home Interpreter How to spin cakes at home. Cake business can be done at home

How to spin cakes at home. Cake business can be done at home

Do you love homemade cakes? Do you like to please yourself and loved ones with pies and cakes? Then you should think about whether to turn this hobby into a profitable business. Today, many people prefer to give non-standard pastries or a unique cake that was made to order as gifts. Therefore, a home baking business can bring good revenue.

Why does entrepreneurship look so attractive? This is due to ease and accessibility. You just need to devote time to your favorite pastime, look for new recipes and create culinary masterpieces.

Opening a confectionery

What are the nuances you need to familiarize yourself with in order to open a home baking business? It should be understood that making cakes and cupcakes is a serious matter. Therefore, it is necessary to think over everything to the smallest detail. First, decide on the target audience. This stage includes several options.

Firstly, you can always start selling pies, buns, arrange delivery of muffins to offices and other small businesses.

Secondly, you can take orders. In this situation, not only buns and pies, but also wedding cakes will have to be baked. This direction is the most popular and profitable. However, you need to learn to position yourself correctly, you will need to become a master of your craft.

Thirdly, you can conclude an agreement with cooking or grocery store. This option will optimal solution for those who are trying to find a full-time job, not Additional income. You will need to purchase special equipment, produce a large number of products, hire employees.

Is registration required?

To open a home baking business, you will need to register as individual entrepreneur or not? It should be understood that the law of the Russian Federation prohibits the production of food products at home. And if every day you start carrying baking sheets with pies to the car through the entrance, then over time you will receive a complaint, which will lead to not very pleasant consequences.

The best option baking business at home - cakes with pies to order. It may seem to you that the profit from such an occupation will be less compared to the other two directions. However, it is not. Firstly, the number of additional problems is significantly lower, and income with a professional approach can be higher.

How to start baking cakes at home as a business? Registration is required by law. However, at the very beginning of its journey, it will bring extra costs, because you will have to pay taxes and insurance. Therefore, registration does not make much sense. At first, you just need to try yourself in this area, your strength. Over time, regular customers will appear, and then it will already be possible to register as an individual entrepreneur.

However, much depends on target audience. If you choose to work with people you know, small offices, and social media friends, you can put the paperwork on hold for a while. But if there are plans to cooperate with stores and grocery departments, without legalization entrepreneurial activity can't get by. In such a situation, registration is required immediately.

Business registration

By law, baking cakes at home as a business requires registration. However, there is still a sanitary book to issue. Subsequently, the entrepreneur will need to undergo regular medical examinations. This will avoid problems from the SES. It is this service that is responsible for issuing permits for the sale of muffins.

It should be noted that regulatory authorities are wary of those products that were made at home. This is due to the fact that at home it is very difficult to achieve the ideal conditions prescribed in the SanPiN norms. Therefore, it is worth preparing for the fact that periodically you will be checked.

Room issue

The main advantage of the home baking business is the low capital intensity. There is no need to rent premises, which is a significant advantage for newcomers or entrepreneurs who do not have a huge budget. All production and storage of products is carried out within the kitchen in an apartment or a private house.

Equipment

How to start a home baking business? It is worth thinking about purchasing equipment. At the present stage, there is a huge amount of very different equipment that will help prepare and bake products. One plate is not enough, do not forget about auxiliary equipment, consumables, utensils and various forms.

What may be required?

Plate. It must be powerful enough.
Oven.
Food processor.
Expendable materials, kitchen utensils, molds with stencils.
Mixer, juicer, deep fryer and blender.
You can not do without a separate refrigerator. Experienced entrepreneurs do not advise using the same equipment that contains family products.
Cream injector.

The list cannot be called small. However, at the initial stage, a cake baking business can be built by working with what is already in the kitchen. It is advisable to think over such trifles as product design. This could become calling card which will attract even more customers in the future.

