from you? In this post you'll learn how to do your baked goods pricing the RIGHT way, so you can make more profit and even turn home baking into your career! #homebakery #bakerypricing #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness

Do you dream of starting a home bakery, but then thoughts of self-doubt like these start flooding your mind… “People aren’t going to think my baking is worth it. All the other bakers are better than me. I’m not good enough.” Truth is pretty much ALL home bakers get these thoughts! You’re not alone! In this post you’ll learn how to beat self doubt so you can be free to pursue your baking business goals. Click through to get the tips now… #homebaking #selfdoubt #homebakery #bakingbusiness #baking
Plan your Home/Micro Bakery in 1 afternoon. Download this free Home/Micro Bakery Business Plan template to start turning your passion for baking into an income.

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

Share
Pin59
59 Shares

Home Bakery Marketing Ideas: How to Promote Your Home Bakery & Get More Exposure

Home Bakery Marketing Ideas: How to Promote Your Home Bakery & Get More Exposure

by | Home Baking Biz Tips

Home Bakery Marketing Ideas: How to Promote Your Home Bakery Business & Get More Exposure

Hey fellow baking nerd!

If you’re here reading this post it probably means that:

  1. You know your baking tastes GREAT (your friends & family keep raving about it!).
  2. But you’ve realized it’s quite hard to find PEOPLE who will buy your bakes! Where do you find them?! How do you market your delicious home baking to them?

Knowing how to market your Home/Micro Bakery Business is essential for every Home Bakery Owner! Getting the word out and getting more exposure is how you get customers, right?

For some home bakers, this isn’t such a big deal and they get on with their ideas for spreading the word about their home bakery. For other home bakers, it’s a source of panic and dread to tell people about their business!

I absolutely fall in the last category! So there’s no shame whatsoever if the thought of “getting the word out” makes you sweaty and anxious.

These tips work for BOTH introverted and extroverted home bakers!

 

The most important thing you need to know right off the bat is that there’s no silver bullet that will fix everything and suddenly get you hundreds of home bakery clients.

Is there ONE ingredient in a super delicious bake?

Is there ONE step in the method?

Nope.

Some recipes have over 30 ingredients and 40 method steps in them – especially if it’s from incredible desserts like Adriano Zumbo’s for example.

In the same way, a successful home bakery doesn’t have just one ingredient or one method-step in it.

When a baking business succeeds it’s because there are lots of elements working together in harmony. Just like with the best recipes.

So IF you’ve been hoping for shortcuts, silver bullets, quick tips, etc. that will get you hundreds of clients in 1 month, I encourage you to let that go.

Please save yourself the frustration and disappointment!

>> Try not to look for quick fixes.

Through my own painful, frustrating experiences I’ve found that when we look for quick fixes, we’re really just avoiding our own growth – and success. These beginning phases are a vital part of your journey and story.

If you want a home bakery that gets consistent sales every week; pursue LEARNING & GROWING. The more you truly learn and grow, the more your business will grow.

RELATED: 7 Books every home bakery owner needs to read

When I started my goal was to have a successful home bakery. Maybe that’s your goal right now?

But over time I’ve found that this is actually a very random and difficult goal. This goal makes it very hard to live your life day to day because the goal is sooooo far into the future that it makes you feel like you’re failing right now!

🌟 The BEST goal is to endeavour to be a better Home Bakery owner than you were yesterday.

When learning & growing are your focus, your success becomes INEVITABLE! That’s just how it works and you’ll learn to love it!

Okay, let me step down from my soap box and give you 4 tips to get the word out when you want more exposure for your Home Bakery Business 🙂

And no, you’re not going to pay money for advertising.

Paid advertising is not how I roll – just ask my course students. If a business needs to pay for advertising, it means it wasn’t built the right way. The great news is; that you can totally create a sold-out home bakery without ever paying for advertising! I’ve done it and so have my students. And so can YOU!

Here’s how you get the word out, get more exposure and promote your Home Bakery Business…

Getting the word out about your Home Bakery Business is VITAL for getting clients! If that makes you feel confused or panicked, just use my 5 tips to get you started :) These tips apply for BOTH introverted and extroverted home bakers! #baking #homebaking #bakingbusiness #homebakery

 

1. You Start by Marketing Your Home/Micro Bakery to Your Network of Friends, Family, Colleagues, etc.

“Duh! Thanks Captain Obvious.”

I know.

But before I share any other tips with you, you need to know this foundational tip first.

Every single business on planet earth STARTS by telling your friends & family about it. And then they might tell other friends about it who could be interested in your products or services.

