simple bakery business plan pdf

• MARKETPLACE
• DOWNLOAD BUSINESS KIT

Download Now: Bakery Business Plan Templates for 2021

A bakery business isn’t that difficult to start but it comes with a lot of planning. You can’t just release all your baked goods overnight without carefully planning how you’re going to market and sell it. You will need to figure out your menu, where to get your supplies, the costing for each of your baked goods, and how to package them. You will have to jot everything down, lay the groundwork for all your needs, and set goals to meet them.

If your love and passion for baking have made you decide to put up a bakery, then you’re in the right place to figure out how to start on one. As with all other businesses out there, you will need a business plan and we’re here to help you how to make one.

Why Do You Need A Business Plan?

Do you need a business plan for a bakery?

A business plan is a guideline to help you figure out what direction your business is heading and what goals you want to achieve. It’s also a great plan to present to banks if you’re looking for a loan and for potential business partners if you’re looking for investors. But most of all, you need a business plan to help yourself. It will serve as your guide on how to achieve your goals and even compute your possible profit.

By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to draft up your business plan or you can use the template we’ll provide that’s available to download below.

Executive Summary

Start your bakery business plan with an executive summary section. This section is all about providing brief information on your business without getting all the details in. The goal of this section is to get the whole picture of what your bakery is all about at a single glance.

Just 2 to 3 sentences per category should be enough to express your ideas. You’ll get the chance to explain everything specifically in the later part of the business plan.

Introduction

Imagine having a booth at a food fair with dozens of other businesses right next to you. What are the things you can put on your sign that when a customer passes by they’ll be able to figure out what you’re selling in just a couple of seconds?

That is what you are going to write in your introduction. You are going to supply information that’s eye-catching, attention-grabbing, but also sticking to the realness of your bakery.

Related Reading: The 6-Step Marketing Growth Plan for a Home-Based Bakery

Here’s an introduction example you can follow:

Quick Bites is a bakery that offers a new take on the bread scene for New Yorkers on the go. All the buns are stuffed with delicious filling, both savory and sweet to satisfy a hungry tummy in need of that quick snack that’s conveniently packaged to eat on the run.

Just by reading that example, you’ll know that Quick Bites is:

• A bakery that supplies buns with filling that is either savory or sweet.
• Located in New York.
• Catered for people looking for a quick snack.

Capture your reader’s attention by keeping things light yet informative in this part of the business plan.

Company Description

Write a company description.

Every bakery business has a background. You’ll want to include how many years in the making has your bakery idea been going around and who is in charge of it. Will it be a partnership? Will you be doing the baking and managing at the same time? Putting in a little bit of your bakery’s background helps give the reader a brief understanding of what your business’s managing strategy is going to be.

The first thing on your mind when you decided on putting up a bakery is probably the menu. And though that’s quite exciting to draft up at once, you’ll have to decide on the services you’re going to offer first by figuring out what kind of bakery you’re going for.

Here is a guide to choose the type of bakery you want:

• Full service – This includes having your own space with a kitchen and baking area, a display area for your baked goods, and dine-in options with drinks such as coffee or tea.
• Take-out service – This is a type of bakery where you have a small space just to display your baked items and offer a drink or two. Customers can just line up and order your buns to go.
• Online – This type of business does not require any space. This is all done in your kitchen at home. Customers will just place their orders online and will pick them up or have them delivered.

By deciding this early on, you can have a clear image of what your bakery is going to look like and how it will operate.

Customer Focus

Cake bakery display case.

We know what you’re thinking: everyone is your potential customer. And though that is the goal, you still need to list down your target customers so you can focus on a certain product line to sell.

Take for example Quick Bites. As mentioned in the introduction, the bakery is for those who are looking for a quick snack to eat. Therefore, their target customers are mostly working people who do not have time to sit down for a meal and are looking for a convenient yet delicious food replacement while still having the time to work.

Related Reading: 101 Creative Bakery Names You Can Use Right Now

With this focus in mind, Quick Bites’ product line of filled buns fit this category since busy people can eat their buns with one hand only so they can focus on doing other things instead.

