In addition to preparing your home-bakery work space, acquiring your business license and

health permit, and attending to other start-up tasks, there is something equally deserving of your

attention…your product line.

Judging from conversations that I’ve had with my students, responses from people who attend the

Information Sessions and e-mails received, I’m going to assume that your product line includes,

or will include, products that you’ve made many times and you feel you’ve mastered or

perfected them. If this is the case, please allow me to make a suggestion…If you haven’t done so

already, sample your product(s) outside of your circle of familiar folks like…family, friends,

neighbors, coworkers, etc. My reason for this suggestion? Sometimes people who are closest to us are less likely to say something they feel might offend us. Even if it’s true.

Give a sample to someone in the food business like a restaurant owner/manger, someone that

operates a catering business, someone that purchases pastries for hotels or an upscale

delicatessen. Ask for honest feedback. In addition to giving samples, give the

price(s) you’re planning to ask for the product(s). Ask what they think of the product

and price. Feedback from these types of business can be helpful, particularly if you’re

planning to sell products to them.

Nervous about asking someone to critique your products? Don’t be. It’s a normal part of the marketing process. While anticipating compliments from your sampling, you

should also expect and welcome constructive criticism. Maybe there’s something small and

relatively simple that you can change to bring about a difference in the way your products are

received by customers. Time spent on this will account for a part of your much needed

marketing research.

Until next time!

Quincella C. Geiger

Which do you currently have?

Which are you interested in pursuing?

Did you know that there’s a BIG difference in operating a licensed home baking business and baking for fun or as a hobby? I know lots of people who bake because they enjoy baking. They bake for family, friends, church events, office get-to-gethers and the like. Not as much as in past years, but occasionally people bake for fund raisers.

Don’t be confused. The above mentioned situations, in most cases, are not licensed businesses with the required health permits. Simply because a person bakes and sells their products does not mean they have approval to do so. My mention of this is intended only to be thought provoking. I simply want you to ask yourself what your interest and goals are. Do you want to establish a licensed business or do you want to bake for fun/hobby? While my book and website are dedicated to the business of baking, all baking enthusiasts are Welcome!

Quincella C. Geiger