I’m sure you also want REAL clients and feel that friends & family kind of “don’t count as clients”. I felt this way too! But this thought is SO not true! Family & friends who buy from you ABSOLUTELY count as clients. (Side note – never give them more than a 10% discount though. If you feel too guilty about charging 90% or struggle with pricing your bakes >> check out my post on pricing.)

But honestly, there’s no way around this CRUCIAL first step and it’s where every humble new business begins.

If you want to start a new business, reach out to the network of people you already have in your life right now.

**Note: If you moved recently and/or don’t have a network of friends & family to promote your baked goods to, that’s okay! You can create a thriving Home Bakery without a network of friends. You can change your marketing strategy and market your home baking to local businesses instead. The FREE *Repeat Order Ready* email series shows you how.**

I know first-hand how scary it is to contact all your friends & family to tell them you’re starting a home baking business – because I’ve been there!

But as I keep telling my students, fear isn’t a sign that you’re not ready. Fear is simply a sign that you’re HUMAN. That’s it.

Don’t complicate this step for yourself. It’s like ripping off a Band-Aid.

Just write a message, send it to everyone, and be done with it. If you wait to “feel 100% ready” to tell people about your business, you’ll be waiting forever.

Commit yourself to just do it. Choose a date and time that you’re going to send the message. Put this date and time on your calendar. You’ll only do this if you put it on your calendar. If it’s not on your calendar, you’ll always find another reason to procrastinate.

Then when the date and time roll around – honour your OWN commitment!

 

2. Strategic Local Marketing Ideas for Your Home Bakery

Now we’re going to get into some more intense tips. Don’t move on to these next tips if you didn’t do tip #1 yet. Promise me!

Okay cool, let’s move on.

Certain ingredients just taste better when they’re local, right?

Like honey, eggs, certain cheeses, wine, olive oil, and sometimes even things like chocolate and butter!

Yes, they’re often more expensive.

But don’t let that get in your way because there’s a great opportunity here!

Let’s say there’s a local chocolaterie whose chocolate you absolutely love. They’ve got a great reputation, lots of fans, and a large social media following.

  1. Go to their store. Take a photo of yourself at their store. Share the photo on your Instagram stories with text describing why you love their chocolate so much and tag the chocolaterie in the post too.
  2. Buy some chocolate, and take it home.
  3. Bake something super yummy with it. Take beautiful photos of the bakes.
  4. Put them in a box with your logo on it. Take a photo of the box and share it on your Instagram stories and tag the chocolaterie in the post too.
  5. Take the bakes as a FREE GIFT to the chocolate shop for the owners & staff with a handwritten note to say thank you for their amazing chocolate that’s the best in the world.


Odds are they’ll give you a shout-out on their social media! With such a kind gesture – and PRAISE for their product that makes THEM look good – they’ll probably give you a shout-out!

I’ve done this with lots of high-quality local products. And as a result, I get seen by their customers on their social media – who clearly already love delicious food (hint-hint *ideal customer alert!).

This strategy also increases your business’s reputation because you’re associating yourself with a high-rep, established business. And they’re associating themselves with you. This does wonders for your reputation – especially when you’re a NEW business.

Please note that you need to be HONEST here. Don’t say their product is “the best in the world” if you don’t mean it.

And your photos need to look nice. If they don’t look nice the business might not be so eager to share your photos spontaneously. Click here to get some of the photo tips I’ve shared on Instagram.

Are you struggling to get clients & sales in your home bakery business? Promoting your business and getting more exposure is essential for your success. Most bakers believe you need to pay money for advertising, but that's an outdated strategy that will leave you broke and disappointed. Click through to get EFFECTIVE strategies for promoting your baking business without paying money for advertising at all! #baking #bakingbusiness #homebaking #homebusiness

 

3. Use local, food-related Hashtags on Instagram

I used to think hashtags are just these random things you use on Instagram because everyone’s doing it. But hashtags are SUPER STRATEGIC my friend!

I learned everything I know about hashtags from Instagram expert Carla Biesinger.

As a local business, you need to use LOCAL hashtags to get seen by your ideal clients – who are local!

Let me use my own Home Bakery as an example:

I live in Cape Town, so if I want Cape-Townians to find me on Instagram, it won’t help to use the hashtag #baking. First of all, it’s a super popular hashtag, so my post will just disappear down the line.

Secondly, it doesn’t reach my IDEAL client who LOVES food and lives in Cape Town!

