The scenario started with walking into a networking event. My palms would be sweaty and I would scan the crowd for a friendly face. Often I would grab a cup of coffee hoping someone would approach me. Sometimes that happened, sometimes not. If not, the only choices were to stand there alone looking out of place, or approach someone else and strike up a conversation. My first few events were miserable. I felt so out of place, and it showed. I had no idea of how to turn those type of situations around, and frequently left feeling like I had wasted my time and money.

Marketing Mindset Adjustment

After awhile, I got tired of feeling that the marketing efforts were useless. After all, I was in business to make sales, and sales are the byproduct of marketing. I faced the fact that I had to equip myself with some “how -to’s” for those who are afraid to network.I started getting serious about marketing techniques that I felt comfortable with.

• Change the focus for networking events. Make sales a byproduct. Instead scout out new friends. After all “strangers are just friends we have yet to meet”. A lot of the people at those events are just as nervous as you are. You know how you are just hoping someone will talk to you – well they are feeling like that too. Make the first move and you both win.
• A lot of people envy those with the gift of gab. You know what I mean, those natural extroverts who never met a stranger. My dad was the type of person who could easily strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. I always wished I was like that. I am not denying that extroverts have a gift, but introverts can learn tools that help them get past their shyness
• Be happy with who you are, and what you are selling. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”. That is so true. No one is impressed with phonies. If you bake quality products, feel confident that the world is hungry for the fresh homemade products you offer. Let me say that again, all those products sold in stores that are pumped full of artificial chemicals and preservatives are pretty much the same. Everyone truly appreciates homemade products. That is the niche we are talking about filling.

How do you know what to say?

That is the $64 question. If you are a stay at home mom or someone who never had to do sales before, knowing what to say to others who someday might be your customer is really important. Unfortunately, many have no idea how to approach selling. It is like expecting to be able to speak another language without ever studying that language. Luckily, there are some simple tricks that you will be able to learn in short order.

I bet you did not know that all you need to get started is a two sentence introduction. One of the teachers I have learned from, Barbara Lopez teaches you how to prepare that short “speech”.

Well, you know how some people* have…(insert pain point/problem)?

Pause and wait for acknowledgement.

Well, what I do is……(insert answer/solution)

*The word people can be exchanged for whomever your target market is.

So, let me demonstrate that.

You know how a lot of people would love to be able to make money baking but they simply have no idea how they can get started?

Pause

Well, what I do is help them do what it takes to get started. Sometimes the main problem they have is finding a to kitchen to work in, and in a lot of cases, all they need to know to get started is what the laws of their state are. I specialize finding solutions to get started on a small scale if at all possible, and working toward growth without a lot of debt.

Next time I will talk more about this. It is important that we bakers learn how we can make sales and build our businesses. With my corporate catering company, I had to force myself to learn how to sell. Learning how to do that took time because in the beginning I did not know tricks like I have covered today. I just wanted to let you know that we will talk about things like this in the free mini coaching sessions I have. If you would like to attend, just click on the link and sign up. If you would just like to talk one on one, please check out my coaching services.

Please leave any questions in the comment area and I will try and answer them here on the site.

photo credit: Jackson, Donovan, and Anna

Passing a Cottage Food Law in your state opens the door to a home baking business. So exactly what would that mean to you if you are someone who has always wanted to make some income selling your baked goods. Well, a lot of years ago, that was exactly what I wanted to do. When I inquired about doing that, I ran into a brick wall.

I was a stay at home mom who just wanted to be able to generate some income from home to supplement my families income. I was a pretty good baker, and I enjoyed making homemade food, especially baked products. I often had friends and family suggest that I take my culinary expertise and bake for others. That was exactly what I wanted to do. The problem I ran into was not having a commercial kitchen. Believe me, lots of people encouraged me to open a restaurant or bakery. The thing of it was, I wanted to be a stay at home mom. We also did not have the cash to make the huge investment of a commercial retail bakery.

Cottage Food Laws are Changing Restrictions on Home Baking Businesses

With the passage of the new laws in many states, it is now legal to start baking some foods to sell to the public. It is really important to understand what the regulations and restrictions are however. I have been doing a lot of research about those laws, and there similarities and differences in each state. In the coming blogs I will try and give you some specific information I found about the different states that have the laws in place. I listed the states that have  Cottage Food Laws in a past blog. I am going to start with the state of Michigan and look at the law there. 

