How to Start a Cake Decorating Business

If you’re the one in your family or among your kids’ friends’ parents who is always asked to make cakes, why not learn how to start a cake decorating business? If you’re good, there is a lot of opportunity in this low overhead, fun small business idea.

Professional cake decorators make cakes for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and many more special occasions. There are enough opportunities for well decorated cakes that if you market yourself well and produce a great product, you’re sure to stay busy.

What You’ll Need to Succeed with a Cake Decorating Business

Before you get too far into learning how to start a cake decorating business, take a moment to find out what kinds of licenses and permits you will need to operate such a business from your home. Of course you can open a shop for your business, but to keep overhead low, a home business is ideal. If you are not allowed to operate a food business from your home in your area, and opening a shop isn’t in the cards, renting a commercial kitchen on an as needed basis is a good alternative.

When you start a cake decorating business, you can work as much or as little as you like. This is a perfect business for someone who is looking for some extra money to supplement their regular income, and it can grow into a full time venture if that’s what you desire.

You will need to invest in some high quality baking pans, bowls, and decorating implements, if you don’t already have them. Purchasing cake molds of various types, including cupcake tins, is a good idea, but you might want to buy them as needed to reduce startup costs. For the most part, you can buy all your baking and pastry supplies and ingredients as orders come in, and if you charge half of your price up front, you might even get by with no out of pocket costs!

How to Market a Cake Decorating Business

When learning how to start a cake decorating business, you have the option of focusing your marketing efforts on individuals, corporations, or resale outlets, like local bakeries and supermarkets. All of the big chain grocery stores have bakeries in them, but smaller local stores might not. Also, while bakeries bake their own cakes, they might not have someone on staff who is an expert cake decorator.

Connecting with local event and wedding planners and other party planners can provide a flow of customers as well. Most big events, from weddings to company grand openings, will feature a well decorated cake, and you can be the one providing them.

Using free classified websites, and advertising in your local paper can also bring in quite a bit of business. Whenever possible, display pictures of your work when advertising. If you take a picture of every cake you decorate, your portfolio will continue to grow, and so will your customer base.

Many people who learn how to start a cake decorating business do so because they are decorating cakes anyway. If this is you, make a small business of it, and start getting paid for your efforts!

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