Better hashtags to use will be #capetownfood #capetowndesserts #capetownfoodie.

They’re all very specific to my area AND they all revolve around food. These are the hashtags my ideal clients are using in THEIR posts, so odds are they check out these hashtags’ feed at least once a week.

You can find your best local food hashtags by going to the free Instavast Instagram Hashtag Generator. Click on free tools >> hashtag generator >> Keyword. Then type in your town/city in one word e.g. cape town.

Then they’ll give you a bunch of different ideas of local hashtags that are being used on Instagram already.

Just make sure you don’t use hashtags that have been used more than 200k times. When a hashtag is huge it becomes very difficult for small accounts to trend for this hashtag. Meaning, that your post won’t make it to the top 9 posts and get seen by lots of people.

And please use a local hashtag even if it’s tiny! if the hashtags are small and have only been used a few thousand times – use them! Quality matters here, not quantity.

Imagine if it’s only been used 2000 times, but then your post makes it to the top 9, and 63 ideal clients see your post! Imagine if just 10% of those people order, it’s still 6 orders which is a lot!

Using smaller, local food hashtags increases your chances of being discovered by your ideal clients.

 

4. Sell Your Baked Goods at Local Farmers’/Food Markets

Local Food Markets can be a brilliant way to showcase your bakes, get more exposure, and make some good money. Some annual Food Markets/Food Shows boast attendances of up to 20 000 people – craaaazy!

If there’s one thing that humans LOVE to do, and never seem to get tired of, it is eating GOOD food.

I’ve had my fair share of Food Market Stalls over the last 7 years. Was it worth it? YESSS!!!

If you can manage to trade at the exact same local Food Market for at least 6 months, you’ll build up a LOT of credibility and trust.

People might not see or notice your business the first 2 times. But when they KEEP SEEING you and your bakes, the odds that they’ll buy from you increases.

The repeated exposure you get from Food Markets is amazing. Plus, it’s the BEST way for you to learn how to interact with clients and confidently speak about your bakes.

Confidence mostly comes through repetition!

Want my tips for making your Food Market Stand stand out and attract more customers? Then join my FREE Home Bakery Resource Library to get those tips in a handy pdf. 

Want more home bakery clients, but struggling to get more exposure? Whether you're an introvert or extrovert I've got 5 practical tips for you to start getting more exposure for your baking business today! Click through to get the tips :) #baking #homebaking #cakebusiness #bakingbusiness #homebakery

 

5. Why Word-of-Mouth Still Wins for Marketing Your Home Bakery to Direct 1:1 Customers

Word of mouth is still, by far, the best strategy to grow a business! Whether you’ve just started your home bakery or been going for years; word of mouth trumps any other form of marketing.

Seriously; 1000 flyers are less effective than 1 person telling their best friend “Jane, you’ve GOT to order from this bakery!”

Remember this line: People buy from businesses they know, like, and trust.

If these things aren’t in place, people simply just won’t buy.

Word of mouth is SO effective because you’re essentially piggy-backing on the trust that people already have in their relationships.

Jane will buy from you because she trusts her best friend. With word of mouth, it’s irrelevant whether Jane trusts YOUR business or not.

So make sure your current clients (even if it’s just 2 friends and 3 family members right now) have the BEST possible experience with you!

If you take great care of your clients they WILL talk about your business. When a client loves your business, they’ll promote your business FOR you – and for free! It’s SO rad!

And here’s a little secret >> their experience with you is about so much more than just baked goods!

Remember that home baking is all about family and love. So, every single moment you’re in contact with a client you need to CARE.

Care about the things THEY care about. Care about the important details in their lives that you’re baking for. Always follow up. Always be kind and excited to see them.

Your business exists to serve your clients and make them feel good & special.

If you want more clients, be faithful with the clients you have now. Do for 4 people what you’re eager to do for 400.

6. Have you been struggling to get consistent orders?

Maybe you feel discouraged and hurt when customers who loved your baked goods just don’t order again?

I understand how you feel and you’re not alone!

I’d love to help and that’s why I’m suuuper excited to invite you to my FREE Email Series – Repeat Order Ready – that’s about…

How to ditch the one-off customer hustle and start getting consistent orders from local businesses instead.

IN THE FREE *REPEAT ORDER READY* EMAIL SERIES, YOU’LL DISCOVER…

… Why customers only order once and never again (even if they genuinely loved your baking)

… Cottage Food Law restrictions for repeat clients (spoiler: even if you can’t legally bake wholesale, you still have MANY options!)

… Pricing for repeat clients so you earn enough profit, but aren’t too expensive for them to say yes.