A Home Baking Business is a Common Sense Start

Michigan has taken a look at the potential risk to the public posed by a cake that is baked in someone’s home kitchen. The level is very low.

Under the Cottage Food Law, non-potentially hazardous foods
that do not require time and/or temperature control for safety can be
produced in a home kitchen(the kitchen of the person’s primary domestic
residence) for direct sale to customers at farmers markets, farm markets,
roadside stands or other direct markets.  The products can’t be sold to
retail stores; restaurants; over the Internet; by mail order; or to
wholesalers, brokers or other food distributors who resell foods.

Baking from Home Requirements.

To be sure, there are requirements to be able to operate your new small business under the Cottage laws. You will have to make a trip to the local licensing and regulatory affairs office to find out the require permits you may need. You should determine the business structure you want to operate under. You may have to find out if you are required to charge your customers sales tax and how to then pay those sales taxes to your state. You will have to label you foods. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it can even be hand written, but it has to contain certain information. Here is an example of what may be required on a label.

The Cottage Law is not the answer for everyone because some foods are not included in the exemptions the law covers. Earnings are also limited to $15,000 per year. The benefit of the law is that it provides a great opportunity for those who have thought about opening a baking business, but have not had the resources to do so.

Now small scale food producers can “test the waters” to see if a baking business is going to be a good fit for their needs. If it is a good fit, the money you can earn can be saved to make it possible for you to expand into a larger operation without putting your family home at risk if you have to borrow money to start your business. I never advise using OPM (industry speak for other peoples money). That just sends shivers up my spine. Take a word from the wise, start small, grow as you can afford it.

Do You Want to Bake From Home?

If you are starting to get excited about the prospects of making profits from you kitchen. I would love to invite you to join my free mini coaching calls. They are really informal, actually just brainstorming with each other for a half hour each week. I would love to help you get started. Who would benefit from these calls?

• Stay at Home Moms
• Baby Boomers
• People who Love to Bake
• People who Need Extra Cash
• Solopreneurs
• Entrepreneurs wanting a home based business

I would love to chat right here too, if you would leave a comment by clicking on the “comments” at the top right hand corner, I will be sure and respond.

If you answered yes to that, and have had dreams of being able to build a business centered around your favorite recipe, there is great news. Creative cookie sales are on the rise even in this tough economic market. They can be sold at a price point that allows people to justify the purchase as a splurge you deserve. Bakeries across the land are cashing in on the revenue stream offered by this most loved comfort food.

What about you, can you actually get in on the action. Can you get your piece of the pie, or cookie as the case may be. There is definitely competition out there, but there is enough room in the market for you to have your share.

If you have been reading my blog, you already know that there may be obstacles to getting started. State laws in some places are a huge stumbling block, but in other states, there are new laws that make it possible for you to start your business without a huge investment.You can read all about the changes happening in those laws. That is the first step. For those of you that live in states that are not considering changes in the laws, you might be interested in the ebook I wrote on how we added a licensed commercial kitchen to our home.

Creative Cookies are in Demand

Think about it, you can make cookies in all shapes, sizes and varieties. You can decorate them, dip them, put them on a stick and make a bouquet, make a cookie cake etc. You can make chocolate cookies, oatmeal, peanut butter, sugar, ginger and more. You can specialize in mini – giant size and everything in-between. You can put them in baskets or special boxes or tins.

Examples of specialty cookies include those that are figure-piped, have trademarked images, and are for special events, such as weddings, graduations, classroom activities and sporting events. They make great gifts and if you can establish your reputation, you could build your entire business around a specialty. An example would be to specialize in decorating 5″ sugar cookies with corporate logos.

If you would like the chance to talk about ways you could actually get started, I would like to invite you to sign up for my free mini webinars so we can brainstorm about ways you can make your dream of starting or growing your business come true. Could I ask one favor, would you please complete the survey about preferences of days that is in the sidebar? I would love to know what days work best for others.

I would love to chat with you, so please leave a comment by clicking on “comment” at the top right hand corner of this blog.

If you love to bake and have dreamed of the possibility of actually making money doing just that, there is great news. Cottage laws are sweeping the county. They allow you to bake in your own kitchen without the huge investment of a retail commercial kitchen. It is finally happening, we are going full circle, and these laws are making it possible to return to days gone by when you could make a little income selling bread, cakes, cookies etc to your neighbor who does not have time or the inclination to bake.

