To think a cupcake buisness will work

[NicosChica]

Hi mn's
Hve 2 ds's(2y & 3m)and SAHM (won't pay to go back to work untill they start nursery/school).Was wondering if any of you have started any buisnesses whilst being SAHM's?
I'm interested in doing a cupcake course-most courses cost around £150 for a day.
Do you think it's a good idea?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading

.......likewise, there are too many people out there now jumping on the bandwagon making homemade cards - only most some of them have not realised that you have to offer something really special, really unique and original, not charge £2 for something that looks like it was made by an 8 yr old with a few stickers from the yellow moon catalogue.

I am in the same boat, but once I looked into cupcakes, I realised my kitchen wouldn't pass in a hundred years and I would need to learn to drive. Anyway, I bought this great book called Start Me Up: Over 100 Great Business Ideas for the Budding Entrepreneur By: Sonia Williams

Its almost tailor made for the likes of you and I. There's also a great website www.workingmums.co.uk which is ideal for SAHMs who need money (like me) but want to be self employed.

Drop the cupcakes and the whoopie pies- have you SEEN the paperwork and H&S and hygiene requirements? Although having said that you could always use someone else's professional kitchen out of hours if you wanted(a cafe or pub for example)

I think the cupcake boat has sailed tbh!

If your interested in that sort of area probably best to go for a broader skill such as b/day cakes

One of the weekend magazines recently had a whole article on cupcakes being passe.

Try to think of something different that you think people would love to buy but which not many have time to make. Or maybe something that needs one particular piece of specialised kit that stops people just doing it for themselves.

Perhaps not food - there's the health and safety issues, and perishables must be hard to manage supply and demand Something more like handmade cards (that market is probably saturated too, but that sort of thing)

Every second female on my facebook friends list purports to have a 'cupcake business.' It seems that basically what happens is that situations where you would usually turn up with some kind of food offering as a gift, (parties and the like), they turn up with some 'bespoke cupcakes' on a poncy rack and an invoice.

Op, have read you post and skimmed.

What about evening classes in sugarcraft, baking etc.

Why not start off by baking for the local WI and see how it goes.

I know of a lady who started off making meat pies for the local WI market and then "granny-made" pies for a pub.

Wedding cakes might be more lucrative for those with decorating talent. The kind of skills you need couldn't be learnt on a one day course though.

For my wedding I looked through loads of pictures of wedding cakes, loved a Peggy Porschen one but it was too expensive, however I found a lady in my village and she made it for me... It was perfect! She charged me £280, which was significantly less than the original!

If you're serious about decorating and you're a good baker, I agree you need to think way beyond cupcakes. Birthday cakes, wedding cakes - now that might work.

If you are selling you will need food hygiene certificate and for the kitchen that you are preparing them in to meet all the required standards.

Used to be a 2 sink rule but I am not sure if that is still the case.

I think the cupcake boat has sailed.

However I would love to see a reasonably priced tearoom as they are either extortionate or grubby. There's not much in between!

OP - some ideas -

we have ladies who have featured in our local paper (medium sized town) having set up their own succesful businesses - one makes chocolates, the other yoghurts and has got a contract with a local supermarket as her main outlet waitrose IIRC)

we also have a farmers wife locally who makes absolutely amazing ice cream and sells it at summer fairs/local tourist attractions, it is gorgeous

and we have a market trader whose bakery stall is fabulous - all their own stuff but a range of scones, savoury pies and pasties pies, breads, cakes etc

I think you really do have to look at something other than cupcakes - and if you want to make LOTS of money/a proper business, it will be hard work

Now if you could make cupcake boats.....

Oh and OP, please come back and tell us how you get on, even if its to thumb your nose at all us prophets of doom when you are a cupcake millionhieresss!

Hi
I have started a small business from home and have going a year now so far so good. I chose a blue collar business because there was a gap in the market. The most important thing to consider is competition in the sector and from what I see the baking whilst being a SAHM market is totally saturated.
I would try to think of something that people really need like a service rather than cakes. Just my opinion though. Also I wouild personally stay away from something that requires perishable stock.
Good luck though with whatever you choose to do

Are those £150 courses in Greenwich? A friend went on one there and although she really enjoyed it, it only taught her a few nice tricks which you could learn from any good cake book with time and practice. They do rip you off a teensy bit, imho.

I don't have a cupcake business (although I do make them), but I do have a fledgling cake business.

For that I had to

• obtain a level 2 Food Hygiene Training Certificate (a 1 day course at a local college), which has to be renewed every 3 years

• register with the Local Authority as a food business and have my premises inspected, which included

~ having separate storage facilities for my ingredients and bakeware

~ separate handwashing facilities

~ have clothing to change into specifically for the baking/decorating and have my hair covered at all times

~ oven and fridge thermometers and separate, self-contained storage area of the fridge for business-related perishable ingredients (this translates as a series of klip-lock boxes I keep on a specific shelf)

I was told by the inspector that unless I was selling to middlemen to sell on (ie to cafes & the like) or making fresh cream cakes, I did not have to worry about sell-by dates, although I would be wise to put them on the products myself just in case (never underestimate the stupidity of the consumer, apparently!)

However, I do have to label everything I make and list all the ingredients, also including allergen alerts (nuts, gluten, dairy etc)

I was also told that if I make fruit-based wedding cakes I have to advise my customers re. proper storage of the cake as the old custom of keeping the top layer of the cake for a Christening means that you can then run the risk of getting sued xx years later when they unwrap a rotten cake that they've just shoved in a box!

I don't make a huge amount of money, it's a part-time business - I only went into it professionally as I was getting more and more 'friends of friends' asking me to do cakes for them and I thought bugger this, I'm going to do it properly!

I doubt I'm ever going to be able to give up the day job, though!

Thankyou so much everyone for the advice!You've given me an insight of how much is involved.I am still looking into it.
I was thinking of a very small service eg:friends/family and the occasional Christenings/Paties/Baby showers etc..
If it's on a very small scale with only friends and family friends etc would I need certificate/health and safety/nvq 2 etc?

Lovecat-saw your pictures of your cakes-very impressive!

you need to be able to SPELL business

Bettymoody-writing in a rush

several times

Betty : pot, kettle?

To be honest, I think they're very trendy and will go out of fashion soon.

Specialist breads or something like that, though, might be good...

Thank you Nicoschica :) I was told that if you are selling to the general public you MUST have the hygiene cert - but do check with your local authority as they all have different rules (think that's pretty standard, though).

MDS - I was petless when I was inspected (our two died of old age last year :() but mentioned to the inspector that we were hoping to get kittens in the new year and would that be an issue - he said that providing they could be kept away from the storage and that scrupulous hygiene rules were followed (ie wipe down all surfaces with anti-bac before starting, keep animals out while actual cooking/decorating is taking place), then for a small scale business it shouldn't be an issue. However he wasn't too keen on the idea and I can't say I blame him. I'm thinking of having a cat flap put in somewhere else so that they don't have to access the kitchen at all...