I have started a small business giving cake and cupcake decorating classes (www.nomadedeco.no for those of you who read Norwegian ). It's not quite off the ground yet, but will be within a few weeks. My original dream was always to open a business selling decorated cakes, but after years of trying to make that happen I have realized it's not going to be possible - it requires the kind of funds I just don't have access to. So I decided to teach instead!

I would love to know if there is anyone on this forum who does teach decorating classes as a business, who may have some advise for me before I open my doors. Anything you've experienced during your business that you wish you'd known before hand? I'm not talking about the "setting up the business" part - I have done my homework and I have a financially sound business plan. But if anyone has any pointers that relate to the teaching part, I would be most grateful. I do want this to be a success, of course :-)

As a bit of background info, I'll mainly be offering classes in private homes - for groups who want to learn together (friends, family, colleagues etc). This may change in time as my business (hopefully) picks up, but for now it's a great way to eliminate the cost of renting a space. Every now and then I'll be announcing courses on a "reqiures a minimum number of sign-ups" basis, renting a classroom somewhere by the hour, that can be cancelled if not enough people sign up. Other than that I'll bring my classes right to their doorsteps!

So - anybody doing anything like this have any words of wisdom for a new business owner? Would be greatly appreciated