FROM THE ARCHIVE ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, BAKE!

It’s that time of year again when we’re all glued to The Great British Bake Off salivating and dreaming about eating delicious cakes For some viewers, Bake Off revives a passion for baking and leads to all sorts of culinary delights in the kitchen. Then there are the others, those who can bake the most amazing cakes and patisseries but have always wanted to become a professional

If you want to become the star baker of your own start-up, read on!

To start-up professionally you'll need somewhere to bake. Depending on the scale of your small business you may prefer to set up at home first to keep overheads low until you are more established. You will need to ensure your home baking arrangements are in line with those stipulated by the Food Standards Agency. Once they meet these requirements you should register with your local authority so they can carry out an environmental health inspection before you begin trading. You will also need to get your food hygiene certificate which can usually be done online.

To get off to a flying start, you could grow your customer base organically before setting up in premises. Build a strong following on social media with a mouthwatering Instagram page. Social media is an effective and inexpensive way of marketing your new business and is something which you can begin building before officially launching the business. If you have made cakes for friends and family before then these pictures can form part of your online portfolio and you could even ask them to leave reviews on your social media to help build your credibility from the outset.

Knead Bakery is a great example of an XForces Enterprise supported business whose founders channelled their passion for baking into their own business. As keen bakers, Knead Bakery specialise not only in cakes but but have a range of artisan breads alongside a food menu. By diversifying their product range and constantly updating their menu with new cakes and treats, they are creating a loyal client base who have something new to keep coming back for.

Shows like Bake Off inspire the nation to look for something new – gone are the days where people just want Victoria sponge and customers are becoming more adventurous with their tastes, so that salted caramel and chilli cake or rosemary and lemon biscuits might be more popular than you’d expect!

If you've yet to launch your business or if you’ve been trading under 24 months and would like some support, X-Forces Enterprise can help you secure lowinterest Government-backed funding through the Start Up Loans scheme.

We can also provide access to free workshops and networking sessions to help you brush up on the essentials of running a business, as well as 12-months ongoing mentoring

Learn more here.