In the beginning stages of your bakery when you're just thinking about it, there are usually a lot of people cheering you on. Unfortunately, those people seem to fade away as your business starts. I've even had people do a 180 and tell me what a horrible idea it was.
How do you deal with these kinds of people, Momma?
I could say ignore them, but that's not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes it's close friends or family that turn to the dark side, but one thing you have to think about, are they always like that? Do they lift you up and crash you back down? I've noticed that some of my relative will never be happy with anything I do, but when I told them my idea of starting a bakery they thought it would help me to cheer me on, then as I got more into it, they started downing my dream.
It hurts. It really does. But also think if this is what you truly want. Some people aren't very nice, but they may be trying to help you. Think of the pro's and con's of starting a bakery. Do you have the start up essentials? Financially, physically, and emotionally? You have to be prepared to put in 16 hours a day if you have to. 16 Hours a day for weeks on end can make or break a person. Again, if you believe you can do it, I say go for it!
However, let's say if an old flame puts you down, you know they're just jealous. You're doing something with your life that you love to do. It'd make anybody jealous!
If things start to get overwhelming, and you don't have someone to talk to, I'm always here. Any baker in need is welcome to talk to me with open arms. Explain your situation to me and I will try my hardest to lift your spirits, no guarantees of course, but I will try my hardest. I know how hard the lows of this proffession can get but with two baking minds combined, we're bound to come up with a solution! You can reach me on my facebook : Momma's Facebook or at my email ashleyndecker909@hotmail.com. I check everything everyday! Sometimes even three or four times a day! Make sure to include your name, a brief description of your problem (or even just to say Hi to Momma), where you're located and Title the message: Momma Help! or Hi Momma! That way I know it's not spam :))
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED
DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!
The more faith you have in your business, it will shine through everything you do. Customers will sense it and often times, come back to your business because of it. Also, a little advertising never hurt (unless you don't have any certification and then you might end up in a jam with the law).
You're probably thinking, Momma, I don't have any advertising skill! How do I advertise my business?
A little secret, I didn't have any advertising skill either when I started. I thought of a lot of different ways to get my business out in the line of public eye. Most, like my own website, cost too much for me to spend starting out. GET CREATIVE! Social networking sites are free to join and a lot of my own revenue and praise comes from it. My Facebook page,Momma's Bakery Facebook, did not however start extravagantly. I still only have a few friends and family that read my posts and order cakes. I do not, however, get discouraged by this fact because though it's small, it's still a start!
Think of it this way, if you ask your friends and family to share your page and one person shares it, then another will share it and another and another and so on and so forth. Soon you'll have tons of people! Also, starting out small is better than starting out big. As a starter, I didn't have a lot of the equipment needed to make 3 or 4 cakes a day, heck I still don't have a lot of the essentials, but I make due with what I have and never promise more than I can deliver.
Nothing is worse than getting your clients hopes up only to let them down when you reveal the cake. (If they don't like what they see, often times, they'll refuse to pay you and you'll lose that customer forever!)
So don't get discouraged with the small start up. It's better to be small than non existent.
If you're low on income, I'll give you a few tips to try to get your business out there.
1. Taste test! Bring in customers by holding a small stand in a busy area. (Again, have needed permits!) Bake 2 or 3 cakes, they can be your best flavor or multiple kinds, go by however many ingredients you have!
2. Print business cards! At my local print shop, a single color copy is 10 cents a page. I was able to go to my local library and use their computers to make my own business cards on the Word program. (There are a lot of different business card templates that are easy to retrieve and all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Remember to keep it simple! Business name, your slogan, your name, address, and phone number.) I was able to put 24 cards onto one sheet of paper! I took the design to the print shop and printed off one or two pages and went home and cut them up to hand out. (Pretty sneaky huh?) Mind you it was on regular paper, which I didn't mind, I was just trying to get my name out there.
3. Write a blog! (Hehe, sound familiar?) Ya, it can be hard to find topics to write about and most bakers don't want to let out their recipes. I totally understand that, but I'm bursting with so many ideas, I can't help but share them. Even if they are recipes, I don't mind. I'd like my customers to see my baking process and how genuinely happy I am to bake.
