If you love to bake and have a little extra time available to you this holiday season, you may want to stock up on sugar, flour, and other baking essentials and offer yourself to friends and acquaintances as a baker for hire. Everyone loves home made baked goods and want to have them on their holiday table, but many people are short on time. People who do not have the time to bake pies, cookies, and cakes themselves are often more than willing to pay someone else for home made baked goods instead of buying them at the store so that they and their families can enjoy that home made taste.
Before you run out and tell all your friends, make sure that you set yourself up for success. The very first thing that you must do is check your local laws and ordinances regarding home bakeries. Some states require a license for any home bakery, while others allow an exception for very small baking operations that sell less than a certain amount of product each week. Once you know whether it is ok to do what you want to do in your area, take out your calendar and set aside blocks of time when you can be available to conduct your business. Remember that this time will be used for baking, but will also be used for packaging and delivering your items (if you offer delivery). Once you have those things taken care of, it is time to have some fun.
Develop a list of items that you would like to offer for sale and turn it into a one-page price list. For example, you may wish to offer only pies, but in several flavors such as apple, pecan, pumpkin, and other local favorites. You could also offer cakes, cookies, or both. Some people even offer signature items like beautifully decorated cupcakes or seasonally flavored whoopee pies. Include pictures if possible and be sure that your ordering and delivery policy and your contact information are easy to read. Distribute your price list to friends and family, and wait for the orders to start rolling in. You may even wish to post messages on Facebook to let your Facebook friends know what you are offering. As each order comes in, block off time to complete it during the time that you have set aside for your baking business. This will safeguard against taking too many orders and having trouble getting them done and to the customers on time.
Baking for others during the holiday season can be a great way to earn some extra money. Be careful that you do not overload yourself, as you are likely to have increased responsibilities around the home and with family at this time as well. With some careful planning, you may not even have to advertise if you choose to sell baked goods again next year because your happy customers will be calling you back for more.
Photo by alcinoe on morguefile.com.
