Still think about that bakery I almost started 10 years ago

I had a real choice back in 2014 between opening a small bakery in Portland or taking a steady admin job at the county office. I picked the office gig because it had health insurance and a 401k, you know, the responsible choice. The bakery idea sat in a notebook for years until I finally recycled it last spring during a deep clean. But here's the thing - I started making sourdough at home during the pandemic and now I sell about 30 loaves a week to neighbors. It's not a storefront, but it earns me around $200 a month and I don't have to deal with rent or employees. Has anyone else found a tiny version of their big dream that actually works better?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade51713d ago

I read somewhere that something like 60% of home bakers end up making more money than they thought they would with way less overhead. Sounds like you found the sweet spot the bakery dream was actually pointing to all along.

vera_robinson3613d ago

@jade517 that line about "way less overhead" really got me thinking lol. So when you say sweet spot, do you mean the pricing or the actual profit margins? Like are home bakers doing better because they don't have to pay for a storefront and all that stuff? Or is it more about how they set their prices from the start? I'm curious if most of them are just doing custom orders or if they're also selling at farmers markets and shit.

paul_taylor2112d ago

Wait @vera_robinson36, do you mean the storefront thing is actually the biggest difference? I used to think home bakers just had lower prices but now I get how the overhead savings let them keep way more of what they charge.