Yesterday, there was a Cupcake Business class held at
Bleeding Heart Bakery in
Chicago. In the front part of the kitchen, nearly 25 people squeezed in to hear stories and advice from Sheela Namakkal,
Cake Eater Bakery,
Minneapolis,
MN and Michelle Garcia, Bleeding Heart Bakery,
Chicago, IL. Rachel led the discussion, while both Sheela and Michelle told their stories of setting up shop and offered great advice and insight on the adventures and pitfalls of bakery ownership. The class had people from all over the place, including
Atlanta,
GA,
Evansville,
IN,
Madison,
WI, and
Minneapolis, MN. (A complete set of pics from the event from Juneann via
flickr.)
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| Sheela tells it all to get us started. |
The class covered several topics ranging from deciding if baking is the right business for you to how to pick the right bakers and employees for your business. Other topics included: networking with other local businesses, branding, social networking and homegrown PR, trending in favorites and importance in designating signature cupcakes, tracking profit and loss, dealing with public reaction to the label "organic," shipping and special orders, supplies and stocking, and quick tips on wholesaling.
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| Michelle talking about getting her start. |
The class lasted around three hours with a short break and there were lots of questions from the audience. Many people were interested in the insider info not garnered through books available on the topic. The biggest thing taken away from the class is: there’s no better way to get insight and experienced info on the cupcake biz than from those who’ve been through it all before.
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| Rachel talking about social media and branding. |
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