If your friends and family are constantly complimenting the meals and snacks that you prepare, you may be able to share your culinary skills with a larger audience by becoming a home – based caterer. There is always a demand for catering services and while owning and operating a catering business can be very demanding it can also be very rewarding. It’s also a great way to engage your creative talents.
Before you get started on the fun part of designing your products and menus, write up a very thorough business plan to make sure that you have everything covered. Licenses and permits, zoning regulations, and other administrative details aren’t as fun as whipping up delicious dinners in the kitchen but you can not hold yourself out as a professional caterer without them. In the business plan for your catering business, don’t forget to cover client contracts as well as insurance to protect yourself, your business, and any employees that you may have. As a bonus, your business plan could help you to secure a small business loan if you need some equipment and supplies to get your catering business off the ground.
Speaking of equipment and supplies, catering is one business in which it may make a lot of sense to rent as much equipment as possible until you can purchase your own. That way, after you have been in business for a while, you can purchase the things that you know you really need for your business instead of those that you thought you would need before you opened your business and started having real experience with it.
Deciding on a target market and a menu can be the most fun aspect of planning your catering business but it can also be challenging. Instead of trying to be all things to all people, consider developing a niche for yourself and creating knockout products within that niche. For example, maybe you have a flair for creating delicious appetizers that look as good as they taste, or perhaps the recipes and knowledge that your grandmother passed along to you have made your Mexican dishes the talk of the town.
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