Selling Cakes??

**lilk** · 03-10-2007, 10:22 PM

I've been taking cake decorating classes. I have completed Course 1, next week I start Course 2. Has anyone of you made cakes and sold them for profit? I'm wanting to start out just doing Birthday cakes, and grow from there. Is there any regulations or license I need before I start? Who should I talk to, if so? Any ideal how much I should charge? If you have any ideals I would greatly appreciate it. TIA.
I hoping to earn a little money to put toward my auto loan, and pay it off sooner.

**Sari** · 03-11-2007, 06:52 PM

I am sure you have to get a health inspection for your kitchen, and have a business license at the very minimum. Interesting idea though, good luck!

**suesue** · 03-11-2007, 08:13 PM

I would think that it depends on to whom you sell the cakes. Friends and family should be okay without any permits.

suesue

**FrugalWitch** · 03-11-2007, 11:48 PM

Technically you have to have inspections and permits, casually selling to friends and family I didn't get permits. However, friends and family soon made me quit. They want it all for free.

In the 3 years I was doing cakes and catering, every 4th cousin I'd never heard of crawled out of the woodwork wanting free services and products, anytime I said "No" caused WW3 within the family. Understand, my family didn't even want to pay the ingredient costs, it should be "my gift for the occasion"....for people who had never given me so much as a card from the Dollar Store.

If you want to be nagged, guilt-trapped and fought with to provide 100% free things for weddings, showers, graduations and birthdays have at it. Personally I had a yard-sale and sold every last cake pan and bit of decorating equipment I owned. I've not baked so much as a cookie for them since.

YMMV, good luck and be aware of the potential pitfalls. If you do go ahead with it, get deposits of 50% of your final price in cash, in advance. Don't take checks.

**lilk** · 03-18-2007, 09:06 PM

Thanks everyone for the advice.
FrugalWitch, Sorry people tried to take advantage of you. I do appreciate your help and I like the deposit idea. How much did you charge for your cakes if you don't mind me aking?

**littlemotherhaywood** · 03-19-2007, 08:38 AM

A friend of mine makes candy to sell. She sometimes uses her church's kitchen for stuff. Once you go to get the permit, I believe you either have to have a second kitchen cut off from the house or you can't have any pets. That's what always turned me off the idea. I understand the reasoning behind it of course, but our pets are part of the family. Good luck whatever you decide.

**lilk** · 03-19-2007, 11:15 AM

I will probably just start out making them for family and friends and see what happens.

**yankeegal** · 03-19-2007, 07:02 PM

Hi there...
I am in the process of licensing my kitchen to sell cookies. First you need to check with your town/city to see if it is permissable. The next thing would probably be to check with your state's Dept. of Agriculture to see what their regulations are. Your kitchen will need to be inspected if your state allows a home-baking business. In Maine, we are allowed to have pets-they just are not allowed in the kitchen, but every state is different.
This is an excellent site for cake decorators-tons of info on starting a cake business:
www.cakecentral.com
Good luck!

**Edna_E** · 03-19-2007, 08:42 PM

These things vary by state, and possibly by community even within a state. NM has passed a law saying that nobody can sell any food that was not prepared in an approved kitchen (which includes having commercial refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, etc). Initially, bake sales and church fundraiser dinners came to a screeching halt. Over time, people have simply started ignoring the law, and they don't seem inclined to enforce it. Hopefully, your state is more reasonable.