Setting up a thriving bakery business can be a wonderful way to get the career you want. But how can you do it in a way that’s going to succeed on the scale of, say, Dunkin?
Well, that’s what we look at here. This post covers everything you need to know about baking success and what it takes to call yourself a pro.
Photo by Igor Ovsyannykov:
Choose Your Location Wisely
First, you’ll want to consider your location. The idea of an idyllic village bakery seems wonderful, but these days, it’s unrealistic. Most people won’t use it.
That’s why so many modern bakers set up their shops in malls or busy transit hubs. These have the highest throughput and captive markets, allowing them to sell more products at a premium.
Of course, rents can be high in these locations. But if you can set up your stores here, it’s often highly beneficial.
Streamline Your Operations
You also want to focus on streamlining your operations. Eliminating or reducing manual tasks as much as possible can make you more efficient.
For example, you could invest in a dough mixer. These reduce the need to manually prepare the dough in the mornings. You could also get smart ovens that automate cooking times depending on what you put in them, or conveyors when you need to prepare a large number of items.
Brand It Well
Next, think about your branding. You want something that will make people feel excited when they see it.
Dunkin did this well in the 1990s with other companies catching up in the 2000s. Ideally, you want to do something similar that also differentiates you from the competition.
Market Like A Machine
You should also market your bakery items like mad. The more you can create desire in people for them, the more sales you’re likely to make.
Marketing isn’t something that you’re going to get right the first time, so keep experimenting. See what works and then double down on it to win more customers. Make your outreach highly visible so that hungry people want to stop by and eat high-margin snack foods.
Photo by Kristina Paukshtite:
Price It Well
You also want to ensure you’re pricing your products properly. While they might be cheap to make in terms of raw ingredients, locating in a busy transit hub isn’t always inexpensive. Therefore, make sure you factor in things like rent and wage bills before deciding on how much items should cost.
Make Your Concept Appealing
It’s also a good idea to make your bakery concept appealing. People should want to buy it.
One way to do this is to create a product that’s better and more exciting than rival brands in the local area. This approach is possible, though it’s difficult.
The other option is to create something new and interesting. If you can come up with a novel idea, you may be able to corner the market for a few years, which could be sufficient to establish you as a main player.
So there you have it: how to build your bakery empire.
