Hello All -

I would like to open my own bakery/cafe in the near future, and am looking for as much advice as possible on where and how to start. I will start small (a neighborhood bakery/cafe serving more as a breakfast and luch stop). I do not have any formal culinary training - just a passion for baking. I am currently in the research phase, but still need some help in figuring out just what information is most important to get on my feet and evenutally running toward my goal. If anyone can give any advice as to what comes first, any one person or people that I should try contacting, mistakes to avoid, where to find capital, or anything you care to share to help me along this journey I will most appreciative.

Do any of you actually own a bakery? What did you have to do to get started?

Hi, sevenfiftyone!

The very first thing that you need to do is to develop a business plan. Do you have one? If not, then what you find via clicking on the following searches should be helpful to you.

Bakery Business Plan - Google Search

Cafe Business Plan - Google Search

You can click on links that you'll find on those searches and hopefully find a business plan that will be close to the kind of one that you want and then tailor things to meet your needs.

The second thing that I would recommend doing is talking to city officials where you'll be wanting to operate as to specific requirements that they will have for you.

If you have other questions, please do ask here. We have a number of people who have been in various sorts of businesses whom I'm sure will be glad to give you some helpful advice.

My particular expertise is in the advertising and promotion of businesses. If you would like help in doing that, please let me know on this thread.

Thanks!

Hi Clough, and thank you! I have begun the business plan development but am unsure as to what I should be researching. Can you give me any pointers there? I would certainly like to keep in touch for advertising and promotion. For now, what I should be researching remains a mystery.

Hi Clough, and thank you! I have begun the business plan development but am unsure as to what I should be researching. Can you give me any pointers there? I would certainly like to keep in touch for advertising and promotion. For now, what I should be researching remains a mystery.

Hi again, sevenfiftyone!

For one thing, do you already have the equipment that you would need to start such a business?

Thanks!