April Issue-min

Our economy has seen a huge rise of food entrepreneurs who
operate their businesses under the cottage food model. During the
pandemic with so many people losing their jobs or having their
finances tested, many people began to turn their passion for baking
into a profit right from their home.
A cottage food business is defined as a producer or maker who
prepares their items from a residential kitchen. With overhead being
a little lower than the traditional retail model this is an amazing way
for baking enthusiasts to start a business. While laws vary from state
to state this is a perfect way for bakers to begin to sell their items
within their local communities.
To most; baking is second nature as many bakers have tried and true
recipes on hand. Common cottage food items range from bagels to
jams, pickled vegetables, and cakes. Finding an item to produce for
a lot of business owners is relatively easy. However, the real test
comes from finding ways to make the business grow and thrive.
Baking a product can be common; but selling, marketing, and
raising awareness for those products is an area that most cottage
food operators struggle with. Since most business owners who
recently started did so as a way to generate income into their household;
it can be hard to invest a ton of money if the resources just
aren’t originally there.
Due to its ease of accessibility social media is often the general route
for attracting sales that most business owners choose in the beginning.
Because social media platforms are common people begin to
advertise within their own network of close associates as a means of
sharing their goods.
However, the online arena is filled with equally wonderful sites
which can help you showcase your business and market your goods.
Listing yourself on a wide range of sites is not only good for increasing
your online presence but it can lead to new connections and
potential clients.
The following resources are dedicated to helping cottage food
operators grow and market their business so they can stand out in
their communities and generate more sales.
Many have heard of the popular review site Yelp but very few know
of its role in helping food lovers gain new reach. Yelp is an online
review directory dedicated to promoting local businesses. Patrons
can rate their items that they have purchased from community
owners and include pictures as well. These social aspects make the
app very user-friendly and tailor the experience. For business
owners, they also offer social pages which have dedicated staff who
help showcase locally owned businesses. Each city has a community
manager which usually facilitates the page and shines new light on
businesses. It is highly recommended for new business owners to
reach out to the community manager within their local state. From
page features to having a business owner host community
baking/cooking classes; this is a wonderful way to raise brand
awareness for your cottage business.
If your cottage food operation needs a business plan then
Bplans.com is a perfect site. Bplans.com provides business documents
and free business plans also. Their website also contains tips
and tools to help a business owner develop their elevator pitch.
Having a business plan and pitch is perfect for helping cottage food
owners to present themselves to banks, investors, or crowdfunding
sites. This will help raise additional capital needed to market their
business and grow.
Another directory site for cottage food owners to try is Nextdoor.
Nextdoor is a site that is centered around connecting you with
people directly within your local neighborhood. Nextdoor provides
free business page listings which allow you to present your cottage
food business and upload imagery.
The Nextdoor platform provides resources to help with branding,
sales, and more for business owners. Using the Nextdoor site is a
great way to gain new customers and stand out. Many business
owners see great success on this platform.
The above sources are all wonderful additions to add to one’s
marketing strategy.
Altogether with any marketing plan, the main ingredient will always
be consistency. While operating a business can sometimes be tough,
marketing a business doesn’t have to be. Try incorporating one of
these new resources into your business for cottage food success.
Chef Bio
Chef Amanda Schonberg is an
award-winning baker and speaker.
Chef Schonberg is the founder of
Baking For Business. Baking For
Business is an online platform
dedicated to providing business
classes and resources to helping
cottage food producers run
successful businesses.
Chef Schonberg has spoken for
brands such as Facebook, Louisiana
State University School of
Business, and International Cake
Exploration Society.