You’re going to hear it here first, and you’re even getting it for free. The global pandemic has changed the way we are going to live forever.
There, we said it. But, here’s the potentially good part of it all, with the massive changes in lifestyle and movement of people that we’re all experiencing right now, has also come an entirely new market: the rise of online shoppers. This was already a part of e-commerce snowballing before the pandemic, but now – it’s by far the norm for more people than not. That means that there is an opportunity for you to turn your passion for cooking or baking into a thriving business in your community.
Here are five easy ways to get your kitchen, home business ready!
THINK LOCAL, GROW LOCAL, SELL LOCAL
By far, the easiest way to form the basis of your home catering business is first to figure out what is and isn’t available in your local community. Remember, be a fierce local competitor instead of a lukewarm competitor in a bigger market. So, first, find out what your community doesn’t have but could want, or if you’re an exceptionally gifted chef -what you could be doing better.
So before you hit the shopping trail to upgrade your kitchen, first figure that bit out.
APPLIANCES MATTER
You will never be a French baker if you don’t have suitable ovens, just like you’re not going to be able to be a great cook without the right cooking appliance. You’ll also be needing appropriate utensils, work surfaces, safety gear and have your facility checked out to ensure regulatory compliance and standards adherence where required and necessary.
BUSINESS MODEL DESIGNS
Before you get to all of the other fun “stuff,” you need a plan. This is the oldest rule in the book, and there’s a good reason why it’s been around for as long as it has. Even if you’re only planning on a small business, you’re still going to need to get your processes refined and defined. How is your delivery service going to work? Will you be registered with a provider like Uber eats or something similar? These are all important considerations, and they bleed into why, if managed properly, your kitchen could be worth its weight in gold. Even though the restaurant business is picking up again, there are still many places where people choose to live it out at home, a little longer.
CONVERT THE CONVERTED FIRST
One of the easiest ways to get your home catering business started is by first roping in your network of friends and family. They are probably working from home too and don’t have the time or inclination to cook. It seems strange because one of the advantages of working from home is greater flexibility – go figure, the human condition kicks in, and we still prefer to order in.
LOGISTICS
There are so many creative and fun ways to create a home catering business. You can get it off the ground reasonably inexpensively and relatively quickly with some intelligent thinking and planning. Get your entire operation in order before you even get started. While that seems like a no-brainer, it’s well worth reiterating the principle because far too many businesses fail because they didn’t plan.
We know it takes more than these five principles to get a business started, but we’re hoping to inspire you to give it a go because as the world restarts, it’s an excellent time for some entrepreneurial endeavor. It’s a beautiful time to take control of your life and relaunch it, so get busy.
