If you’ve got baking skills, you shouldn’t keep them to yourself. Instead, you should consider making a living by sharing your baked goods with the community.
However, starting a small business is far from easy and the start-up costs for setting up a brick and mortar bakery can be enormous. What if there was a way around it? What if you could learn how to start a bakery and avoid massive overhead costs?
Have you ever thought about running a mobile bakery? A mobile bakery could be the answer you’re looking for. Keep reading for a quick guide on how to get started.
1. Do Your Market Research
First, know what you’re getting into. Conduct market research to find out more about the baking industry. Learn about:
- Costs (day to day and start-up)
- Revenue forecasts
- Logistics of running a mobile bakery (license, insurance, certifications, etc.)
- Competitors
- Growth potential
- Demand
These are important factors to consider for any business.
2. Create a Business Plan
Next, create a business plan. You’ll need it if you want to get financed through a bank or investors. However, a business plan is equally important for you, the business owner to detail your path to success.
Your business plan should include:
- Executive summary
- Description of the company
- Products/services
- Market research analysis
- Business strategy
- Business structure (team and organization)
- Financial projections
Lenders will need to see this to determine if they want to invest in your business.
3. Get Financed
Depending on your financial situation, you may need to borrow some money to get started. There are several options for you here.
You can get a small business loan from a bank or other lender. You can borrow money from friends and/or family. Or, you can find third-party investors.
4. Find the Right Vehicle
Once you get financed, you can find the right vehicle for your mobile bakery. To make the right choice, you need to determine if you actually want to bake in the vehicle or just use the vehicle for transportation and delivery.
It may be wise to invest in a refrigerated truck or insert if you want to just do delivery, but if you plan to bake inside the truck, you’ll need a mobile kitchen. Ultimately, it depends on your products and how you plan to operate.
If you decide to bake onboard, you’ll need to think about the equipment in your bakery food truck. You’ll need racks, insulated coolers or refrigerators, ovens, and more. Make sure you account for these in your startup costs.
5. Determine Your Target Audience
One of the most important steps in business is determining your target audience. What type of people will your bakery on wheels most likely appeal to? When will be the best time to market to them?
For example, you may want to set up shop in front of office buildings early in the morning so employees can grab breakfast on their way into work. In this scenario, it would be a nice touch and boost your profits to offer coffee, as well.
6. Start Marketing
There are several ways to get your brand out there in the community. One of the best things you can do is use social media to advertise your mobile bakery. You can keep followers and businesses posted on where you’ll be located and when.
However, you might also want a website where people can find out more about your business.
Looking to Start a Mobile Bakery?
If you’re looking to start a bakery on wheels, make sure you do your research to find out everything you can about the industry. This includes the baking industry and the food truck industry.
Want more food truck advice? Check out more blog posts here!
Thinking about starting a food truck? Request a free custom quote and one of our food truck specialists will help you design the truck of your dreams.
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