Product design

What should be considered when writing a business plan? Baking at home at the present stage is a popular trend. To cope with the competition, you need to think over the design of the product. Remember, products can attract not only quality, but also their appearance. Standard cakes are also sold in ordinary stores. But from a confectionery, customers expect creativity, manifestations of creativity.

To decorate pastries, it is best to use natural and fresh products. For these purposes, chocolate, fruits with berries, various creams, etc. are suitable. If earlier multi-colored mastic was popular, today customers prefer natural and healthy products.

Use of raw materials

In the business plan for baking at home, it is necessary to indicate the raw materials used, its quality and cost. When choosing suppliers, it is best to focus on those options that will be the best in their price category. The most popular products are sugar, eggs, flour. The water must be fresh, not from the tap.

When buying raw materials, it is worth deciding on the volume of a perishable product so that it does not subsequently disappear. When choosing a storage location, it is necessary to take into account the norms of SanPiN. Otherwise, there will be later serious problems with review organizations.

The need for staff and advertising

You can build a home baking business on your own. However, the volumes in such a situation will not be too large. Most likely, assistants will still be needed at the stage of the formation of entrepreneurial activity. Since the business is home-based, family members can be involved. This will result in significant cost savings.

Word of mouth radio. This option is one of the most popular, because it does not require investments. Your services will be advertised by friends, acquaintances and relatives in their social circle.
Newspapers. The press is gradually disappearing, but advertising in a magazine can attract a lot of customers. Therefore, this option should not be discounted.
Social media. This option can be very effective. If you have an Instagram account, finding clients is not difficult. The entrepreneur will only need to post photos of products. The product description may be of additional interest.

Financial side

A home baking business plan should include expense and income items. How much will you need to invest in a business? The main costs include processing costs. To register a business, issue a sanitary book and get an opinion from the SES, you will need to spend about 10 thousand rubles. The same amount will be spent on the purchase of equipment. However, it should be understood that equipment will have to be bought in addition over time.

Monthly costs are difficult to determine. Much will depend on the volume of production and the cost of raw materials. In this situation, the opinion of customers can play an important role. If they want you to make your own cake High Quality, then it is better to listen to their opinion. But the cost of the finished product will be higher. If it was decided to hire an assistant, you will have to spend part of the money on wages.

The approximate cost of a cake is an average of 600 rubles per kilogram. The margin can vary up to 50%. It depends primarily on the complexity of the product. As a result, 20 kg of baking can bring up to 40 thousand rubles of net profit. With a professional approach to business, the business will pay off in the first few months.

What do seasoned entrepreneurs say?

As the reviews show, the home baking business has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. The negative points include the fact that in the warm season the number of orders usually decreases. This disadvantage can be avoided if you are engaged in the manufacture of cakes to order. In such a situation, the load summer time will increase.

You can work with orders without looking up from household chores. And that is the advantage of being an entrepreneur. You can also independently build a schedule, determine income and expenses. According to reviews, confectionery activities help to fully express their creative abilities and imagination.

One of the most common types of income for women is baking. This business is good because you can start it at home. At the first stage, you will not need a professional kitchen, assistants and expensive ingredients. Any housewife who loves to cook knows that from simple and affordable products you can cook a truly masterpiece that will be not only tasty, but also beautiful. You can learn how to make custom-made cakes that are popular among the people from many sources. Today it is the Internet, and all kinds of culinary publications. If there is such an opportunity, then you can refer to the old records of grandmothers and mothers. Home cookbooks usually contain the most successful and proven recipes. Decorations that each housewife can come up with to her taste or the choice of the customer will help to make custom-made products unusual and recognizable.

How to start your own cake business

One of the important points in the business of baking cakes is the ability to sell your products.. From the experience of home needlewomen, it is known that you can start by treating colleagues and acquaintances with your sweets. People are more willing to pay money for a product that they have tried themselves. If the pastry chef has a good reputation among friends, then the first sales to order are guaranteed. Then you can use social networks for advertising. Thematic groups with beautiful photos, which will depict the work of a confectioner, will attract the attention of users.

