Make money baking.
Of all the ways to make money online, baking may be among the most enjoyable and creative ways.
All you need is your love for baking, essential baking tools, and the ability to do a little bit of marketing to find customers.
The great thing about baking is that turning your hobby into a business requires low start up costs. You probably already have pans, a mixer, baking sheets and an oven. You may need to add a great camera to take pictures like this really affordable but high quality canon camera that’s loved by many influencers.
Other than a camera, and perhaps, an online course in food photography or cake decoration, you’re good to start your business with what you currently have and can scale up as you get on.
Below I’m breaking down the multiple income streams you can follow to make money from your baking, from selling custom goods to working with brands or selling your own course. Let’s go!
1. Establish a small business and Sell custom baked goods
The first obvious way to make money if you bake is through selling as a small business.
You can sell:
- Cakes
- Cake sandwiches
- Cake pops
- Macarons
- Celebration cakes
- Cookies
- Baked goods for weddings, parties, or even as a private chef.
What will it take to set up a business to make money baking
Setting up a business requires a number of steps which are really easy to follow.
Registration: Pick a business name and register it. Registering your business will give you credibility, legal protection and access to funding.
Business insurance: a business insurance will cover you in the event of baking accidents
Permits: To begin you may need a food hygiene certificate. You also need to be familiar with allergen management regulations. If your baked goods contain any of the 14 major allergens identified by law (such as nuts, gluten, or dairy), you must clearly label the presence of allergens on your products. Regulations may vary by state or council so be sure to check local regulations and ask other bakers in your area.
Essential business items: There are some items you need for your business and these are mainly for shipping and delivery, because I assume you already have all of the baking tools you need.
- Allergen Label printer
- Packaging supplies- depending on what you bake, frosted bags, flat pack boxes, cake stands.
- Digital camera and lighting tools
- Basic photo editing software
Don’t go over board with packaging supplies, you’re better off waiting to see the volume of orders that come through before you buy in bulk.
Deciding what to bake.
The baking world has really evolved. From mouth watering cookies, to cake popsicles, and sculpture looking cakes.
Start by considering what you are really great at. What do you get the best reviews on? What’s the first thing that everyone rushes to when you serve your baked goods? Whether it’s bread, cakes, cookies, pies or pastries. It could be the signature item that sets you apart from the competition.
You can add a spin to common recipes to appeal to a dedicated audience. For example delicious Keto bread recipes, Gluten free cupcakes, or dairy free cakes will help you attract people with specific dietary needs who will most likely be return customers.
Take a course if you feel there are some skills you don’t have e.g cake decorating; there is so much to gain by investing in yourself.
Once you figure out what you’ll be selling, create a menu with prices. Start with a simple menu so that no matter the number of orders you get, you won’t need to make different doughs and batter. It is more efficient for you. To figure out your pricing, check other bakers in your area to get ideas. How much do they sell their pies, 10 inch cake or box of 12 scones? Find out and make notes.
Ultimately with pricing, do not undercut yourself. You should factor in:
- Cost of supplies
- The number of hours you spend baking
- Electricity costs
- Cost of packaging
- Delivery cost (optional)
- Your desired profit margins
How to market your baking business
Take great pictures
The best way to attract potential customers is by showing off your best creations.
With cakes, you can make several designs of dummy cakes (styrofoam’s) to show your skills. Investing in a good food photography course is always worth it. Likewise courses on cake decoration always come in handy to give your baking a more professional finish.
Establish your presence on social media
Social media is a great place to display your pictures to attract customers. Use social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook to showcase what you bake and engage with potential clients. You can use automatic schedulers like Tailwind to plan a whole week of posts without having to log in to these platforms everyday.
Tip for Instagram: Remember to add your location to your bio so that when people search for “cake makers in your location” they easily find you.
Register your business on google
Many people also search for “bakers near me” on google and you want to be found when they do.
Collaborate with local or complementary businesses
Businesses such as coffee shops or event planners will help you to expand your reach. They may buy supplies from you and have you as their dedicated cake person.
Join your local Facebook groups
Local FB groups are also great to find people in your area who are looking for a good treat.
2. Start blogging to make money baking
The second obvious way to make money with your baking hobby is to write about it. Have you ever considered sharing your unique recipes or baking hacks?
People are always asking questions like “what temperature should I bake X”, why is my X too suggy?
Why not be the person who answers all these questions on your blog.
Starting a blog is easy and dead cheap for $2.79 a month. If you’d like to go down that route here is a step by step tutorial to begin.
You may be thinking how do you make money from a blog?
Well, the more people read your blog the more money you can make through ads you place on your blog. So great content is King.
You can also make money by promoting other brands products on your blog and getting commissions for sales.
The third way to make money in your blog is through partnership with brands. You can make recipes with certain brand ingredients, take pictures and create loads of content for them and get paid for it. This is why you really need to have mastered food photography. Brands will be looking for professional looking content.
What if you can’t handle starting a blog?
If you don’t want to create a blog, you can still get paid by others to write recipes. Be on the look out for job postings from food brands, equipment manufacturer companies, recipe websites and cookbook publishers. You can also create a freelance profile on Fiverr, or upwork. These are great platforms to find potential customers, or brands who want to have recipes written.
3. Make money baking: Write and sell an e-book about baking
You can put all your signature recipes together and create a beautiful e-book you can sell.
There are tools like Canva or Picmonkey to help you create cute graphics and layout for your book. To sell, Gumroad or Etsy can help you take care of payments and transactions online.
If you don’t have a website, you can sell on Amazon kindle.
4. Use affiliate marketing to make money baking
This is less about your baking but more about recommending bakery equipments to people and getting a commission for sales.
Join the following affiliate programs and start promoting their courses and products and get a commission for sales.
- Cake Stackers
- CakeFlix
- Gourmet Food World
- Yeners Way
- The Prepared Pantry
- Kitchen Universe
- LearnCakeDecoratingOnline
- How To Cake It
- ThermoWork
- Bosch Mixers
- Nordic Ware
- The prepared Pantry
- Wilton
- BakeDeco
- Sur La-Table
Affiliate marketing tips: Only promote what you believe in. Don’t be overly salesy. Remember to give value by mentioning how the tool or course can be used and how it can help your reader. Then add the affiliate link and a call to action (learn more, check it out) and leave it. Nothing forceful.
5. Teach baking classes
You can teach people how to bake and earn money from it.
You can do this from the comfort of your home! All you need is a laptop or phone, internet and a video call software.
There are platforms like skillshare and udemy which make teaching online very easy. Need inspiration?
This course on how to bake sourdough bread is priced at £49.99 and has had 3,800 students!
I saw another bread making course for $59.99 that has been taken by 10,000 students. That’s just amazing!
One simple recipe with your own spin can make you 6 figures! Now multiply that by several recipe courses. Such a great potential.
Don’t know how to make a course? Don’t worry about it. There are many freelance course creators on fiverr. Just write the course content, put your ideas together and hire a freelancer to help you turn it into a video or course at an affordable price.
Final thoughts on how to make money baking?
By following the steps outlined in this guide and leveraging the power of social media, local connections, and online platforms, you can start earning money from your delicious creations.
Remember to stay dedicated, continuously improve your skills, and always put your customers’ satisfaction first.
With determination, creativity, and a pinch of business savvy, you can bake your way to financial success while doing what you love.
So, put on your apron, preheat that oven, and get ready to turn your baking passion into a profitable venture. Happy baking and happy earning!