How I started my storefront bakery in 18 MONTHS!

In this video, I’m sharing my journey from how I went from being a home baker to opening my storefront bakery in 18 months. I’m sharing a little bit about my backstory, how I got started in the baking industry, how I got into my storefront with NO MONEY, and the things I think all bakery owners and aspiring entrepreneurs should know before opening a brick & mortar.
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[@jhko5439]

i remember being obsessed with cupcakes back in the day and watching cupcake wars and i went to your store and it was one of my favorite cupcake shops. now i’m interested in opening a bakery and because of that i feel like i can trust your wisdom

[@TheCakeMamas]

Aww that's awesome! So glad you're here!

[@nardinem.]

None of the videos i have watched have opened my eyes on things I didn't really put in consideration!! Thank you for this amazing work you just shared with us!

[@TheCakeMamas]

So glad you found this insightful! Let me know what other videos or questions you have!

[@alvinjackson9685]

I bake from home. I do mainly "southern style desserts." Pound cakes, layered cakes, pies, cobblers, etc. I enjoy baking, and I have quite a bit of customers who enjoy them as well. I mostly sell more during the holidays. I find it a little stressful because I also have a demanding full-time job. I do have inspirations to expand one day. I know there is a lot nore i have to learn from the business. Thank you for your videos.

[@thepremaritaldiaries]

Very inspiring to read someone who loves to bake but also has a full-time job!

[@spencejoy]

Great niche!

[@LesleyHolroyd-iq2lm]

Really helpful video Janelle. Thank you! I have a home baking business and I've romantized about a bricks and mortar. Your training is helping me keep my feet on the ground! There's a lot more I can do at home before I think about the next step. I'm 58 so I've worried about being a bit old to be growing a successful baking business but I do want to do it. Have just signed up for the Pricing for Profit membership so am feeling hopeful ❤

[@medicalmary8929]

Thank you so much! I just started my business last year and I did not do any research at all. I lost my mother to Covid and was in an emotional stance. Instead of getting counseling, I took to baking and it has truly been therapeutic. I decided to sell my products at a Farmer's Market and it was Grrrreat! I'm currently at a mall cart/kiosk but it's not as profitable as I thought it would be because again, I did not do my research and this mall is in the process of closing in a few years. However, I'm am able to pay the rent for the lease I'm in now. I'm going to back track and build from home and continue Farmer's Markets near my home. I do have return customers and now that I have watched your Awesome video, I know exactly what I will do next. What's that you asked? "Make sure I outgrow my home before moving to the next step." I have a lot of work and back tracking to do because I need to make sure I am making a profit before moving to the next level. Again, thank you so much!

[@TheCakeMamas]

So sorry about the loss of your mom! I'm glad you found this video because this is the perfect example of why it's so important to start small and build the proper foundation AT HOME before we skip all these levels. Rooting for you in the future! and let me know if there is any other questions I can help you with! Also, you should consider joining my 10-weeks business masterclass, Passion To Profit!

[@HighlyFavor3dWon]

Super informative vid, thanks so much!

[@MkayLovee72]

I’m so glad I found your channel. It randomly popped up after watching some similar videos and I love how you break everything down. I’m in Los Angeles and own a small business from home similar to Edible Arrangements. I’ve been operating for 3 years, I have a lot of repeat customers and often get new ones every holiday sale I have. I want to scale out and own a brick and mortar one day but I’m taking the steps to learn before making any mistakes. I come from a small country where my family never had much so the idea of ever owning a bakery for me is like a dream but I know that with hard work it’s possible and that I have to stop limiting myself having the mentality that only “rich people” can afford to build a business from the ground up.

[@ChristyVelho-jr6cw]

Thank you for sharing your journey. I am a home baker, outgrowing my kitchen and have been contemplating moving into a commercial space. I’m so glad I found your channel. 😊

[@saquirewilliams6742]

Really enjoyed this. Gonna look to see if there’s a lengthier version on the channel

[@aniamendoza1248]

I love your videos! They are so helpful and inspiring!

[@TheCakeMamas]

Yay! So glad you found them helpful! Let me know what other videos you wanna see from me this year!

[@raichelinestrickx6644]

Thank you so so much, i am learning a LOT from you ♥️

[@TheCakeMamas]

It's my pleasure! I'm so happy my content is resonating with you!

