Starting a Cookie Business

Find out what you need to do before you set off and open a cookie business. Get an overview of what the business entails. Understand the reasons why theses steps are essential.

The cookie business is perfect for baking enthusiasts.

The good thing about this business is you can start from the comfort of your own kitchen provided you meet the guidelines set by the FDA and other legal requirements mandated by your locality.

Another plus factor is that the cookie business is quite profitable and its success rate is relatively high. The reason for this is most of us have a sweet tooth and once in a while we like to indulge our cravings and what better way to do this than by sinking our teeth into a delectable cookie or two?

If you are planning to start your own cookie business, you may want to read this list of some helpful tips that might help you as you embark on your cookie business.

Set your goals. Ask yourself, what would you like your company to achieve? It’s alright to dream big but see to it that your goals are attainable and realistic. Also, it is equally important to set short-term goals and long-term goals at the same time.

Do your research. Find out all you can about the trends in the industry. Know your competition, in particular, their strengths and weaknesses. This will help you identify your competitive advantage. In other words, this will help you figure out what you can give your customers that they’re not getting from the other businesses. And keep from emulating the competition’s strategy. Instead, make the most of your own advantage points.

Define your target market. Cookies appeal to most everyone. Young and old, rich or poor, male or female, everybody hankers for a cookie treat. Whom do you intend to sell your cookies to—children, teens, moms? You should figure this out early on since your marketing thrust would revolve around your target market.

Select a location. When choosing a place for your kiosk or store, see to it that there’s a high volume of foot traffic in that area. The more traffic, the greater your customer base. The mall is ideal if not for the high rental cost. There are alternatives, like near a school, a park, or a sports facility and so on.

Devise a Marketing Plan. Your customers are the lifeblood of your business. Test your creativity and think of ways to you can attract them while working within the limit of your budget of course. For a small start-up business, handing out flyers is an easy and inexpensive option. You may also give out free cookies samples in and around your kiosk or shop location.

Allocate your funds. Don’t go spending left and right without cause especially when your cookie business is not stable yet. Your funds must be properly allocated. Before you purchase or procure anything, think hard if that purchase is really essential to your business or if you can live without it. And if you’re investing in something substantial like equipment and such, look for something that is of good quality. Lastly, in pricing your cookies make sure you cover both the production expense and mark-up for profit.

17 Comments

  • Shrey said on March 13, 2008
    How do you determine who your competition is when you are starting a cookie business?
  • doreeen said on March 26, 2009
    what are the health rules for baking cookies at home in ontario canada?
  • Jennifer Duncan said on October 27, 2009
    I am starting a cookie business, and was wondering if there is a check list of equipment that I would need to have a start up, small business cookie business.
  • Lauri Shorter said on January 17, 2010
    Do I need some sort of license in order to be able to bake these cookies in my kitchen at home? I want to begin from home and branch out from there. North Andover, MA 01845
  • Vee said on April 6, 2010
    What are the regulations I would need to know about for a cookie business in the Los Angeles area. I need to know about licenses and labeling. Since i cannot afford a store, i will have to sell my cookies to coffee shops and stores. I would appreciate any advice you could give me. Thanks. Vee
  • Harjinder Bhasin said on April 13, 2010
    Hi, I am in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and willing to start a cookie business. Thanks.
  • william Combow said on July 1, 2010
    Business location: would be out of my home first. State of TN.
  • Hida Gavranovic said on August 2, 2010
    What kind of license and what equipments do I need to start a cookie business in my kitchen at home. Please give me some advices.
  • latisha said on December 22, 2010
    Hello, I would like to start a cookie business from home. I would also like to know what type of licenses and what are the regulations I would need to start from home in New York.
  • J brice said on December 27, 2010
    I want to start a cookie business in Benton, Louisiana. Any advice on how to start and how to get licensed? Would it be ideal for me to open a bake shop in a prime location and what would be a good starting rental price?
  • Maria Massaro said on February 7, 2011
    West Chester Pennsylvania, My friend and I want to start a biscotti business, we have a recipe we made and don't know where to start for FDA guidelines, we would like to start our business from home. What do we need to do
  • Jennifer Riege said on February 11, 2011
    want to start a cookie business from my home in Columbus WI. what type of licenses do i need for equipment, need to know what regulations i might need to know.
  • shima said on July 13, 2011
    what licensing or permits do I need to start a los angeles home based cookie business?
  • Armintha Wiilliams said on July 24, 2011
    I Will be starting a cookie business in the nashville tn area what will I need to make this home base business happen ?
  • steve young said on December 27, 2011
    starting a cookie business in Polson Mt. what type of license would be needed to sell cookies on the com. at a store or out of ur house. thank you
  • Anthony said on March 6, 2013
    I want to start a homemade cookie company or find someone to market my homemade cookies in Los Angeles.
  • leola said on March 14, 2013
    i want to start a cookie company in long beach ca want to know about starting up on line and finding a commercial kitchen to bake from.

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