Anyone doing baking bunsiness from thier own home (some questions)

[MUM2BLESS]

1. Who needs to be informed before this is done?
2. What expenses do you have to pay out ie gas electric etc
3. How do you look for premises with catering facilities (commercial premises/)

Any advice welcomed thanks

We have a lot of customers who do this.

You need to check your insurance policies, as this can be voided if you are working from home. Also your mortgage people may need to know. If it's rented, your landlord.

If you are working with food, you will also need to get your kitchen passed for food hygiene.

The current allowance for electric/gas seems to be £18 per month, but check the HMRC site for more info;

www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/relief-household.htm

I cant help with your 3rd question, but I would have thought asking a local commercial estate agent would be a good start.

Adele
MakeUsAWebsite

Thank you so much Adele for taking the time to answer my questions.

Any more comments welcomed.

Commercial catering premises can be really expensive to rent or kit out if you are just starting up. Have you looked to see if you can hire a local village hall or community centre which usually have fully fitted kitchens. Alternatively some parts of the country have small business start up units sometimes called starter units/incubator units etc which may be worth investigating.

Once you decide where you will be baking get in touch with your local council to register the business and talk to an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) who can advise you on the legalities of it all. Good luck!

Just wondering the options for delivering cakes etc to customers?

I know you can deliver it yourself but what about using couriers? any recommendations or does anyone know how its done?

What area of the country are you?

When you are just starting out i would try and do the deliveries yourself or get family/friends to help who are reliable. Its important to build up relationships with your customers so you can tell them about new product lines etc and they can give you direct feedback e.g. the lemon drizzle sold out this week, Customers have been asking if you produce a gluten free version etc. and doing the deliveries yourself would be the easiest way to do this.

If you go down the courier route think long and hard about appropriate packaging and try to get local recommendations.

Thanks BNmum some awesome advice. Nice one.

We are in Hertfordshire. Are you in the baking business yourself?

I'm afraid I don't know any couriers down south so can't help there. I'm a SAHM now but used to work in the food and drink industry, primarily with small start up companies.

Have you also considered farmers markets/local food fairs? It a great opportunity to get your products out there, test the market and you don't have to worry about the delivery implications. Some stall costs can be expensive so see if you can pair up with another producer and share the costs.

Thanks for your advice much appreciated.