| One of the reasons people don't start their own | | | | racing cars to Pokemon to rockets. There are |
| home-based business is the misconception that | | | | lots of books that teach you the basics of |
| every business requires a substantial amount of | | | | specialty baking. The best way to learn though, is |
| start-up capital. Many stay-at-home moms | | | | by practice. For a start, you could always take on |
| struggle to make ends meet when they actually | | | | simple jobs from friends and family and once you |
| have one skill that they can turn into a | | | | feel confident, you could market your skills on a |
| money-making home based business - COOKING. | | | | wider scale. Not everyone can be a specialty |
| Every Mom knows how to cook at least ONE dish | | | | baker. There's a fair amount of artistic ability |
| that's simply to-die-for, so here are five home | | | | involved but if you've got the flair and skills, |
| based food business ideas that require zero to | | | | there's a money making niche waiting for you. |
| very little capital to start. | | | | Home-made Food |
| Home Catering | | | | Everything that you can make at home, can be |
| This is a daily catering service where you cook | | | | made to sell - jams, preserves, cookies, sauces, |
| (one or two meals) daily for your customers. This | | | | pasta, candy - the list goes on and on. What you |
| is a much needed service for busy people who | | | | want to do is find THE one recipe that you can |
| are too tired to cook when they get home but | | | | cook really well and concentrate on it. Give free |
| still want a wholesome home-cooked meal. | | | | samples to your friends and family and let them |
| Customers who need your services will pay you | | | | know that you're taking orders if they'd like to |
| in advance for the month. That's the beauty of | | | | buy some. If you're ready move on to a bigger |
| this business. You realize your profit even before | | | | scale, then you might want to consider supplying |
| you do anything. What comes after that? Well, at | | | | your home-made food to your local grocery |
| first it will be like cooking for an extra couple of | | | | stores or even setting up a stall at your local |
| family members. These "family members" will pop | | | | market place. |
| by in the evenings and pick up their meal. Things | | | | Are These Really Low Cost Ideas? |
| start to get hectic when your customer base | | | | When we first started our home catering business |
| reaches twenty. Then, it's like cooking for a small | | | | we just used whatever we had in our kitchen |
| army everyday! | | | | with a healthy dose of ingenuity! We DID spend |
| Bake to Order | | | | about fifty dollars on flyers but that was it. |
| Everybody knows there's nothing like home-baked | | | | However, when your business starts to grow and |
| apple pie, cookies and fruit cake. If you're really | | | | your profits start to roll in, you WILL need to |
| good at baking, then you could spread the word | | | | invest in equipment to increase efficiency and |
| that you bake anything to order. Your customers | | | | productivity. Before our home based catering |
| will need to order in advance (time frame would | | | | business, we were a one-refrigerator family. Six |
| be up to you) so that you can prepare and time | | | | months down the road, we were a 2 refrigerator, |
| your baking to your customers' agreed pick-up | | | | 3-freezer family - and we haven't even begun to |
| appointment. | | | | include fryers, ovens and stoves. And yes... we |
| Party Catering | | | | now buy stuff like sauces, eggs and flour by the |
| Catering for small parties is a simple yet profitable | | | | crates! |
| money maker you can do part-time. You do need | | | | The secret to making money with these ideas |
| a more comprehensive menu for this, but you'll | | | | The secret to finding success with these ideas is |
| find most people tend to stick to favorites like | | | | simple - persistence and quality. You need to keep |
| fried chicken, sandwiches, salads and the like. | | | | working at it. Just as there are all sorts of people |
| Catering for children's parties is even easier - | | | | on this planet, there will always be different taste |
| burgers, hot-dogs and fries will always be | | | | preferences. There will ALWAYS be people who |
| favorites but you'll need to be flexible to meet | | | | like your cooking some who don't. Be encouraged |
| your customer's budget. To market your | | | | by the compliments, but don't let the criticisms |
| business, you could place your calling cards on the | | | | get to you. Keep at it long enough and your |
| buffet tables for guests to pick up. Since most of | | | | customer base WILL grow. Of course, being |
| your business will probably be during the | | | | persistent means nothing if you don't maintain a |
| weekends, you could get your family to pitch in | | | | high standard of quality. Nothing will kill your |
| and help out with the preparation. Most caterers | | | | reputation faster than inferior quality or dirty food. |
| request a fifty percent payment upon | | | | Everybody needs to eat and a home based food |
| confirmation of order and the other fifty upon | | | | business will always make you a nice sum of |
| delivery of the food, so you don't need to fork | | | | money! |
| out any of your own funds to cover your costs. | | | | Don't be afraid to give these ideas a try. You |
| Specialty Baker | | | | don't need to know a thousand ways to make |
| This is a good money making idea for the expert | | | | money with your cooking. You just need ONE |
| baker who knows how to bake cakes of | | | | good recipe... cheers! |
| different shapes and designs - anything from | | | | |