The most popular are children's sweets. Parents always strive to make an unforgettable holiday for their baby. A cake to order at a child's birthday is almost the main dish that all guests and the birthday boy pay attention to. It is important to design the product in such a way as to please the children. different ages, boys and girls.

In the "arsenal" of the pastry chef there must be ideas for older people. For anniversaries, weddings and other celebrations, they always order large cakes so that all the guests have enough. The theme of their design depends on the occasion for which the treat is being prepared.

How much money do you need to start a business?

In order to bake sweets, you need a little: a mixer, a refrigerator, a comfortable table and an oven. Usually the housewives have all this in the kitchen. If there is a need to update the equipment, then 30 thousand rubles will be enough for this. About 10-15 thousand more will need to be spent on the purchase of forms, decorations and other things. Because we remember that we need to not only know how to bake delicious cakes to order, but also to be able to sell them, it would be appropriate in the future to come up with your own branded label and box. This will give the business value, customers will remember the "trademark" better.

When calculating the cost of products, it must be taken into account that the consumption of gas, electricity and water will increase. Their price must be "laid" into the cost of products. On average, 1 kg of the finished product costs 100-300 rudders. You can sell them from 1000 rubles per kilogram. The average weight of the product is usually about 2 kg. For the production of cakes and pastries, the high weight of the product is beneficial. The largest orders will usually need to be made for weddings.

A lot of attention needs to be paid to the issue of purchasing products. The lower their cost, the more profitable business. However, experts do not recommend saving on quality. Better to do it differently: find wholesale suppliers whose prices are lower than in retail chains. You will also need special ingredients for work, for example, mastic for jewelry. In finished form, it is expensive, but real confectioners master the technology of its manufacture, thereby reducing the cost of the finished product. Due to the fact that the competition in the market is quite high, the prices should be slightly lower than those of other craftsmen. This will attract customers at an early stage.

How much money can you earn by making and selling cakes?

In order to answer this question, we will calculate the net profit of the company, based on industry averages economic indicators. Daily sales volume finished products- 20 kg, the cost of production of 1 kg - $ 5 (taking into account all costs, including payments to the state treasury), the average selling price - $ 9. As a result, the daily profit of the manufacturing company will be at the level of $ 80, and monthly - 1760 dollars.

Acquisition of the necessary equipment

The cost of the production line, which allows to produce 50 kg of finished products per shift, is 70-100 thousand dollars. In addition, you need to purchase refrigeration equipment(about 3 thousand dollars), as well as an apparatus for the production of boxes (8-12 thousand dollars).

For execution individual orders you will need separate tools (molds, mixers, devices for making cream, dough, etc.), their cost will not exceed $ 500-800. The production of cakes at home is usually carried out using standard kitchen appliances and utensils.

Documents for organizing a company for the production of cakes

The process of organizing your business begins with the execution of documents for an LLC (for a large-scale business) or an individual entrepreneur (if it is created small firm). To register an individual entrepreneur, you need to write an application, pay a state duty, make photocopies of the ID and passport, and for an LLC, in addition to the above points, you need to form statutory fund and resolve the issue with the legal address.

Regardless of the legal form of your activity, for registration you need to select a code, according to all-Russian classifier. In this case, it is OKVED 10.72.2 and 10.71.2(the first for long-term storage products, and the 2nd for non-durable).

In addition to the listed documents, you need to obtain certificates for the entire range of products, as well as comply with the requirements of fire services and representatives of Rospotrebnadzor. No more additional permits and licenses for this direction commercial activities not provided .

Tax regime

In the process of registering a company, you need to prepare an application for choosing a tax regime. This may be the STS (simplified system) or activities on a general basis. The last option is for large enterprises with over 100 employees.

The simplified tax system provides for two options for calculating taxes: 6% of profits or 15% of revenues. If you choose the first option, do not forget to check the documents confirming the firm's expenses.

Diaper cake business

For creative person The confectionery business doesn't end with the ability to bake them in the usual way. Today, there are ideas for cakes made from inedible materials that are no less beautiful and healthy. An example of such products can be made-to-measure diaper products. Many home craftswomen today know how to make real masterpieces.