4. Ask family and friends to help! Ask them to buy your delicacies to help support your business! It always made me feel better to see everyone enjoying what I had made and although that doesn't put a lot of money in your pocket, it pays off with the smiles and gratitude and, sometimes, constructive criticism.
If you're low on ingredients:
1. LOOK FOR BARGAINS! Newspapers usually have leaflets with coupons! Go for them! Every penny counts as a start up baker! Do not shy away from the clearance shelves, if the packaging has been opened however, don't even give it a second thought. Making your customers sick because that ingredient was contaminated is not worth the bargain!
2. Look for whole sale! Whole sale tends to be cheaper in the long run and you end up with a lot of what you need.
3. Farmer's markets! Not only are you supporting local farms, but your also helping to build relationships! Give them your business card and talk to them about your business! They may be able to give you a good price down the road and may even be able to help your business grow!
4. Flee Markets! Not only can you find ingredients here, but you can also find equipment you need. Beware though! Look out for rust and other contaminates! Do not buy anything with rust, stains, and make sure, if electric, the thing runs at all.
Be vigilant, be hopeful, and be safe! Use your creativity and don't get discouraged if a plan doesn't plan out. There are always options! And in the state of Illinois, small business owners can get a grant to help them start up! Sure, it's not much from what I hear, but it's a start. Get your foot in the door and don't stop till you've made your way through that door and into bakery greatness!
- Momma's Bakery ("Like" me on Facebook! Momma's Bakery Facebook
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Walnut Cups
Today, I tried a recipe I had seen online a couple of times. Walnut cups - Mini Walnut Pies. They turned out delicious but they were hard to make. It took me two hours to make a dozen! The recipe says to roll the pie crust into 24 balls. It does not however make 24. It makes 12 barely. I don't know if it was a personal mishap or if the recipe was wrong, either way, they turned out delicious!
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 tablespoons water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the flour and salt. Cut in shortening till mixture resembles peas. Add water till dough comes together nicely.
Divide the dough into 24 balls and press into the cups of mini muffin tins, going up the edges to make wells for the filling.
Mix the egg, vanilla, brown sugar and walnuts together. Spoon filling into the cups.
Bake 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is set.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.
I found that adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and substituting regular shortening for Butter Flavored Crisco, the crust tastes a lot better. Also, my grandfather advised adding a teaspoon of vinegar and a little bit of sour cream to make it stick together more because the crust was too crumbly for a miniature pie. I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure his advice is worth trying.
One more note about the crust, I suggest making a uniform 3 mm crust. That way it is thick enough to hold the filling and won't burn before the filling is done. My taste testers have also said to make it sweeter. "The crust is kinda bland." Three of five said. I'm thinking about adding a tablespoon of sugar to the crust mixture. I'm sure that would add enough sweetness to make it not so bland but not enough to mess with the science of the crust.
Here is how mine looked :
The filling was sweet and slightly crunchy although I advise not filling the pastry cup to the top. The filling does in fact fluff up and will burn once it touches the sides of the cupcake pan. Burnt filling is disgusting and ruins the whole mini pie. BE VERY CAREFUL!
Once out of the oven, make sure to take mini pies out of cupcake pan so that they don't continue to bake and possibly burn. Momma's Bakery tip #1.
On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best possible recipe. I give this recipe a 3 on account that it lacked directions on how to make the pastry cups and the crust was too flaky for the way this recipe was intended. It did however have a very tasty filling.
I suggest trying the recipe for yourself and seeing how they turn out for you!
-Momma's Bakery ("Like" me on Facebook!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 tablespoons water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the flour and salt. Cut in shortening till mixture resembles peas. Add water till dough comes together nicely.
Divide the dough into 24 balls and press into the cups of mini muffin tins, going up the edges to make wells for the filling.
Mix the egg, vanilla, brown sugar and walnuts together. Spoon filling into the cups.
Bake 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is set.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.
I found that adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and substituting regular shortening for Butter Flavored Crisco, the crust tastes a lot better. Also, my grandfather advised adding a teaspoon of vinegar and a little bit of sour cream to make it stick together more because the crust was too crumbly for a miniature pie. I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure his advice is worth trying.
