You've made the plunge and learned how to bake and decorate fabulous cakes, cookies, and cupcakes and you've discovered that sugar art is your passion. Or perhaps you have an heirloom recipe for brownies or pie that you would like to market. What do you do next? Many bakers/cake decorators begin by giving or selling their decorated cakes, cookies, and cupcakes to family, friends, co-workers, and community organizations. However, cake decorators in New York City who want to start a part-time or full-time business soon realize that they must be licensed, have insurance, and operate from a commercial kitchen. Costs for start-ups to open a commercial kitchen in New York City are prohibitive. However, there are ways that the most determined sugar art designer can start a legal business:
- Get Free counseling from S.C.O.R.E. For example, on April 30th, the NYC branch of S.C.O.R.E. will host a seminar on writing a business plan and on May 2nd they will host a seminar for women on how to start a business. LaGuardia Community College Small Business Center also offers advice on how to start a business.
- Get licensed. In NYC you will need a Food Handler's license from the Department of Health and possibly a NYS Agriculture and Market License. Currently, you can take the Food Handler Protection course online for free.
- Get a tax ID number and tax resale ID number.
- Get product liability insurance. Travelers is one company that offers such insurance but certainly is not the only company, so do your research.
- Get a copy of Bringing Home the Baking: How to Start a Licensed Home Based Baking Business by Quincella C. Geiger.
- Get connected with a kitchen incubator. A kitchen incubator makes it financially possible for most start-up businesses to legally operate in New York State by offering leases or daily/hourly rates for commercial kitchen rental. There are several well-known incubators in New York City such as Mi Kitchen Es Su Kitchen in Queens, Kitchen for Hire in Brooklyn, and DRM Baking Center Incubator in Manhattan. Outside NYC are several kitchen incubators such as Chef Delivery Kitchen for Rent in Long Island, NY.
Get ready to put in the sweat equity you are going to need to cook up your own success story!
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