A custom-made diaper cake is a design that is very reminiscent of our usual confectionery. Unlike them, they are not treated to guests. Such gifts are brought to newborns or toddlers. It not only looks beautiful, but also creates a festive mood in the interior. After the holiday is over, mom can use diapers for their intended purpose.

Diaper cake technology

The technology for making such gifts to order is simple, but requires cleanliness. All items must be hermetically sealed. The design itself is durable, does not fall apart and is conveniently transported. Visually, the cake may look not only in the form of several round disks. Craftsmen manage to make boats, cars, houses out of diapers to order. Jewelry is another important detail that makes it special. As they use ribbons, flowers and children's toys. The more unique the design, the more likely it is to be liked by the customer.

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To begin

If you know how to cook deliciously, and your confectionery creations have long been in demand among all relatives and friends, then all that remains is to learn how to make cakes to order and how to start a business at home. After all, such an occupation can be mastered by any woman who wants to earn independently for all her needs.

Of course, when reaching a wide audience and producing large volumes finished products you can start opening a cake shop and even organize a whole network across a city or region. But for now, let's focus only on exclusive products that one person can make at home.

Advantages

The relevance of this type of business will never disappear. After all, cakes are a product for all occasions. Throughout the year, we buy them or bake them in honor of the holidays, use them as a gift, serve them on the table when guests come and just occasionally spoil the children or the whole family in the mood.

And in last years from American culture, a fashion for unusual confectionery came to us. People want them to be exclusive, created and decorated according to their wishes, especially dedicated to some important event. Hence the fashion for making cakes to order.

When creating such an exclusive product, not only the skills and mastery of the chef are manifested, but also his creative talents, aesthetic tastes. Here a professional can show everything he is capable of. And if you know how to bake such sweets, then you can earn money on it.

The business of baking cakes has a number of other advantages:

To begin with, you need the most minimal investment, and only with development and good stable income you can switch to more professional equipment.
It is available to work at home, which is especially important for young mothers or people with disabilities.
Competition in any city is at a low or medium level, since mass production confectionery is focused on standard recipes.
To begin with, it is not necessary to register with the tax service.

Where to begin?

Usually people who have the gift to cook tasty and beautiful by themselves gradually reach the level when acquaintances periodically place orders for certain events or holidays.

But what about a person who has just decided to open this kind of business?

Start by evaluating competitors in your city. Find their groups in social networks Please review ads. It is important for you to find out the offered assortment, the terms for making cakes to order, as well as pricing policy. It would be useful to pay attention to the ways of advertising the most popular confectioners in the region.
Then think about what exactly you can offer. If the level of competition is high enough, then try to stand out in some way, for example, with unique decorations, non-standard recipes, or at least low prices.
Create a portfolio. Every time you bake a beautiful cake, take a high-quality photo. By presenting visual evidence of your skill, you will be able to interest customers.
Also use different ways advertising.

Are documents required?

It is advisable to register a business on cakes accordingly. But experienced entrepreneurs in this business do not recommend for beginners to immediately go to tax service as soon as the idea came to mind. First, try to see if you can do this business, develop a client base, organize the kitchen itself properly.

If you decide on official registration, then in order to bake cakes to order, it is enough to register an individual entrepreneur. To do this, an application is submitted in the prescribed form, a copy of the passport and identification code, as well as a receipt for payment of the state fee. This process will not take long.

It is much more difficult to obtain permission from the sanitary and epidemiological service and Rospotrebnadzor. They must check the conditions of compliance with sanitary standards in the kitchen and the quality of manufactured products.

Here you can download for free as a sample.

room

Since we are considering making cakes to order at home, there is no need to look for a suitable building or workshop. It is convenient enough to equip your kitchen. First, it must be perfectly clean. Secondly, all tools, utensils and products are arranged in a way that is comfortable for you to work with.