One more note about the crust, I suggest making a uniform 3 mm crust. That way it is thick enough to hold the filling and won't burn before the filling is done. My taste testers have also said to make it sweeter. "The crust is kinda bland." Three of five said. I'm thinking about adding a tablespoon of sugar to the crust mixture. I'm sure that would add enough sweetness to make it not so bland but not enough to mess with the science of the crust.
Here is how mine looked :
The filling was sweet and slightly crunchy although I advise not filling the pastry cup to the top. The filling does in fact fluff up and will burn once it touches the sides of the cupcake pan. Burnt filling is disgusting and ruins the whole mini pie. BE VERY CAREFUL!
Once out of the oven, make sure to take mini pies out of cupcake pan so that they don't continue to bake and possibly burn. Momma's Bakery tip #1.
On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best possible recipe. I give this recipe a 3 on account that it lacked directions on how to make the pastry cups and the crust was too flaky for the way this recipe was intended. It did however have a very tasty filling.
I suggest trying the recipe for yourself and seeing how they turn out for you!
-Momma's Bakery ("Like" me on Facebook!)
Starting A Baking Business In Illinois
I've looked all over the internet and even in the Illinois State Food and Sanitation page but nothing told me what certificates or licenses to get. It's rather frustrating being in a state proclaimed "gray area" of the small business world. Here's how I do things just to be safe:
1. Get certified - I know, you're thinking what certificates and how? After some researching other states, I found, just to be safe, get the basics. Illinois has a Food Sanitation Certificate that allows you to learn how to handle foods safely. The class is mostly for people working around meat, when I asked the teacher about certain certificates I should receive as a home baker, she told me that I was right in taking the class since I work with butter and eggs and other such things that need refrigeration, she also gave me a government office number for people that want to be bakers and when I called it they always defer me to a different department which always ends up in someone hanging up on me... It's terribly frustrating. But to learn more about places to get this certificate, go online to <http://dph.illinois.gov/fssmccourses/> click on your county and it will show classes near you. My class was free but the certificate costs $35 after passing the exam. All worth it I assure you.
I've heard about needing a cerified kitchen to make baked goods if your kitchen is not IDPH certified. I tried to get my kitchen cerified, but like I said, every government office I call I get transferred and hung up on. It's a lot easier to find another certified kitchen. Recently, I've discovered churches will allow you to use thier kitchens on days they're not for a nominal fee to cover electricity. If you're not willing to go to a church, everyone has their reasons don't feel bad, local restaurants are sometimes willing to let you use their space as long as you put some of your delicacies on the menu (That's an even better choice because you have a good line of income too). If none of those are available to you, try getting your kitchen as clean as humanly possible. Also, go to the law page for Food Service Sanitation. Don't get overwhelmed, there are a lot of links to click on and a lot of lawyer mumbo jumbo. If you're really into opening your own bakery, read through it. Some of the things in there I had to just skip or reread like 5 or 6 times. Trust me, not getting fined is WORTH IT. I'll give you some tips on the page though.
Don't forget SUBPART D: EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS :
2. TAX NUMBER - Some people will tell you that you HAVE to get a tax number. UNTRUE! If you make less than $2,500 a month, you don't need a tax number. And trust me, starting out, I was barley able to make over $30.00 a month...
3. Misc. things i've found - Starting a business is hard. Get your financial footing. KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY IT TAKES TO MAKE A CAKE AND DON'T FORGET THE OVERHEAD CHARGES!!!! You will be in dept up to your eyeballs if you underprice what you're selling! What I did was I made a chart, I wrote down EVERYTHING my recipes called for, what the price was for one product, how many cups was in each product, and divided the price by how many cups was in each product. That way when I made a cake, I noted the price of each ingredient, added up the ingredient cost, and made PART of how much one cake costs.
Do not forget OVERHEAD! Overhead is the utilities you used to make the cake. Remember, you're using an oven and when you wash the dishes you're using water, the hot water heater, and dish soap. DO NOT FORGET TO APPLY THE MAN HOURS YOU PUT INTO EACH CAKE! Make sure YOU GET PAID for the time you put into it. I charge by the hour. You also need to charge if you have to deliver the cake. The going rate is $0.58 a mile, but charge how ever much you need to cover gas and wear-and-tear on your vehicle.
