professional???

[OTTMummA]

Hello!
Wanted some help here, im not a professional cake maker etc, but it is a hobby of mine, and i love to make cakes, i love to make pretty things and see people enjoy them.
I am a creative person and this is the current outlet i have.

I have recently made a few cakes for family/friends, friends on family etc, and donated some for a local fayre.
Every single person has reported back that if they wanted some of my cakes in the future could they pay me to make some.

I've never sold cakes before, never sold any prodcuts of my 'talents' just given away etc, but i am starting to think maybe i should put a little more effort and perhaps a bit more thought into how i make the most of this.

However,,, i am not sure in anyway how to go about this?!
I am not technical, not very good with computers, etc, but am very organised, and good with money, communicating etc.

do i make little cards to hand out?
or get someone to make a website for me?

any help or suggestions would be great.

and please,, no ' oh not another woman with her cake buisness etc ' i am not nieve, i want to do this for the enjoyment as much as anything else.

Maybe best to contact your local council environmental health department to see what info they can provide with regard to legislation that applies to selling cakes.

Online Video guide for managers of a small food business - while not focused on a cake retailer, may be worth watching some of it to get more of an idea of what standards the kitchen would need to meet.

Labelling may be an issue... ingredients listings for example. Talk to local council about it (try environmental health initially, if they can't help then try trading standards) see if they can advise on what labelling requirements are.
Eatwell.gov.uk says that Food sold loose (so cakes which are not boxed) does not need to be labelled (except for GM/irradiated ingredients).

Environmental health will probably want to know HOW you will be selling the cakes - such as a stall at a market, or just by individuals ordering from you direct, or via small retailers (my local Budgens sells cakes made by a local cake baker). The HOW it's sold could be important with regard to what legislation you need to comply with... so think about HOW you would sell the cakes.

do i make little cards to hand out?

That could be a way of marketing your service. There are companies online who will produce cards for you using a template, so you just write in the gaps where you want the information. A small local printer/copy shop could also produce you business cards.

or get someone to make a website for me?
You could create something simple yourself just as a way of displaying some of the cakes you have made in the past.
You could do it very very simply by just having a Photo account at say Flickr.

For example here is my Flickr photostream - it's not cakes! Just some pictures taken in Windsor Great Park.

You could then have the business card give the web address for your Flickr photostream.

OTTMum, I could have written that OP... Except that you sound like you have a lot more get up and go than I do! Perhaps take some samples of your cakes to local delis to see if they're interested..?

Good luck! And put cake photos on your profile!

thankyou, so much to consider!

I agree with nannynick - the first thing to get your head around is the all the regulation you'll have to comply with.

But to keep your spirit up while you do that, what about looking into local fetes and seeing if you can do a cake stall (I think regulations are relaxed for these)?

Regarding how you sell them, my favourite local cafe has cakes from local guest bakers every week. They also always commission a traybake that can be divided up into almost bite-sized servings and sold for about 40p: ideal for if you want a mouthful with your coffee, or to give to toddlers (solid, ie chocolatey ones work best). Might be worth suggesting to any nice independent cafes local to you?