Tentatively Considering.... - Page 2

I'm in Ohio as well. Is this license actually an Ohio license, or a city license? If it's an Ohio license, can you please share how you obtained this? I would really like to look into this. Do they actually come an verify the information or just take your word for it? I have no pets and no carpet in my kitchen but I'm just curious about how this works. Also, if you can share anything else specific to Ohio, that would be great!

Also, thank you for sharing your opinion about the Cake Boss software. I've been wanting to buy it, but I was concerned about spending that much money when this isn't a sure thing for me yet. I was thinking that it would be a solid investment, but not knowing about the site, wanted to be sure it was a valid site and I wasn't getting ripped off. I'm excited about this now!

Mimi, I didn't realize there was a fake convection oven available until started looking at the cheap ones. Mine were $3000 each and I have three of them, KA double True Convects.

The cheap ones are just conventional ovens, lower element included, with a fan. It's a cheap way to deceive the public into thinking they have a convection oven.

I think even KA offers double ovens where one is true, the other, fan only. There was a huge price difference on the ovens that looked exactly the same. Only reading the small print and knowing the product will get the right oven.

I have to disagree about the pans. If you have never had high quality pans, you can't see the difference. I have actually bought every popular pan and done the experiment. I left no stone unturned when developing my business. Testing those pans also gave me the idea of what my advantage was over the competition for a one-time, lifetime, investment.

I agree with everyone about business education.

If you only have a few price points, Cake Boss software is unnecessary in a business that only has one basic product. A quick breakdown of each ingredient (number of cups in a bag of flour, divide that number into the price for the 5 lb bag) will give you everything you need to know for free. Butter, $4.00 lb equals $1.00 per stick, divide by 8 for tablespoons. I have a master list and then the cost per batch on the upper right side of every recipe. Small price fluctuations will be easy to adjust. You only need this information for pricing and costs, as your actual receipts will be used for taxes. If you have any questions, pm me.

Businesses have standard liners because they buy in bulk. It is important to buy a quality liner that does not separate, bleed, or show too much grease spots. They are not the cheapest, but bulk will level that out.

Make sure you add packaging, insurance, water, cleaning materials, electricity, paper towels, laundry, business cards, web costs, and your time. Depreciation of equipment too. Not adding these items are why so many novice home businesses offer unrealistic pricing. Also be sure to look into sales tax requirements and tax on delivery even if there is no tax on cupcakes. Use tax is another thing that you need to count. Don't forget income tax in that equation plus the % for using credit cards.

Lots to consider if you are serious.

Your best bet would be to buy your ingredients and supplies in bulk. Therefore invest in quality storage bins for things like flour, chocolate chips, sugar etc. Random FYI: Cambro's 22 qt bin holds about 25lb of flour.

You'll also need storage shelves and organizers for cupcake liners, boxes, and decorating tools.

Cupcake caddies would be handy too.

Can you tell my biggest challenge is storage?

I agree that high quality cake pans are a must. I absolutely love my magic line cake pans. But for cupcakes, my pans are several different brands and I haven't noticed a difference when baking with any of them.