This is great news for those of us who love to bake. I am especially happy. I know what potential income my Cinnamon Roll Fundraising program offers. Now more people can get started without all the hassle of finding a kitchen you can bake in. The Cottage Laws now make it so much easier to earn the income your family needs. For many years, it simply was not legal to make and sell things you bake in your own kitchen. 

Sustainable Living is On the Rise

Across the country, there is a huge sustainable living movement taking place. You have probably heard of it. More and more people are becoming aware of the affect that  additives, preservatives, and food modifications have on their health. Just the mention of homemade bread will make people hungry. There is a growing desire for real food, not commercially manufactured.

Basically. Cottage Food laws allow people to make certain foods in their own home kitchen and sell them on a small scale to the end user. You probably won’t be able to sell your product to the grocery store, but you could sell at a local Farmers Market or directly to people who want to buy what you make. This is a win-win scenario. Not only is it more feasible for you to start a small baking business, the consumers will have better  access to a variey of home cooked or artisan foods produced locally.

The laws only allow ““non-potentially hazardous foods”. In most states that includes,  baked goods such as cakes, cookies, pies, breads and most candies, but usually exclude anything with uncooked dairy (such as cream and custard fillings) and meat. Most allow jams and jellies. 

I found a great video produced by the Arizona Department of Health Services that does a great job of explaining what the Cottage Laws make possible.

I am really excited about these laws and intend to spend time investigating what is happening state by state. For now, here is a link to a Summary of Cottage Food Laws  done by Sustaninable Economies Law Center. You can get involved too. Find out if there are petitions out there to encourage your legislators to pass Cottage Food Laws in your state. 

I decided that I am going to continue the free coacing call, because I want to help as many of you as possible to start making money baking. Please sign up for the free webinars and we can brainstorm about making your baking business become a reality.With the passage of Cottage Food Laws, it is entirely possible you can get up and running soon.

This is really an exciting thing. I would love to hear your thoughts. To do that, simply click on the “Comments” int the upper right hand corner of this post.

Herbs & Spices were on my shopping list yesterday. I don’t usually  get overly excited about shopping, but when it means a trip to my favorite place to get spices, I do. I want to tell you upfront that I am in no way associated with the store, and they don’t even know I am writing this, I just truly like what they do.

Yesterdays blog was about using the new technology to keep up to speed. I know I have to do that, but I want to tell you about my shopping trip today, because going to this special store is a nostalgic visit to days gone by.

It is called Planters Seed & Spice. It has been part of  the historic Kansas City Market for many years. It  is a nostalgic general store with original wood floors and seed drawers. You know how there are stores that adopt an old fashioned decor. That is not the case with Planters. It is the real deal. I should ask how long they have been there, but I am certain they have been there a long time. I don’t think there have been any attempts to modernize their building in decades, and that is part of the beauty of it.

They sell bulk spices, tea, coffee, lots of seeds and bulbs, gardening supplies and tools, birdhouses and a random selection of other things. In the spring the entire sidewak in front of their store is filled with flats of flowers. 

I shop there because they sell really fresh products, I can buy them in bulk quaitities, and their prices are great. Usually when I am going out of town to spend time with my out of state relatives, I stock up at Planters to fill their spice racks as well.

Yesterday I was talking to the clerk and told her about that, and she gave me the information about their website. I  don’t know why I never inquired about that before. I guess that since it seems like they still do business like they did in the past, it did not even dawn on me that they would also be selling on line.  Their spices are sold in 2 oz bags up to 1 lb bags. If  you are a wholesale customer, their prices are even better. 

In addition to their wide variety of herbs and spices, they also have a nice selection of dips, soup bases, and salad dressing mixes, coffee and tea. I wish you could have the experience of walking through the store. They have a bigger selection of bird houses that I have ever seen anywhere else. As you walk through the store, you go into different rooms. One contains just gardening tools and supplies, another just pots, wind chimes and lawn decor.

I am not writing an advertisement for their store, just a review because I enjoy shopping there. The fact that I could now share one of my sources for spices with you through their website just makes me happy. You can take a look at there site at PlantersSeed.com .

I am glad you can have access to their products, but sorry that shopping with them online won’t be the same experience as actually going there in person. If you ever visit Kansas City, I would encourage you to check out the River Market and Planters Seed.

Teaching online was a totally foreign concept to me as little as 3-4 years ago. I never thought I would be hosting webinars online. Let’s face it, I am a stay at home mom and a baker by profession. Those are not the usual credentials of the techy crowd. Things in my world are changing.

