Of all the food-related businesses one can open, bakeries occupy a special place in the hearts of many customers.
As purveyors of sweet treats, many come to rely on the best of these businesses to help make the best days of their lives even better.
As a result of this, you might be entertaining the possibility of opening one of your own. If you are, know that you are not alone, as Larry Pohill Cafe Valley knows a thing or two about building a bakery with a following, as he has dealt in this part of the food industry for over 20 years.
Having steadily acquired fans during that time, he has learned many lessons about what it takes to build a successful business in this area.
If you want to open a bakery that will have people stopping in on a regular basis, follow these tips and you’ll find yourself with more customers than you can handle.
1) Decide what you will specialize in
In order to stand out from your competition in the bakery space, you’ll need to find a way to rise above the noise of being average and embracing mediocrity.
First, where will you focus the majority of our baking efforts? Making the most flavorful multi-grain breads? Baking and creating the hippest cupcakes in town? Churning out the fluffiest croissants at weekend brunch?
Figure out what you want to be known for in town and excel at it, and you’ll get the initial flow of traffic to your business that will help sustain over the long-term.
2) Take care of the technical stuff
You can have the best ideas of any baker in town, but none of it will matter unless if you can’t take care of the essential background tasks that need to be done in order to run a business.
From taxes to following regulations, there are real chores to take care of, lest you not be allowed to continue operations.
In the beginning, you need to find a spot to open that will get sufficient foot traffic, you may need to do up a business plan to entice banks to give you a loan, and you’ll need to figure out where to price your products to strike a balance between attracting customers and making money.
When you do, you’ll get yourself started and keep yourself in the game, which will allow you to get to the fun stuff.
3) Market your business effectively
Have tasty cupcakes? It won’t matter if nobody knows they exist. By learning how to spread the word about your business via a variety of channels, you’ll bring people through the doors of your shop, who will then tell their friends if they love what you have to offer.
Traditional avenues such as radio, print media and even television might make sense, but with more people moving to the web with each passing year, spending on online ads and social media is also advisable.