Hi...I am VERY new to cake decorating, but I love it and have been diligent in my practicing. I am determined to be decorating cakes (for cash ) by this time next year (sooner if possible!)

My concern lies in where I will operate if I want to do this...legally. I am not in a position to look into owning kitchen space...not now or next year. I would love to create a plan and truly attempt to launch a business (PT initially) and need to know if there are any other options (i.e. renting space for limited time -maybe hours per week). I hope I haven't confused you! Please give any advice you have! I reside in MD. Also, if there are other cake decorators in MD that have been operating from home...please share your experiences with me!

Thanks,
Toni

What I do is rent kitchen space from a local coffee shop. Check in your town and see what restaurants/shops have kitchens and start talking. I rent mine per hour. It all depends on what the owner is willing to accept. I have also heard some people rent space from a church. There are several posts on here about becoming legal.

A more profitable idea might be to go to work for a baker part time to get your skill and speed up to where it needs to be. Maybe enroll in a pastry course at the local Arts Institute. There are a lot of "celebrity" bakers in your area, but there are also a lot of Mom & Pop bakeries that likely need extra help. Doing cakes for fun is TOTALLY different than doing them for profit. It's a lot easier to do your learning curve working for someone else because you get paid to learn it and they'll supervise you through each phase of learning. It's got it's drawbacks, but at least it comes with a paycheck every two weeks.

As for the idea of renting space, a lot of people have gotten started this way, but they can all probably tell you it's a LOT less stressful when you have your OWN space to use. I use my in-laws kitchens during the off-season and let's just say, there's a poll barn addition planned for when DH & I build a place next year. We already were planning to build in the next year, this past summer has sealed the deal about building a space that I can call my own for a licensed kitchen. Just simple things like I am METICULOUS when it comes to the cleanliness of my kitchen before and after I'm done with cakes. During, well, it looks like a Powder Sugar Storm, but all of my surfaces I would eat off of including the mop area in terms of the CLEAN factor. Not the case from others when I'm working with un-used space during the off-season for everyone else. Think drilling through walls, paint pans, etc.

Good luck with it all, if it is meant to be, it will be. Invest into yourself and your knowledge, skills, and abilities involving cake and you'll be an amazing success.