Another important point- There should be enough space in the kitchen to fulfill orders. If the business becomes successful and you are unable to cope with the existing influx of customers on your own, you will need to hire assistants. And then, for the convenience of work, you will have to find an appropriate large room.

Equipment for the production of cakes

What do you need to start baking custom baked goods? Most likely, you already have enough equipment and tools for this. But here's a short list for inventory:

food processor;
oven and stove;
fridge;
various forms for baking;
confectionery syringe or bag with nozzles;
bowls;
pots;
rolling pin for dough, regular and curly;
a set of tools for mastic;
knives and a string for cutting even cakes;
mixer and whisks for whipping;
kitchen scales, measuring cups and spoons;
spatulas, brushes, spatulas, etc.;
sieve for sifting flour;
cutting boards;
baking paper;
turntable for decorating cakes;
various accessories for decoration (molds, plungers, curb recesses, molds);
food coloring and markers.

Professional fixtures can be acquired gradually only after you start to fulfill large volumes of orders. To start, there is enough equipment, which, so, is in your kitchen.

Staff

Whether or not to hire someone to help you is your personal decision. Here, a lot depends on the influx of customers, and if you can’t cope with it, then it is advisable to take the help of specialists who have experience working with confectionery.

But there is another side of the coin. If you start hiring employees, you will need not only to register an individual entrepreneur, but also to expand the kitchen space. And this will entail large financial investments in the enterprise.

Where to look for clients?

Baking cakes also involves trade in confectionery products. Well, if already at first you have friends who periodically order something for themselves. Over time, they will start recommending you to their friends. Word of mouth is the most The best way dissemination of information in your case.

Create groups or pages on social networks and post photos of your work there.
Make a separate website for viewing your finished products, as well as placing an order online or by phone.
Post ads on the Internet public transport or various institutions.
Several times for free to prepare beautiful and delicious cakes for some corporate party.
Agree on permanent cooperation with small shops that sell homemade or sweets.
Make business cards and distribute them to everyone you know.

Cost and profitability

Since you do not need to purchase expensive equipment, you will first have to spend only on the products themselves for the first masterpieces. If you bake them for free for the purpose of advertising, then this is the cost of starting a business. But the most profitable is the work to order.

Calculating the cost is pretty easy. To do this, accurately measure how much and what products you used for the cake. Add to this the cost of electricity, gas and water, and don't forget about packaging. The final amount just shows the real cost of the product. To make money on this and evaluate your efforts, it is recommended to double or even triple this amount.

But when pricing, be sure to stick to the framework. For example, if there are many chefs of the same kind in your area, then you should not overcharge. To become one of the most popular and sought-after craftsmen in the city, it is better, on the contrary, to reduce the cost of your products. For example, for starters, it may be as little as 20-40% markup.

To reduce the cost of products, it is desirable to purchase some of them (involving long-term storage) at wholesale depots, warehouses, and farmers. For example, by purchasing flour, dried fruits, sugar, cocoa and other similar ingredients in large volumes at a low price, you can significantly reduce the cost of the finished product.

The profitability of this type of business is considered quite high. And at minimum investment after 3-4 months we can talk about net profit. If initially you already have everything you need, then from the first days you start earning only from the difference between the amount spent and the amount received.

As in any business, this business has its own troubles and difficulties, for which it is advisable to be prepared:

Financial part

In order to determine whether it is profitable to engage in this type of business, it is necessary to carry out preliminary calculations. Let's give the numbers in the table.

If you bake 20 cakes in a month and sell them for 2000 rubles (at a cost of 1000), then in two months you will be able to return the initial investment. But the exact figures will depend on your capabilities, customer base, competitors, pricing and order volumes.

Video: how to make money on cakes at home?

Modern confectionery can be safely called a miracle. They give not only taste, but also aesthetic pleasure, delighting with unusual and extravagant, original or classic decor. And theoretically, any housewife in her home kitchen can cope with the creation of such a masterpiece. Is it so? And what do you need to have on hand to create a truly beautiful cake?

