Product Development
In the very beginning, you might envision baking cookies and brownies for small wholesale accounts or selling at craft fairs. Be very clear about what you do and don’t want to do. At first you probably want to keep it simple. Thus, if you start small with room to grow, you can work alone without the need to hire employees or independent contractors. You can work when you want and still have time to enjoy your family.
If you receive special requests for products you don’t offer, you need to determine whether it is worth it to add those items. They can often take longer to prepare, require more costly ingredients, or simply require practice.
Sooner or later, you will need to make a decision about your product line. Will you offer cookies only or will you expand to other items like petit fours or other baked goods? Will you sell locally, regionally, or sell over the internet? When a potential client asks the question, be prepared to answer and be sure you know exactly what is involved if you choose to expand your product line.
Education
Baking and decorating classes for the novice–as well as for any baker who wants to increase his or her skills–may be the perfect starting point for this endeavor. If you are really serious about starting a business, you must first educate yourself.
Trial and error can be beneficial, but it will not prepare you to own a cookie business. Baking classes teach advanced skills and techniques that will ultimately streamline your efforts. Many cookie business owners who started out just like you teach more advanced classes and offer practical advice. If you can find them, they will be one of your best resources as they often tell it like it is! Once you are established, you, too, might consider offering classes.
Baking and decorating classes specific to cookie production are not offered as frequently as classes on cake baking or decorating, so you may have to find one-on-one training and do a lot of reading. Baking classes in general are often available through culinary schools, craft stores, and baking supply stores. If you are a beginner, make sure you enroll in a beginner’s class. (That may seem obvious, but it’s not always clear from the class listing.) Even if the class is not specific to cookies, a baking class will help you learn to manage your kitchen.
Before registering for a beginner’s class, you should contact the instructor to find out exactly what the class offers. Here are some things you will want to find out from the teacher:
- What specific skills does this class teach?
- What tools and equipment, if any, are included in the tuition cost?
- What are students required to bring to class?
- Is this a hands-on class, with student practice during each session, or is this a demonstration and lecture class?
Increasing your skills still comes down to just one thing: practice, practice, practice.