I made a good decision to join Mom Masterminds over a year ago. It has since changed to Solo Masterminds. In my coaching sessions with Kelly McCausey, she encouraged me to get movin and shake things up. She refers to that as “butt kicking” advice. I was intimidated by technology, and struggle to understand how it all works. Her advice sounded something like “no excuses, just get out there and  do it”. 

Me, offer a webinar? Are you serious?

She suggested offering to do some free group coaching calls to help germinate some ideas of how others might start a baking business like I did. I have admit that just the thought of actually using the technology was really scary. For those of you who might have been on the first call, I apologize for my technical difficulties. The thing is, once I actually figured out how to use it, the webinar software was  really cool.

I really don’t know what is going on here, if only my mom could see me now. In my last blog I added some audio via a cinch. (If you don’t want  to read more you can just listen at the bottom of the page by clicking on the Cinch arrow. ) I was patting myself on the back for learning how to use that tool. A while ago, I would have taken credit for adding something new, and left it at that. 

Are You Keeping Up with Technology?

It seems that nowadays, things change at lightening speed, and as soon as you learn one thing, there are several more new things that surpass it. That’s what I am talking about. Less than a week ago I learned about Cinch and thought it would be the latest greatest addition to my website and I could happily leave it at that for awhile. 

Well, I was in for a surprise. Yesterday I learned about MeetCheap a new conferencing system that has a ton of functionality. It offers more features than other much more expensive options, and it is pretty easy to use. I can’t believe I am saying that. I think there is an option for a small meeting room for 20 people for $20 per year. The next option is under ten dollars per month for 100 seats. I am going to give this a test run, and then I will give you a report on what I think of it. There is a thirty day trial period, so for the next month I will do more (drum roll please)…………………….

I am not here to rain on anyone’s parade, I just want to encourage you to do your homework and make good decisions about how you start a business. I have learned a lot from the school of hard knocks, and I am here to tell you there is a better way. Start small, listen to your gut, dip your toe in the water before diving in, & avoid borrowing money to start

I bet I know what you are thinking. Does it sound something like “that’s impossible” or “easy for you to say”. Remember, I have been there, done that, got the t-shirt! The purpose of my website is to try and help others discover legitimate ways to make some extra money from home. My personal specialty is baking, but that is not the only avenue I want to cover here.

Work from Home

If you are reading my blog, I assume that you are someone who would like to work for themselves, and probably at least checking out if there is any possibility of using your talents with food to start a business. A lot of the things I talk about here will cover other ways of making money, but for now, I am focusing on starting, without going into a ton of debt. I am qualified to talk at length about that since I did exactly the opposite, and paid dearly for it.

If you have started doing your homework, as I talked about in my last blog and found out there is a real interest in the product you want to sell, the next step is to start using your connections to get the word out about your culinary talents. This is probably going to involve freebies. Consider it cheap marketing, because that is exactly what it is. You need to develop a loyal following, so that you will have customers lining up to buy your product when you are at that point. You are developing a “hungry” market, pun intended.

Books Are Your Friend

There is a great book I would recommend to you . It is by Seth Godin called “Tribes”. In summary, it talks about how you should develop a loyal following by frequent and relevant interaction. It is an easy read, but should be on the bookshelf of  every business owner. I want to take a minute here to give you some advice. It does not matter if you are a solopreneur. You need to adopt the mindset of a business person. When you look at businesses that are successful, you can bet that the owner is a continuous learner. There are lots of helpful books out there, and I am going to get in the habit of recommending some of them to you. It is simply part of building that solid foundation..

Yeah, I know, reading, researching, networking, etc all take time, and you need money now. You are anxious to get started. I know you don’t want to hear that, I didn’t either. I did however, take the time to take some classes, to get ready to make the leap. I had mixed results, and I will tell you more about that later. One of the things I do wish I had done was develop a healthly appetite for reading. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but as a matter of fact, there are design changes being made every day to the wheel that powers business, and those books will help you stay or get to the cutting edge.

I recorded a short tidbit, I am really liking using this new recording too, I hope it is helpful to you. Please leave your questions in the comment area. Let’s talk about your ideas, and work on a plan that you can implement.

The Health Department may prohibit you from using the kitchen you bake for your family in to make product to sell to the public. Laws in some states are starting to change, so if you are lucky, you it may be much easier for you to get started.