[@daciapeters539]

Thanks for this video! I have done 3 events at which my last one I completely sold out and was able to leave early. I am baking out of my kitchen through use of cottage food law and in hopes of being able to grow the business as people really seem to love my dairy free miniature baked goods.

[@bg-ij9uc]

I'm not even half way through and this is already so helpful. Thank you.

[@TheCakeMamas]

Yay! So glad you found it helpful!

[@cindybolton4051]

Iam just starting out as a hime baker. Just need my Articles of I Corporation from the State of Illinois and then I will be ready to take sales.

[@adrianaortiz9086]

Thank you so much for your honest, realistic, a sincere advise. I am starting a dessert shop from home and having found you is been a bless from GOD. Thanks you, much love. A

[@TheCakeMamas]

YAY! So glad it found you! Welcome to this little corner of the internet!

[@EllieBellesCakes]

I really needed this today

[@TheCakeMamas]

OMG, so glad you're here! Go make it happen sis!

[@chuckgoldberg3656]

You approached it all in a very intelligent, common sense manner, making great lemonade out of the lemons life handed you. I'd like to get your opinion on my situation: I'm in the embryonic stages at home, with demand spawning for a couple of artisan sourdough breads I innocently shared. I'm open to taking it up a notch from home, but what I don't understand is how I can make any serious money with this, considering all the time and labor involved. There's nurturing of sourdough starter, plus all the proofing time and kneading. This is a far cry from the quick turnaround of pastries. So, it seems like something more suitable for a hobby at most. What say you?

[@kapiladeshapriya7226]

Thank you for your video I got something

[@samanthamoline]

Thank you starting out in my kitchen brick and mortar in the future

[@TheCakeMamas]

So glad this video resonated with you!

[@Ellanzbakery]

Thanks for the advice it came in handy I was about to open a break and motor still next month but I think I am mixing feelings and business now after watching your video I might start from home and grow the business slowly thanks alot

[@TheCakeMamas]

Definitely start from HOME! One of the biggest mistakes you can make is jumping into a storefront too fast. Create a solid foundation from home, start making some money, build up your clientele, make some mistakes, experience some wins and then once you can AFFORD to move into a storefront, then make the jump.

[@Ellanzbakery]

@@TheCakeMamas i will sure do that thanks for the advice I will be starting nex month

[@shatiagodfrey1079]

Hi Janelle. I loved everything you mentioned in this video. I’ve been baking cakes on and off since 10th grade. Wow, it’s been 21 years. I would say that I’m still in the beginning stages of my business. My LLC was just approved a few days ago, so what’s next? I’ve been doing a lot of research on what’s needed to be successful, how to attract more customers, etc. In the past six months, I can say that I’m taking my current home-based cake shop seriously. I want to do this right, so there’s no rush to the brick-and-mortar, although that’s the dream. I currently set up an appointment with my local small business association to get the needed help with the structure of my business. The questions you asked in this video are great questions for yourself, and I appreciate that. Thank you 🍰

[@TheCakeMamas]

YAY! Congratulations! That's awesome! I actually have a free guide that lays out the steps when starting a business. Next thing I would do is get a business bank account set up so you can start building business credit. This will help with funding later on down the road. You can get my free guide at www.janellecopeland.com/how-to-start-a-baking-business-optin

[@shatiagodfrey1079]

@@TheCakeMamas Janelle, I was on it! As soon as I got approved, I went right to the bank. Thanks, I will check out your business start-up guide. Thanks

[@greatagatsby741]

Hi Janelle! Could you advise how to do outcome and income analysis please.

[@dinh359]

Hi, thanks for sharing your story i have a question can i get a license to do business at home so i can legally claims taxes for all my expenses or any advice you can give? Thanks again Janelle

[@gabriellacontreras-ff1vb]

Did you have a license while running a home bakery? I have been looking into a CFO but I like to sell products that are excluded from the allowed foods list and haven’t been able to find information on what permits/licenses to get to sell perishable baked goods.

[@diyadventurelife9387]

So how much did it all cost?