… How to keep up with orders if you have a small kitchen and a super busy life.

… Getting over the fear of rejection.

… Where to find ideal repeat clients that order from you repeatedly and consistently – not just once!

Join Free Email Series

Let’s get you those consistent orders you’re working so hard for!

I’ll see you in the series 🥳 

Aurelia

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers build calm, profitable businesses that actually fit their lives by fixing the underlying reasons their orders are inconsistent – not by throwing more marketing, trends, or pressure at it.

Learn more →

POPULAR BAKING BIZ TIPS

Want to start a Home Bakery Business? Or maybe you have a business but you want more customers and consistent orders? Here's a free library full of resources, tips, tools, secret recipes and ideas to grow your Home Baking Business. Click through to access the free library! #homebakery #homebaking #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness
You absolutely DO NOT need to make fondant cakes to have a successful Home Bakery Business! Learn how I've been baking, full-time, for 6 years without EVER touching fondant! Click to learn how you can do it too... #homebakery #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness #homebaking #baking
One of the BEST ways to make your home bakery business stand out from your competition, is to pick a business name that actually attracts customers! In this post you'll get a behind the scenes look at what customers look for in a business name. You'll finally understand which types of business names attract them to a baking business, and which types of names put them off or bore them. Click the post to get the tips now! #homebakery #bakingbusiness #businessname #baking #homebaking

POPULAR BAKING TIPS

Don't throw out your split chocolate ganache! You can save it and make is 100% smooth & shiny! :D Click through for all the tips you need to fix and prevent split/oily/grainy chocolate ganache. #chocolateganache #splitganache #bakingtips #bakingtipsandtricks
Want to get that thin, super shiny crust on top of your brownies? Great news is, you don't need to drop your favourite brownie recipe in search of a shiny-top brownie recipe! You can use this simple baking tip to get a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe that contains dairy and sugar! Click through to get the step by step method for baking brownies with a shiny crust on top... #baking #bakingtips #brownies #homebaking #bakingtipsandtricks

POPULAR POSTS

How much income is your home bakery missing out on every month because you keep undercharging for your baking? It shouldn't be this way! You deserve to be paid well for your hard work! In this post you'll learn how to stop feeling guilty for charging customers full price. Then you'll get step-by-step tips for raising your prices so you can start earning more income from your home baking :) #homebakery #homebakerypricing #cakebusiness #homebakingbusiness
Struggling to find time for yourself and your family in your home bakery business? These AMAZING time management tips from a 6+ years full-time home baker are exactly what you need! Learn how to use what you've got to get your baking done faster. Learn how to prioritize and plan effectively so you are in charge of your schedule, make a great profit, and don't burn out in the process! #homebaking #homebakery #athomebakery #cakebusiness #cupcakebusiness
How do you price home baking? What if you charge too little for your home baking and don't make enough income? What if your home baking's prices are too high and no customers want to buy from you? In this post you'll learn how to do your baked goods pricing the RIGHT way, so you can make more profit and even turn home baking into your career! #homebakery #bakerypricing #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness

Do you dream of starting a home bakery, but then thoughts of self-doubt like these start flooding your mind… “People aren’t going to think my baking is worth it. All the other bakers are better than me. I’m not good enough.” Truth is pretty much ALL home bakers get these thoughts! You’re not alone! In this post you’ll learn how to beat self doubt so you can be free to pursue your baking business goals. Click through to get the tips now… #homebaking #selfdoubt #homebakery #bakingbusiness #baking
Plan your Home/Micro Bakery in 1 afternoon. Download this free Home/Micro Bakery Business Plan template to start turning your passion for baking into an income.

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

Share
Pin1K
1K Shares
7 Books Every Home Bakery Business Owner Needs to Read

7 Books Every Home Bakery Business Owner Needs to Read

by | Home Baking Biz Tips

 7 Books Every Home Bakery Business Owner Needs to Read

First of all you’ve got to know that I hate reading.

There, I’ve said it.

My husband, Adriaan, can read for hooouuuuurs on end.

But to me, reading is just… well… boring.

So the fact that I’m recommending books to you today means that these books are nothing short of MIRACULOUS.

Books may be boring to me in general, yes.

But when a book has the power to turn your business around from losing 70% of your profit to being fully booked – FOR 3 MONTHS IN ADVANCE – then it’s everything but “boring”, right?!

 

Books have saved my Home Bakery Business.

The amount of knowledge experts share in books is astounding!