I guess that if you live in a state with cottage laws, you will be able to avoid the start-up expense of adding a licensed commercial kitchen like I did. You can start on a smaller scale, start saving part of your profits to put toward the purchase of commercial equipment to make your job easier.

First steps to start a business

You may think that first you just have to print up business cards and you are in business. I guess some people do that, but that’s not how I would recommend you start. There are a lot of rules you have to comply with according to the government, and I will get to that later. Before we get into that, I want you to do your due diligence. You have to do some research. I don’t mean asking your friends and family what they think about your business idea. Of course they will encourage you, but how about potential customers who will actually pay you.

If you make the most amazing tasting frosting coupled with artistic cake decorating, you probably won’t have too much trouble, but if your specialty is a little less mainstream, you will want to do your homework to make sure that people are going to line up, cash in hand, to purchase your products. That sounds logical, right? The problem is – where do you start doing that type of research?

Start  with some numbers

You may think that the first step in market research would be to set up a table in a busy spot and start handing out samples, asking for feedback. I would like to suggest that you might want to start with your computer. You can use a keyword research tool and do some basic keyword research. I use Google Adwords and Wordtracker. Both of them are free to use. You can learn a lot about the interest. Put in keywords that describe your product or service, and see how many times it was searched for. With the Google tool, it shows searches per month, Wordtracker shows daily searches.

Remember that is just a starting place. Next go and see if you have competition. It is natural to feel excited if you don’t see anyone else out there, but proceed with caution if there is no one else out there doing what you want to do. It is certainly possible there just is not enough interest to make a profit.

If you like what you see with that market research, you are not done with the numbers quite yet. Have you figured out the total cost what it will cost to  make your products. I know that this is getting long, so for today I want to suggest that you spend some time checking things out.

We can talk more next time about other things to take a look at before you make the decision to go for it. I sure want you to be successful, and I don’t want you to make some of the many mistakes I made. We can talk about the next steps in launching your business.

Let me know what questions you have about starting a food related business. Don’t forget to think outside the box…oh, there is still time to get in on my free group coaching call on 1/26 . Check out all the details about my Free Group Coaching calls

Most of us had to start to learn to bake at some time in our lives. The first place most of us turn to is a recipe of some sort, be it online or in a recipe book. I have an entire collection of recipe books, and each one has several favorite recipes that I often use.

I recently was introduced to a book that is a great place to start when you want to learn the baking basics. Let’s face it, baking involves kitchen chemistry and understanding the role of the different ingredients provides the building blocks to getting good results from your baking efforts.

I was really impressed with the credentials of the author. She has a master’s degree in foods, has worked with clients you might be familiar with like General Mills, Land O’Lakes, and Pillsbury to name a few. She really knows her stuff, and even better, she is able to explain the role of kitchen chemistry in everyday language that all of us can understand. This book will guide you to baking success, and by the way, that will lead to many many compliments, and who knows, maybe a career……it can happen. I am living proof of that.

Rather than write more about what you can expect to find in the book, I decided to have some fun and use a technology that is not exactly new but it is new to me. I have added the following audio to my website, and to listen, all you have to do is click the arrow to start the recording.

Starting a business is a dream so many women have. Many of us have families and are driven to find some legitimate way to work from home. I have told you about some ideas I have on how to make profits from your kitchen. That is great for people who enjoy spending time in the kitchen. 

The fact of the matter is that there are lots of women who simply have no interest selling baked goods or other things they produce. If that describes you there is great news. Most of you know by now how much Kelly McCausey has helped me and I am excited to let you know about a new program she is launching for women who want to be solopreneurs.

Get help starting your online business

If you are a woman or you know a woman who is already in business or looking to build an online business, for the next two weeks, Solo Masterminds is releasing some great resources to help you:
* Identify the type of home business that will meet your financial goals -
and fit your lifestyle

* Learn from the experience of other women just like you who are living
their dream businesses and lives RIGHT NOW

* Find ways to overcome the common obstacles women experience (trust me,
it’s not the same as for men)

The first resource is available for download today. It’s a 96-page workbook
by Kelly McCausey called “Solopreneur Smart Start.”

New Years resolutions go by the wayside, but making smart business decisions today can mean that next year your business is on the way to success.

Visit this link to grab these goodies: Help to Launch Your Online Business. I am going to make sure I take advantage of this great offer, I hope to see you there. Let’s grow our business in 2012.

Please leave a comment and we can chat.

photo credit:  Francineward