[@sweetartcakes]

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I love learning from you 🤗 I am a wife and a mom to 6 children . I started to bake in Louisiana from our little trailer and was not so much successful. Hurricane Ida last November destroyed our little trailer and we had to move. Now we renting in Colorado and started to sell my cakes again but I’m not really that successful. I really don’t understand no more what am I doing wrong? I even start recalculating my prices so many times, that my husband is calling me Mad Scientist 😂 I have a felling I’m not successful because we are not really settled down. Still renting and honestly not knowing where we will go because we can’t rent forever 😩 or maybe my responses on emails are not good enough to get a customer to buy from me 🤔 Maybe you would have any suggestions for me? Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and your help 🤗 ❤

[@TheCakeMamas]

Hey there! I'm so glad my videos resonate with you! Just based on that you sent me and of course I would need a bit more information from you to tell you exactly what I would recommend you do but if you haven't seen my how to make $1k in to 10 days challenge/playlist here on my KZbin, I would check that out first. It will provide you so basics on how to start getting some orders in and what things you can do to reach new customers. But what I will tell you now is to trust the process and get back to the basics. Promote on your social media, get out into your community, talk about your business with other people. Just show up consistetly and don't over complicate things thinking your entire business model is wrong. You'll go crazy thinking about the things that "could" be wrong.

[@sweetartcakes]

@@TheCakeMamas thank you so much 😊

[@sweetartcakes]

@@TheCakeMamas I’ll watch the videos , thank you 😊

[@Crlysue]

I'm currently starting on a bakery business but only specialising in one kind of dessert and worried on how I can have a bakery where at first I will be the only employee and how to time manage everything like how long baking everything will take and how I'll be delivering everything since I'll be starting from home.

[@TheCakeMamas]

You're starting the right way- from home! Which is great! One thing that is important to remember is we all have our own individual capacity. Some people have more capacity than others which allows them to pour more of themselves into their business. I would figure out HOW MUCH time you actually have to devote to growing your business, starting small, and growing from there.

[@user-zs3th7cl4m]

What are the Permits and Licenses that were required to open the Bakery? Please enlighten me on this!

[@TheCakeMamas]

All states and county's vary. I would recommend googling your city and state requirements

[@lindathaoyang]

Hi! this video was super helpful. I am a dreamer and would love to open up a cafe one day. Do we need any licensing or certification to start a business selling food?

[@TheCakeMamas]

Hi! Great Question! While formal training isn't required you will have to abide by food safety laws and cottage laws if you'll be working from home. You will also need a selling permit if you plan on selling at local farmers markets/ pop-ups. You will also need to start your business the LEGAL way- which is by filing the correct paper work with the government.

[@TheCakeMamas]

You can reference my video series, "How to Starting A Baking Biz" here on YT where I share step-by-step how to get started. These steps apply to starting ANY kind of business really.

[@nelliereyes1576]

What do you recommend if you can't run a business from your home because the state you live in dose not allow it??

[@TheCakeMamas]

I'm not sure what state you live in but generally there are ways to work around this with cottage laws. The rebel in me would say to still operate out of your house on a smaller scale until you are making enough in profit to expand into a commercial kitchen or separate space.

[@jhko5439]

when you opened up your storefront was it all you making all the cupcakes? or did you hire assistance?

[@TheCakeMamas]

I hired an entire staff.

[@lizethgarcia3125]

Our AZ cottage laws are very restricted. Did you have a business licence right away to sell from home?

[@TheCakeMamas]

When I started almost 13 years ago, cottage licenses did not exist, so no. What aspect of the AZ law is worrying you?

[@lizethgarcia3125]

@@TheCakeMamas the icngs for the cakes. They dont want us to use egg whites nothing that needs refrigerated. The city suggersts we only use shortening or ghee

[@davidsimeoncole]

Didn’t know she was so beautiful I was just listening

[@adamsfamilyvlog]

What if you have no space at home? Living with relatives. Can it still work?

[@chm8804]

Unless they are supportive, otherwise you would have a hard time to get the ball running. My own experience.

[@adamsfamilyvlog]

@@chm8804 well for what I will be doing I have to rent a commercial kitchen.

[@jahmeradropped]

People really do struggle and have different “poor” mindsets . Interesting

[@maggiessweettooth3022]

So much Wisdom! Thank you for sharing your story. It was just what I needed to hear. 🤍🤍