They’ll honestly share $1500 worth of info in a book that you can buy for just $15.

Books are the most AFFORDABLE way to transform your life and business. Period.

I do offer a whole bunch of online courses to help home bakers get consistent sales and grow their home baking into a full-time career, but I realize that this route isn’t for everyone.

Very often, it’s just impossible – financially – to join an online course.

But an online course isn’t the only way to be successful.

YES, reading is “boring”, but a successful baking business sure isn’t! Don't avoid reading books like I did for the first 4 years in my home bakery. Experts seriously share $1500 worth of information in their books which they sell for $10 - $15! When I finally started reading books to help my business, I became fully booked for up to months in advance. Start reading these books NOW so that you can get more home baking business clients & sales! #homebaking #homebakery #bakingbusiness #athomebakery

 

Gosh, there sure weren’t any online courses to help ME on my home bakery journey! So the ONLY option I had was to fall on my face >> thousands of times.

And eventually my husband convinced me to stop whining about how tough life is and read a book about how to MAKE my baking business successful.

It took about 6 years of trial & error, reading, testing strategies, tweaking strategies, making mistakes, apologizing, learning and GROWING…

But it was worth it!

Reaching your goals and GROWING as a person is always worth it.

Doing it all yourself often just takes a long time.

The great advantage of my online courses is that you’ll take a severe shortcut to home bakery business success. I’ve got a student who’s gone from a full-time desk job to full-time home baking in 10 months – which is a whole lot shorter than 6 years, right?

But I repeat; an online course isn’t the only way to be successful.

You CAN absolutely DIY your Home Bakery success path!

And books are the most affordable and effective way to do that.

Please note: This post has affiliate links. This means that if you purchase some of these products I get a tiny commission – but at NO extra cost to you. I’m super proud to recommend these resources to you because they’ve completely transformed my Home Bakery Business!

Let me fill you in on the 7 Books every Home Bakery owner needs to read.

I’m going to list them in order of importance from a beginner level Home Bakery (thinking about starting) to an advanced level Home Bakery (baking full-time).

 

1. The Heart to Start – David Kadavy

This is a short, funny and sweet book that’s perfect for any creative person – which absolutely includes home bakers!

>> If you struggle with self-doubt…

>> Or with having the guts to put yourself and your baking out there…

>> Or you’re a perfectionist that finds excuses NOT to start your Home Bakery (totally raising my own hand too, by the way!)…

This is the book you need.

The Heart to Start breaks down all the reasons we don’t start putting ourselves out there. When you understand WHY you’re hesitant to let your creativity shine, it becomes so much simpler to overcome your procrastination.

He gives it to you straight. He gives you truckloads of perspective that will OPEN YOUR EYES like never before!

You’ll finally understand yourself and how to get out of your own way so you can START the things you were meant to start.

books for home bakery business owners - the heart to start by David Kadavy

 

2. The $100 Startup – Chris Guillebeau

Where do I begin to express my deep gratitude for this book?…

I was a stubborn home baker that didn’t want to learn ANYTHING about business and marketing. I just wanted to BAKE!

To me the business side felt overwhelming, super scary and boring all at the same time.

For the first 4 years in my Home Bakery Business I kept praying that God would send me someone to handle the business side FOR me.

“Aurelia; you just handle the baking, I’ll handle the business stuff and we’ll all live happily ever after.”

This is what I wanted.

But God did not give me this…

You see dear friend, we spend so much time praying for things to be easier.

And instead of miraculously making our lives easier, God often gives us opportunities to GROW – which will eventually make our lives a bit easier (in that department at least).

But it’s NOT instant.

So when we see the opportunities to GROW instead of the miracle quick-fix, we get upset.

I understand because I often do this too! Even still today!

But because I’d just lost my biggest client and 70% of my income I literally had nothing else to do but read this book.

Guess what happened?

The $100 Startup made me fall in love with business & marketing.

And I’ve been smitten ever since!

This book helped me to realize that if you’re serious about making a profit, you can’t afford to NOT learn about business & marketing.

Business & Marketing isn’t like the dishes and cleaning in your business. This is not something you ignore and hand off to someone else to handle for you.

If you’re serious about making baking your career, you’ll grab the opportunity to learn from this book as soon as possible.

It’s easy to read, realistic and it gets you results.

books for home bakery business owners - the $100 startup by Chris Guillebeau

 

3. How to Avoid a Soggy Bottom – Gerard Baker

This is my favourite baking book of all time. But here comes the plot twist… it’s NOT a recipe book!