Baking: the start of a long journey

The range of baking products available today to every housewife is great. This means that you can choose any of the variety of possible toppings for your cake. But keep in mind that for its preparation you will need the following mandatory kitchen accessories:

Measuring spoons and cups will help you not to be mistaken with the amount of each ingredient in the dough.
Sieve. Confectioners advise sifting all bulk ingredients except sugar (flour, starch, cocoa, soda, etc.). This gives the dough a fluffiness.
A dough chopping knife is indispensable when preparing a puff or shortbread cake.
Bakeware. Classic round, square, heart and star shapes: there are never too many of them. To create 3D cakes or to prepare an unusually shaped dessert, it is better to use silicone ones. Classic biscuits and cakes, for which batter is used, are easiest to bake in detachable metal ones. And to create a multi-tiered cake, you will need several identical forms of different sizes (it is more profitable to purchase them in a set).
A measuring silicone napkin is useful for those who need to quickly roll out cakes of the desired diameter. You can bake directly on it. The dough will not stick or burn during the process.
Shovels for cakes. With their help, you can remove the cake from the baking sheet or separate it from the parchment without breaking.
Grid for cooling. So that the cakes do not get damp on one side and do not lose their taste, they must cool on a wire rack. This moment is especially important for the biscuit.
A confectionery string will help you quickly cut the cake into several identical layers of the desired thickness. You can also use a biscuit cutter for this.
Peeler and citrus press. In the preparation of some types of cakes, natural freshly squeezed juice and peel are used. This gives an amazing aroma and interesting flavor accents to pastries.
Kitchen thermometer. It can be ordinary or non-contact. Indispensable for some types of fillings.

Perhaps some of the tools are already in your kitchen. The rest must be purchased.

We collect the cake: what can you use?

And now your cakes are ready, the cream for the layer is waiting for its turn in the refrigerator. Let's start assembling the cake. To do this, you should get:

Silicone brushes. They are used to soak cakes with syrup. You can do this with a spoon, but in this case, the impregnation will not be uniform.
Form for assembly (ring).
spatula. Better to buy as a set. At this stage, you will need a metal spatula with a length corresponding to the diameter of your cakes. It is to them that you will apply an elastic cream. It would seem: you can use a good old spoon. But only the presence of a spatula ensures that the layer of cream is uniform, and after assembly, your dessert will not resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Creative stage: decorating and decorating

Intending to cook not just a cake filled with icing or cream, but something more interesting, you will definitely encounter the need to purchase special tools for decorating. You can avoid unnecessary purchases if you choose a decoration method in advance and get a sketch. So you will understand what kind of devices will be needed.

A set of necessary equipment, depending on how you will decorate the cake. So, to work with the cream, you will definitely need:

Beaters for whipping. Ideally, there should be at least two of them: for eggs and milk (cream). Despite the fact that most of processes are performed by a blender, experts recommend starting with manual whipping. Then in the end the mass will be more magnificent and airy.
Silicone spatulas and wooden spoons. Many creams fall off when stirred with a metal spoon. In addition, professional devices are much more convenient.
Confectionery syringe or bags, nozzles for them. The latter are convenient to buy in sets that vary depending on the purpose of use. You will definitely need border and floral ones. In the pictures below you can see the type of nozzle and its use.
Confectionery nails. Flowers are planted on them from a bag or syringe. In the absence of this device, you can use a piece of sweet corn stick, put on a toothpick. It will also be convenient, but the cream will take much more.
Confectionery scissors. With them, ready-made flowers are removed from the nail and fixed on the cake.
Scallops and scrapers, with which patterns are applied to the smooth surface of the cream.
Rotating cake stand. You can do without it. But once you try it, you will understand how much it simplifies the process of leveling the cake.
Airbrush. This is an amazing device that allows you to apply a layer of dye to any cream. It is he who is most convenient to do watercolor painting, amber effect, gilding or highlights.