Also, if you're like me, you feel bad about charging family. I give my family a discount. I'm not saying you have to, but it's nice to show your family that you appreciate their business. DO NOT BY ANY MEANS DISCOUNT IT SO MUCH THAT YOU'RE NOT MAKING ENOUGH TO COVER COSTS!!! I personally just charge for the ingredients I used. Again, not saying you have to, but it's a nice gesture.
If you have any questions, email me at ashleyndecker909@hotmail.com. Beware I check my email about once a week so bear with me. Or find me on Facebook at <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommas-Bakery/171284716252483> "Like" me!
Momma's Bakery in no way wants anyone to try to be above the law. Be smart, be safe.
1. Get certified - I know, you're thinking what certificates and how? After some researching other states, I found, just to be safe, get the basics. Illinois has a Food Sanitation Certificate that allows you to learn how to handle foods safely. The class is mostly for people working around meat, when I asked the teacher about certain certificates I should receive as a home baker, she told me that I was right in taking the class since I work with butter and eggs and other such things that need refrigeration, she also gave me a government office number for people that want to be bakers and when I called it they always defer me to a different department which always ends up in someone hanging up on me... It's terribly frustrating. But to learn more about places to get this certificate, go online to <http://dph.illinois.gov/fssmccourses/> click on your county and it will show classes near you. My class was free but the certificate costs $35 after passing the exam. All worth it I assure you.
I've heard about needing a cerified kitchen to make baked goods if your kitchen is not IDPH certified. I tried to get my kitchen cerified, but like I said, every government office I call I get transferred and hung up on. It's a lot easier to find another certified kitchen. Recently, I've discovered churches will allow you to use thier kitchens on days they're not for a nominal fee to cover electricity. If you're not willing to go to a church, everyone has their reasons don't feel bad, local restaurants are sometimes willing to let you use their space as long as you put some of your delicacies on the menu (That's an even better choice because you have a good line of income too). If none of those are available to you, try getting your kitchen as clean as humanly possible. Also, go to the law page for Food Service Sanitation. Don't get overwhelmed, there are a lot of links to click on and a lot of lawyer mumbo jumbo. If you're really into opening your own bakery, read through it. Some of the things in there I had to just skip or reread like 5 or 6 times. Trust me, not getting fined is WORTH IT. I'll give you some tips on the page though.
Look at SUBPART G: CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF PHYSICAL FACILITIES to learn about how your kitchen should be set up. You'll learn all of this in your food sanitation certification classes.
- Section 750.1200 General – Floors
- Section 750.1210 General – Walls and Ceilings
- Section 750.1220 General – Cleaning Physical Facilities
- Section 750.1230 General – Lighting
SUBPART E: CLEANING, SANITIZING, AND STORAGE OF EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS
- Section 750.800 Cleaning Frequency
- Section 750.810 Wiping Cloths
- Section 750.820 Manual Cleaning and Sanitizing
- Section 750.830 Mechanical Cleaning and Sanitizing
- Section 750.840 Drying
- Section 750.850 Equipment, Utensil, and Tableware Handling
- Section 750.860 Equipment, Utensil, and Tableware Storage
- Section 750.870 Pre-Set Tableware
- Section 750.880 Single-Service Articles
- Section 750.890 Prohibited Storage Area
Don't forget SUBPART D: EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS :
- Section 750.600 General - Materials
- Section 750.610 Solder
- Section 750.620 Wood
- Section 750.630 Plastics
- Section 750.650 General – Design and Fabrication
- Section 750.660 Accessibility
- Section 750.670 In-Place Cleaning
- Section 750.680 Thermometers
- Section 750.690 Non-Food-Contact Surfaces
- Section 750.700 Ventilation Hoods
- Section 750.710 General – Equipment Installation and Location
- Section 750.720 Table-Mounted Equipment
- Section 750.730 Portable Equipment
- Section 750.740 Floor-Mounted Equipment
- Section 750.750 Aisles and Working Space
- Section 750.510 General - Personal Cleanliness
- Section 750.512 When to Wash Hands
- Section 750.514 Where to Wash Hands
- Section 750.516 Hand Antiseptics
- Section 750.520 General - Clothing
- Section 750.530 General - Employee Practices
Well, if you have to, look into EVERYTHING that seems (or doesn't even seem) to pertain to you. Go to <http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/077/07700750sections.html> for more.