How to Avoid a Soggy Bottom is all about the technical science of baking.

There’s nothing worse than baking up a flop and assuming that you were “just unlucky today”.

There’s no such thing.

Baking is a SCIENCE. That’s one of the things I love most about it!

When a bake flops there are always reasons WHY.

Understanding the science of baking is the BIGGEST leap you can take towards improving the quality of your baking.

The better you can understand the science of baking, the better your bakes will turn out and the more consistent your baking will be.

How to Avoid a Soggy Bottom answers a whopping 150 essential baking questions! And with this knowledge your flops will be a thing of the past.

books for home bakery business owners - how to avoid a soggy bottom by Gerard Baker

 

4. Show Your Work – Austin Kleon

For YEARS I thought I always had to put my “best foot forward” in my business to be successful. Maybe you think that’s what you should do too?

We home bakers tend to follow hundreds of popular bakers on Instagram. We see their perfect baked goods, with perfect photos taken in their perfect kitchens.

Then we assume we need to replicate that perfection before our work is “good enough” to share on Instagram.

You see, we make the mistake of thinking that we’re either:

a] Baking for ourselves OR
b] Baking for our baking-heroes

While NEITHER of these is true.

>> Your clients don’t follow hundreds of bakers on Instagram like you do!

>> They don’t stare at your average-ish website criticizing it for hours on end like you do.

>> They’re not looking up every single baker in your town or city and laying out a crime investigation board with photos to determine who the “best” and “most deserving” baker is!

You’re not baking for yourself and you’re not baking for your “competition”. You’re baking for your CLIENTS.

If you want to become a successful entrepreneur, spend your energy thinking about what matters to your CLIENTS.

And one of the biggest things your clients want is to feel like they’re included in something meaningful. They want to be PART of something special.

Show Your Work gives you practical tips for how to make your customers feel like they are a vital PART of your business.

The book shows you how to INCLUDE your clients in your business and as a result you’ll win their attention, hearts and they’ll sing your praises from their rooftops!

books for home bakery business owners - show your work by Austin Kleon

 

5. Building a Story Brand – Donald Miller

For the first 5 years in my Home Bakery Business I always positioned my Home Bakery to “impress people”. I thought that’s what you need to do to get people’s attention. You need to IMPRESS them.

Maybe that’s how you feel right now in your business?

But people don’t buy because they’re impressed.

They buy when they clearly (and quickly) see that you UNDERSTAND their problems and can help them to solve their problems.

Here’s the most shocking truth of why businesses fail: They position themselves as the hero of the story. They make the story all about them and how amazing their company is.

But meanwhile all clients are only interested in ONE story – their OWN story!

Here’s a practical example:

We all tend to think we (and our home bakery business) are Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid movie.

On our social media and websites we parade around with our trophy trying to show people “Look at me & my business! My home bakery it legit! Look at the delicious things I make! Look at the list of organic ingredients I use! Come over here and read my life story that’s all about me!”

I did this too.

It’s how we all start out and there’s no shame in that because it’s what we see so many other businesses do.

But if you want your Home Bakery Business to GROW, you’re going to need to start to approach your business’ story DIFFERENTLY.

Truth is, my dear friend, we are NOT the hero of the story.

YOUR CLIENT is the hero.

Your business’ story is about guiding your client to success.

You’re Mr. Miyagi!! You are the GUIDE, not the hero.

A successful business is the one guiding Daniel (your client) and helping him to overcome his problems and reach success.

When your business is all about YOU, it won’t attract new clients. Plain and simple.

But when your business starts to revolve around your clients’ success, they start flocking to you automatically!

 

Believe it or not this is just ONE of the SEVEN steps that Donald Miller teaches you in his best-selling book – Building a StoryBrand.

When I started positioning my Home Bakery Business as the GUIDE and the client as the hero, things in my biz totally transformed!

Building a StoryBrand is THE BEST book on Marketing I’ve ever read. Period.

(The strategies in this book are a bit more advanced though. This book will only be beneficial to you once you’ve already got a website.)

Building a StoryBrand has changed my life!

You can also check out their podcast which is free and incredible >> Building a StoryBrand Podcast. But start at EPISODE 1! Don’t skip ahead and miss all the gold!

books for home bakery business owners - building a story brand by Donald Miller

 6. Deep Work – Cal Newport

Technology brings a lot of WONDERFUL advantages to our lives. If it weren’t for technology, my blog wouldn’t exist right now!

You’d have needed to WAIT for your hair to dry naturally this morning. And before that you would’ve needed to boil water over a fire for your bath!