With modeling skills and a good imagination, you can try to create a masterpiece from mastic. This will help you:
- Acrylic rocks. They can be plain or embossed. The latter create a textured pattern on the surface of the mastic.
- The leveling iron allows you to get rid of air bubbles that have fallen under the mastic, and make the coating perfectly even.
- Sculpting tools. There are a huge number of them. And to understand immediately what exactly is useful is extremely difficult. So it's worth buying as a set.
- Forms and molds.

Nothing inspires new achievements like real stories people who are already successful. Today we talked with a young businessman Dmitry Balabeshko, who at the age of 20 managed to turn his favorite hobby of baking original cakes into a profitable job. This path was not easy: ups and downs followed.

Hello Dmitry! How and when did you get the idea to bake cakes to order?

Hello! Initially, there was an idea to open a European confectionery, in which I wanted to sell chocolate figures handmade. I did just that: I opened a confectionery shop and a separate store. There were handmade sweets, a lot of figures made of chocolate, other confectionery and there was just a service: custom-made cakes of any complexity. Business with the confectionery was not very successful, and the store had to be liquidated. At first, there was even an idea to close and sell everything altogether, since there were a lot of debts, and it was not possible to find funds somewhere else. But orders for cakes continued to come, and they were quite enough to continue working and pay off debts little by little. After that, I decided to base my business only on the sale of exclusive cakes to order.

How much was the initial capital, and what was it spent on?

There were two of us: me and my partner. We invested 1 million rubles for two, 50% each. Then, of course, they still reported, but not so much. Frankly, if you do not know what equipment you need and how to use it, you will not have enough money. And since I have been in the confectionery business for a long time and from the very bottom, I knew perfectly well how cheap, but quality equipment We need. Our friends and other entrepreneurs thought that about 5-6 million were spent on equipping the workshop and the store! But everything turned out to be much simpler, the main thing is to be competent in this matter.

What equipment is necessary for a person who decides to do such a business? What is it approximate cost?

If you only deal with cakes, then you do not need so much. Oven, mixer, a couple of tables, refrigerator. 30 thousand rubles for all equipment and special equipment for decorating cakes should be enough. Among the brands I advise you to give preference to Pavoni, Laped, Wilton, Modecor and Italika. The quality will not let you down and the price will not disappoint.

What is the cost and final price of the cake?

On average, the cost of 1 kg of cake is 100-300 rubles, sometimes it can be more. And the price per kilogram is 1000-1200 rubles. As a rule, they order cakes from 2 kilograms for birthdays or other holidays. And the weight of the largest wedding cake that I had a chance to cook was about 25 kilograms! It was an Armenian wedding. In general, they are my favorite clients, because weddings are always arranged on a royal scale!

How many orders per month do you receive?

I make about one to four cakes a day. On weekends, this figure reaches six. But this is if we consider only relatively complex orders that I personally carry out. Also, there are orders ahead of time. They are prepared by my subordinate confectioners.

Where do you buy your baked goods?

There is special companies who bring raw materials for confectionery production. I even managed to work there before starting the business. Therefore, I have discounts, and there are no problems with deliveries. All products and materials are brought mainly from Europe, so there are no complaints about the quality either.

How difficult was it to enter this market segment? Is the competition high?

Yes, there is certainly competition. These are, firstly, confectionery, and secondly, "houses". This is what I call people who sit at home and try to bake to order in their kitchen. But they have neither a sanitary book, nor special equipment, and indeed the absence of any control over the production process. So when we entered the market and declared ourselves as a serious company that responsibly approaches each order, we immediately got customers.

How did you find the first clients, and was it easy?

It's very simple: customers came by themselves! After all, people love new things, the main thing is to present it correctly. But of course, there were no ads.

I have my own website (vip-baker.ru) and a Vkontakte group. Information about discounts and promotions is constantly updated there, photos of my new works and reviews of grateful customers are added. The Internet is perhaps the best of the least expensive forms of advertising. It reaches a huge audience potential clients and is available to every businessman. The second kind - commercials in taxis. They are more expensive, but they also bring customers.

