Alternatives to Baking from Home
In the book, “Bringing Home the Baking”, I dedicated a chapter to Alternatives to Baking from Home.  This chapter focuses on low-cost ideas for starting a business outside of your home in the event your efforts for a home-based business aren’t successful.  One of the suggested alternatives is sharing space in a Food Business Incubator.  (Definitions and explanations for “food incubator” can be found in Chapter 6 of the book.) 

In an effort to assist you with finding out if a food business incubator is located in your area, I’ve researched and created a list of incubator facilities around in the United States.  If you are interested in this idea, please contact the person or organization for more information.  This list will be updated as more information is acquired. 

Please click on this link… Food Business Incubators…to access the list which is in PDF.

 

Commercial Equipment
Not all convection ovens are created equal.  Not all dealers/stores carry exclusively the best brands.  I’m writing about this because of an experience that I had with what I call an XYZ brand.  I was tired of used ovens that were very greasy, dirty and in much need of professional cleaning when delivered.  After shopping and comparing, I realized that I could buy a new oven for the same cost as a used one like Hobart.  So I purchased a new oven that wasn’t a leading brand.  To my disappointment, I had problems with it from day one; and one of my biggest concerns was that the service/repair companies had never heard of that brand.  This, of course, added to my worries about having to repair a new oven.

As it turns out, this was a bad purchase decision.  The same amount of money spent on a used oven, along with a pair of cleaning gloves, oven cleaner and a little labor would have yielded a much better investment.  Lesson learned…When you’re not familiar with a product and it’s a bit costly, go with brand recognition.  I recommend Hobart, Blodgett, and Viking for convection ovens (new & used).  These companies are internationally known for quality products.

 

Marketing/Advertising
There is a marketing concept that’s definitely new to a lot of people, but very familiar to many others.  This concept is called Branding.  Branding is simply deciding on a name (company or person), logo, special colors, etc. and then consistently using it in all of your ads, on your business cards, letterhead, flyers, brochures, website and any other information that you put in front of your buying market.  The idea is for people to think of you or your business every time they see or hear this special branding that you’ve chosen.

Two great examples of name branding are “Oprah” and “Martha Stewart”.  A great example of logo branding is those red bull’s eye circles that most of us now associate with Target the department store.  While Branding is done quite effectively by large corporations, we as small businesses can also be successful using this concept, if only on a local level or regional level.

There are several low cost ideas for creating your presence in the market by branding.  I’ll start with a few basics and add as we progress.
1.  Make sure your logo or company name is printed on all marketing information like…business cards, flyers, brochures, postcards, note pads, stationery, car magnets, etc.

2.  Make sure that your information remains graphically consistent.  It should not change from   item to item.

3.  Print your company name/logo on labels or stickers and place them on all products/samples used for marketing.  If you don’t have the means to create labels/stickers yourself, check Chapter 17 of “Bringing Home the Baking” for companies that can provide these items for you.

4.  Always use your company name and tagline (if you have one) in e-mail communications.

 

Business Resources
The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers programs and services to help you start, grow and succeed in business.  Take advantage of over 25 free online classes.  Visit their website @ www.sba.gov.

Small Business Developments Centers – Hosted by leading universities, colleges and state economic development agencies, and funded in part through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, approximately 1,000 service centers are available to provide no-cost consulting and low-cost training.  Visit their website @ www.asbdc-us.org to find your nearest Small Business Development Center.