Technology is awesome and it’s powerful.

But with great power comes great responsibility, right?

In Cal Newport’s book Deep Work, he fills us in on the greatest disadvantage of technology.

Fact is, technology has TRAINED us to be distracted.

So often I’ll grab my phone because I wanted to do something specific – like making a note of an idea.

Then suddenly, 10 minutes later, I realize I’ve been on Instagram (again) and completely forgot the reason I picked up my phone in the first place!

Come on, you know it’s happened to you too. Just admit it! No shame here.

The problem is that in such a distracted world of constantly checking emails, text messages, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, et freakin cetera… we spend so little time digging into the REAL creativity – the GOLD – within ourselves.

The kind of creativity, productivity, clarity of mind and deep work that requires more than 15 minutes of focus to access.

To get to your TRUE GENIUS, you need to focus on one thing for a few hours – not minutes.

>> Deep Work has helped me to access my BEST ideas.

>> It helps me to GET MORE DONE in LESS TIME every single day.

>> It’s helped me to organize my life to be less distracted and more present.

This book helps me DEFINE what exactly I want and how to get there faster, with more calm and less anxiety.

If you want to uncover your deepest creative genius,
and have a calmer life with less noise & more clarity,
and be more efficient & productive…

This is the book you need to get there.

books for home bakery business owners - deep work by Cal Newport

 

7. The E-Myth Revisited

This book is NOT for beginners.

When we start our Home Bakery Business, the one thing we keep wishing & praying for is MORE clients.

But as your Home Bakery grows so do the responsibilities and sense of overwhelm & obligation.

Over time you start longing for the days when things were smaller and simpler.

You’ll long for the days you could just bake 1 thing at a time – soaking in the beauty of baking.

Now you need to crank out 20 times that per day. You need to employ staff, but you’re SO scared they won’t care about your business the same way YOU do.

So you just soldier on and do everything yourself.

If you’ve been getting to that point where your Home Bakery is constantly fully booked, you’re baking 24/7 and feel like you’re juggling 100 balls at once – this book is SO for YOU!

The “E-Myth” stands for the “Entrepreneur-Myth”. Weird name, I know. But don’t let that put you off.

This single book has the power to save your life and your business – before it swallows you whole (which inevitably happens in EVERY small business).

In this book Michael Gerber tells us the story of his coaching journey with Sarah and her Pie Baking Business. (And let’s pause for a moment and acknowledge how beyond cool is it that his case study is a home baker, right?!)

You get to be a fly on the wall witnessing all their conversations.

The book starts where Sarah’s working 20 hours a day (yes, 20 hours isn’t a typo), 6 days a week. (And I know this is true because I’ve been there too.)

And it ends with she’s able to take a WEEK OFF while her business runs smooth as butter without her needing to be there. Isn’t that incredible?!

The E-myth Revisited asks you the questions you don’t want to hear.

It challenges you like no other book challenges a small business owner.

It will force you to acknowledge that businesses, like people, are destined to grow!

And you’ll learn exactly how to facilitate that growth of your business – without sacrificing quality, your marriage or health for it.

This book will help you to navigate and calm the storm of a growing business.

It will SIMPLIFY the growth process for you and help you to get more profit AND more balance back into your life.

TOTAL must read for advanced Home Bakery Owners!

books for home bakery business owners - the e-myth revisited by Michael Gerber

 

8. Find Your Why – Simon Sinek

Okay fine, I lied… There are 8 books. I just knew that “8 books” in the post title would look WAY more scary than 7!

But there’s another book I just CANNOT leave out.

And it’s Find Your Why.

“People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won’t truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it.

Start With Why shows that the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way — and it’s the opposite of what everyone else does.” – Excerpt from simonsinek.com.

So essentially this book is all about understanding how your clients THINK.

Why is that important to your business?

Because, dear friend, before a client buys from you they THINK a whole bunch of things that lead them to buying from you – OR from your competition.

The success of your business hinges on what your clients think and how they make decisions.

Find Your Why will help you understand why your clients aren’t connecting with you or your business and what you can do to fix that.

books for home bakery business owners - find your why by Simon Sinek

 

More Reading (if you’re into it)

I’m not going to talk about these books in detail. Just follow their links to read the descriptions and reviews, then you’ll understand why they’re so helpful!

Superfans by Pat Flynn (learn how to REALLY understand your customers and win their trust)
Atomic Habits by James Clear (there’s a reason this book has sold over 10 million copies! Just get it!)