Do you have a discount program for regular customers?

I have not only a system of discounts, but also various interesting promotions. For example, when ordering a wedding cake, a loaf as a gift.

How do you handle orders during the holidays when demand is high?

The main thing is to correctly and correctly distribute all orders. And so, like everyone else, I work in two shifts, day and night. But it's worth it! This truth is as old as the world, to become successful, you need to work hard. Here I am working.

Was there additional support at the initial stage of creating a business, or did you do everything yourself from start to finish?

No, there was no support, only their strength and potential. As I said, there were two of us, but the idea was mine. I told my friend everything, we found money and started to create a business. Then our paths diverged, as my partner simply earned on my ability to make cakes, and he himself did not take part in their creation. So I started working for myself.

After what time, after the creation of a business, did it begin to fully pay off and bring a good income?

Everything paid off after 6 months, but this was on condition that I made cakes at night. It was difficult. Of course, it all depends on how much you spend on equipping the workshop and advertising, but if you make at least 1 cake a day, then in about a year you can pay for everything and start making money.

How did you start working with the cafe?

I have been helping various cafes and restaurants in Smolensk for a long time to create a menu (pastry part) when they open. So I was invited to help in the Smeshariki cafe, but I offered some of my own conditions. I wanted to stay there as a pastry chef, manage confectionery shop and at the same time continue their business, make cakes right in the cafe. My proposal was accepted, and it turned out very convenient for everyone. Now I don't have to pay for the rent of the workshop, and the cafe has an excellent confectioner.

Who designs the cakes?

Most often, clients choose a cake on the Internet and send me a photo. Something is chosen from my portfolio, which has been formed over a long time. It happens that we come up with a design together with clients. And sometimes they just say: “Make a cake, we trust you!”. This is where the ability to cook well is indispensable, you also need to have an extraordinary imagination and creativity.

Are you hiring staff to help with production?

Previously, cakes had to be made alone, and it was very difficult. At my young age, all this affected my health, my legs hurt. But fortunately, everything was cured, so now everything is in order with health. But finding a good confectioner-designer is really very difficult. Now there are people who help me. But their professional level still needs to be constantly improved, so I send them to master classes and teach myself.

Have you registered as a sole trader?

Yes, but not an individual entrepreneur, but an LLC. I chose this organizational and legal form, because at the beginning there were two of us, and I wanted to share the shares equally. Yes, and friends who work in the same field advised me to open this particular form.

Do you participate in any exhibitions? Does it help business development?

I am a member of the Guild of Chefs of Russia. They invite me to various events and exhibitions, for example, such as PIR. This is one of the largest international exhibitions, which brings together the best restaurateurs, chefs, confectioners, investors, journalists, all those who want to keep abreast of the latest trends in the gastronomic business. In 2013 PIR takes place on October 1-4 in Moscow and everyone can come to the exhibition and get a lot of impressions, pleasant emotions and, possibly, find a business partner to start their own business. Of course, such projects help development, as they provide new knowledge, new connections and, accordingly, new customers.

In what direction are you planning further development?

I love creative work, so I want to make a big confectionery, in which there will be only custom-made cakes. And customers will come there as if they were visiting a museum, because each cake is a real work of art, not only culinary, but also artistic.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to create a business in this market segment? What should you pay special attention to?

The main thing is to approach this business both creatively and seriously. It is also necessary to properly allocate funds. For those who have a very superficial understanding of the confectionery business and catering, it is better not to start doing such a business at all. But if you have a lot of money, you can act as an investor. Hire a confectioner, sponsor him, and he will bring you a great income!

Thank you, Dmitry, for detailed and interesting answers! I think that your example will be a great motivation for those who have long wanted to try creating their own own business. After all, the recipe for success is not so complicated: take more diligence and patience, a couple of spoonfuls of risk, half a cup of heated enthusiasm, a few pieces of determination and seven drops of creativity; mix everything thoroughly and bake for at least six months; Serve warm and share with everyone!