2. TAX NUMBER - Some people will tell you that you HAVE to get a tax number. UNTRUE! If you make less than $2,500 a month, you don't need a tax number. And trust me, starting out, I was barley able to make over $30.00 a month...
3. Misc. things i've found - Starting a business is hard. Get your financial footing. KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY IT TAKES TO MAKE A CAKE AND DON'T FORGET THE OVERHEAD CHARGES!!!! You will be in dept up to your eyeballs if you underprice what you're selling! What I did was I made a chart, I wrote down EVERYTHING my recipes called for, what the price was for one product, how many cups was in each product, and divided the price by how many cups was in each product. That way when I made a cake, I noted the price of each ingredient, added up the ingredient cost, and made PART of how much one cake costs.
Do not forget OVERHEAD! Overhead is the utilities you used to make the cake. Remember, you're using an oven and when you wash the dishes you're using water, the hot water heater, and dish soap. DO NOT FORGET TO APPLY THE MAN HOURS YOU PUT INTO EACH CAKE! Make sure YOU GET PAID for the time you put into it. I charge by the hour. You also need to charge if you have to deliver the cake. The going rate is $0.58 a mile, but charge how ever much you need to cover gas and wear-and-tear on your vehicle.
Also, if you're like me, you feel bad about charging family. I give my family a discount. I'm not saying you have to, but it's nice to show your family that you appreciate their business. DO NOT BY ANY MEANS DISCOUNT IT SO MUCH THAT YOU'RE NOT MAKING ENOUGH TO COVER COSTS!!! I personally just charge for the ingredients I used. Again, not saying you have to, but it's a nice gesture.
If you have any questions, email me at ashleyndecker909@hotmail.com. Beware I check my email about once a week so bear with me. Or find me on Facebook at <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mommas-Bakery/171284716252483> "Like" me!
Momma's Bakery in no way wants anyone to try to be above the law. Be smart, be safe.
I'M BACK!
Hello all, I took a break from the internet world to experiment with decorating cakes and finding good recipes! Boy, I have learned a lot! Every recipe you find, try it! Don't just scratch it off as too hard or funky looking, trust me, you'll be surprised by the flavors you'll find! Also, decorating cakes is like therapy. Take a deep breath to stop your hands from shaking, clear your mind, and let your imagination fly. If you're too stressed to think about what you're decorating, put everything away and come back to it later.
Oh, and I've found a lot of vegan cakes and icings, also gluten-free recipes, that i've tried and when I gave out samples, people couldn't tell the difference! It was amazing to see people chow down on my cakes and cupcakes without even realizing they were vegan or gluten-free! It blew their minds when I told them and they even wanted more!
The reason I looked for these kinds of recipes is because some of my family and friends need them or else they can't enjoy sweets at family functions or parties. It broke my heart to see them lingering over sweets that they knew they couldn't have. From now on, every family function and party I'm invited to, I bring a gluten free and vegan cake. It's worth the time I put in it to see their smiles and gratitude.
Ok, well, I'm just here saying that the new Momma's Bakery is open in Lerna, IL. I'll be posting little tricks and business tips I've found to help anyone else that wants to open a bakery.
Oh, and I've found a lot of vegan cakes and icings, also gluten-free recipes, that i've tried and when I gave out samples, people couldn't tell the difference! It was amazing to see people chow down on my cakes and cupcakes without even realizing they were vegan or gluten-free! It blew their minds when I told them and they even wanted more!
The reason I looked for these kinds of recipes is because some of my family and friends need them or else they can't enjoy sweets at family functions or parties. It broke my heart to see them lingering over sweets that they knew they couldn't have. From now on, every family function and party I'm invited to, I bring a gluten free and vegan cake. It's worth the time I put in it to see their smiles and gratitude.
Ok, well, I'm just here saying that the new Momma's Bakery is open in Lerna, IL. I'll be posting little tricks and business tips I've found to help anyone else that wants to open a bakery.
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