 

Final Thoughts

There are SO many more books I could recommend, but maybe it’s best that I stop myself here.

Once again, I repeat – I really DON’T like reading at all. But these books have literally changed my Home Bakery Business and my life.

They’ve also been the perfect way SAVE MONEY & GROW at the same time. For example; my cousin who’s a marketing lecturer learned more from the Building a Story Brand book (which costs $16) than in his entire university education (which cost OVER $10,000).

Learning doesn’t need to be expensive.

Special shout-out; I’m extremely grateful to my bookworm husband that persisted in encouraging me to read. If you’re reading this, THANK YOU Fish-pie.

Please don’t be a book-allergic idiot like I was for the first 4 years in my business.

Start reading these books NOW so you can start changing the future of your business and life.

Reading is boring, but success sure isn’t!

Struggling to get home bakery clients & sales? Books are THE easiest, cheapest way to grow your baking business! I know reading seems boring - I mean, hate reading - but being successful sure isn't boring! Click through to learn about the books that transformed my home bakery into a fully booked success! #baking #homebakery #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness

 

And now I want to hear from YOU! Are there any books YOU’VE read that have made a significant impact on your baking or baking business?

Chat soon

Aurelia

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers build calm, profitable businesses that actually fit their lives by fixing the underlying reasons their orders are inconsistent – not by throwing more marketing, trends, or pressure at it.

Learn more →

POPULAR BAKING TIPS

Don't throw out your split chocolate ganache! You can save it and make is 100% smooth & shiny! :D Click through for all the tips you need to fix and prevent split/oily/grainy chocolate ganache. #chocolateganache #splitganache #bakingtips #bakingtipsandtricks
Want to get that thin, super shiny crust on top of your brownies? Great news is, you don't need to drop your favourite brownie recipe in search of a shiny-top brownie recipe! You can use this simple baking tip to get a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe that contains dairy and sugar! Click through to get the step by step method for baking brownies with a shiny crust on top... #baking #bakingtips #brownies #homebaking #bakingtipsandtricks

POPULAR BAKING BIZ TIPS

Want to start a Home Bakery Business? Or maybe you have a business but you want more customers and consistent orders? Here's a free library full of resources, tips, tools, secret recipes and ideas to grow your Home Baking Business. Click through to access the free library! #homebakery #homebaking #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness
You absolutely DO NOT need to make fondant cakes to have a successful Home Bakery Business! Learn how I've been baking, full-time, for 6 years without EVER touching fondant! Click to learn how you can do it too... #homebakery #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness #homebaking #baking
One of the BEST ways to make your home bakery business stand out from your competition, is to pick a business name that actually attracts customers! In this post you'll get a behind the scenes look at what customers look for in a business name. You'll finally understand which types of business names attract them to a baking business, and which types of names put them off or bore them. Click the post to get the tips now! #homebakery #bakingbusiness #businessname #baking #homebaking

POPULAR POSTS

How much income is your home bakery missing out on every month because you keep undercharging for your baking? It shouldn't be this way! You deserve to be paid well for your hard work! In this post you'll learn how to stop feeling guilty for charging customers full price. Then you'll get step-by-step tips for raising your prices so you can start earning more income from your home baking :) #homebakery #homebakerypricing #cakebusiness #homebakingbusiness
Struggling to find time for yourself and your family in your home bakery business? These AMAZING time management tips from a 6+ years full-time home baker are exactly what you need! Learn how to use what you've got to get your baking done faster. Learn how to prioritize and plan effectively so you are in charge of your schedule, make a great profit, and don't burn out in the process! #homebaking #homebakery #athomebakery #cakebusiness #cupcakebusiness
How do you price home baking? What if you charge too little for your home baking and don't make enough income? What if your home baking's prices are too high and no customers want to buy from you? In this post you'll learn how to do your baked goods pricing the RIGHT way, so you can make more profit and even turn home baking into your career! #homebakery #bakerypricing #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness

Do you dream of starting a home bakery, but then thoughts of self-doubt like these start flooding your mind… “People aren’t going to think my baking is worth it. All the other bakers are better than me. I’m not good enough.” Truth is pretty much ALL home bakers get these thoughts! You’re not alone! In this post you’ll learn how to beat self doubt so you can be free to pursue your baking business goals. Click through to get the tips now… #homebaking #selfdoubt #homebakery #bakingbusiness #baking
Plan your Home/Micro Bakery in 1 afternoon. Download this free Home/Micro Bakery Business Plan template to start turning your passion for baking into an income.

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

Share
Pin1K
1K Shares

X