start a home-based bakery business in fluvanna, va
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Assuming the average population of Fluvanna, Virginia, stays at 24,900 people, your goal to provide them with delicious cupcakes, cookies, breads and pastries--made with your personal guarantee of home-baked quality--sounds like one sweet business plan. But before you start, ask yourself this question: is your kitchen designed to give you plenty of room to churn out enough homemade baked goods to satisfy Fluvanna's collective sweet tooth? If your response is an enthusiastic "Yes," grab your pans and mixer and follow this recipe.
Things You'll Need
- Approval from zoning commission
- Large kitchen
- Permits, licenses and tax numbers
- Personal, loan or grant funds
- Baking equipment and supplies
- Packaging and labels
Instructions
1
Learn the basics of operating a home bakery. Consider taking online classes available only to home bakers in 12 states -- one of which is Virginia. The Cooking with Denay program trains foodies in the finer points of making and selling their wares. Run by Detra Denay Davis, a former caterer, the program offers a rich knowledge base that will assist you with everything from government regulations, food safety and sanitation to the marketing and selling tips every home business needs to make sure product is properly developed, packaged, labeled and marketed for sale.
2
Get financing through a local source. Fluvanna entrepreneurs are lucky to have the Central Virginia Small Business Development Center (CVSBDC) on their side. This advisory entity help areas entrepreneurs launch businesses and they'll work with you as you learn to operate yours. While the CVSBDC doesn't make loans or offer grants, they can point you in the direction of those who do. Included in the group's Rolodex are the U.S. Small Business Administration, Virginia Department of Business Assistance, Virginia Small Business Financing Authority, Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the U.S. Department of Commerce. If you're looking for investors, ask for a referral to the Charlottesville Venture Group.
3
Apply for health permits and business licenses. You might find that your home isn't located in an area of Fluvanna that's zoned for commercial businesses. In that case, you may need to seek a waiver from county authorities. Direct your inquiry to G. Cabell Lawton, IV, County Administrator- Shelly H. Wright, Assistant County Administrator or Alice Jones, Board Clerk at (434) 591-1910. You can also e-mail your questions to clawton@co.fluvanna.va.us, swright@co.fluvanna.va.us or ajones@co.fluvanna.va.us. Include a request for information on health inspections, licenses and permits for a home-based bakery.
4
Find clients. Approach restaurants, cafes, bread and breakfasts---anywhere that serves dessert--to start building your client list. Provide each with a list of baked goods on an attractive flyer that includes ordering instructions, order placement deadlines and pertinent data you'll need to prepare and deliver your bakery products on time and in great shape. Use the Debbie Fields method of marketing to solicit clients. She always gave an attractively packaged sample of her cookies to everyone with whom she came into contact. You never know who in Fluvanna is going to need the wedding cake, party desserts or catered brunch you can provide.
5
Commit yourself to staying on top of costs. Purchase supplies in bulk from Virginia wholesalers with the best prices for the ingredients you'll need to prepare your baked goods. Check out the Internet for wholesalers in the Fluvanna area so you don't have to worry about shipping perishables great distances or compromising quality. Additionally, find the best deals for acquiring commercial cake pans, pie pans and equipment.
6
Dedicate yourself to maintaining a high degree of cleanliness and sanitation. Home-based bakeries can get into hot water when carelessness leads to a sliver of glass in a cookie. Provide detailed information on your package labels- that way, Fluvanna customers who suffer from allergies won't get sick as a result of an ingredient that's left off the package label.
7
Join an area peer group to network and keep lines of communication open between your business and others in the Fluvanna area. The Central Virginia SBDC peer advisory program (known as Business Advantage Circles) welcomes entrepreneurs who commit to becoming part of a collective support system for Fluvanna business owners by attending a confidential, monthly meeting of two hours. Once you pay the $90 admittance fee, you'll be assigned to an eight-member group facilitated by a seasoned business professional. For more information, call (434) 295-8198 or e-mail sbdc@cstone.net.
Tips &- Warnings
The Central Virginia Small Business Development Center strongly urges new business owners to write a business plan during the early days of their planning. Get that advice and more by heading for the Fluvanna County website (listed below), accessing "Economic" on the left menu bar and then clicking on the CVSBDC link to find a plethora of information, including a checklist for business startups.
If your request to establish a bakery is shot down due to zoning conflicts, you might want to take a chance on launching your business on the QT. Some customers don't ask or care about zoning issues. That's your call, but if you're caught, you could be looking at a hefty fine.
Tags: Small Business, baked goods, Central Virginia, Virginia Small, Virginia Small BusinessSource: www.ehow.com