Again, be sure to keep this short. You can add in the details later on in the Target Market section of the business plan.

Mission Statement

Every business has a vision no matter how small it is. If you just plan to have a simple bakery up and running, you still have goals to meet. This is how businesses succeed since a mission statement allows owners and staff to be reminded of the direction they’re heading.

An example mission statement for Quick Bites would go like this:

Quick Bites’ mission is to serve a variety of freshly baked bread, particularly buns with different filling, that can satisfy a hungry tummy on the go. Our buns are nutritious and are packed with only real ingredients. No artificial flavors will be used and no preservatives are added. Our bakery is committed to making quick meals that are convenient to eat while working and we ensure that they are also healthy and affordable.

Company Concept

It’s time to get all the details down for your bakery’s concept. Think of it as the longer and more detailed version of your executive summary. This section is quite easy and fun since you can now list everything you’ve planned your bakery to have.

Will you be serving artisanal bread? How about puff pastries? Will you be including cakes? Will you also be offering coffee and tea? Will you be baking on the premises or will you have a commissary located somewhere? What are your operating hours?

All these things are important so list down everything you can think of that discusses what your bakery’s concept is going to be.

Market Analysis

Learn more about Jennifer Jacobs.

At this point, you’re probably wondering why you should care about analyzing the baking industry around you when all you want is to just bake your bread and sell them.

Well, let’s put it this way: baking bread might be easy but the selling part may be a little difficult if you don’t know your target market, the bakery business trend in your area, and the competition around you.

Target Market

Writing down your target market is easy since you already mentioned it above on your Customer Focus section. Just add in more details so you or anyone else who will read this will understand more about which group of people do you cater to.

Include the following in your target market list:

• Working-class or students
• Location (local office workers, neighborhood families, etc.)

Industry Analysis

To ensure your bakery is going to be a success, analyze the trend surrounding this type of business in the area you’re planning to open this up. For instance, if you’re like Quick Bites whose target market is the working class, then you’ll need to check the area around your planned bakery if this is a place where several offices are located.

You may also include a study on whether or not people like artisanal bread or healthy bread. This can help you check whether your planned menu can sell successfully or not.

For online bakery businesses, you can focus on the factors that people tend to look at when they’re ordering food online. This includes:

• The preferred number of days for pre-orders.
• Delivery times and rates.

Competitive Analysis

You’ll have to come to terms with the fact that you’ll have competition once you open your bakery business. That’s not entirely a bad thing. Having competition can help you analyze the prices for your baked items and it would also draw in interest from other potential customers. The trick here is to be better than the rest and that is why you are doing this business plan so you can succeed when you start selling your items.

If you are putting up a physical store, list down the bakeries surrounding your potential location. If you are an online store, you can also compare other online bakeries in your neighborhood.

You may even do a comparison. Write down the top three business names of your competitors, their strengths, and their weaknesses, and see where your bakery stands out.

Management Structure

Knowing the roles each person plays in your bakery business is important. It sets a clear and distinct understanding so that no arguments will happen in the future regarding their duties. This is particularly helpful when you’re in a business with a partnership so there are specific roles and duties indicated per person.

But even if you’re running the business on your own, it’s still important to write it all down so you’re aware of what else you need to do and if you need to delegate some tasks.

Related Reading: Learn how a Culinary Grad Built a $26k/Month Pastry Shop.

You can divide these into the following:

• Management Team – These are the people who will be running the business, those who will be in charge of sales and marketing, bookkeeping, filing and processing of legal documents, research and implementation, and ordering of supplies.
• Bakers – These will include the people in charge of baking your products.

For a bigger bakery with dine-in capacity, you may include these as well:

• Servers – These will include the people who will prepare the food to serve such as reheating bread or assembling them.
• Baristas – If your bakery is serving coffee, these are the people in charge of working the espresso machine.

However, some bakeries have their servers work as baristas at the same time so it’s important to state this clearly so your employees will know their duties.

• Cashiers – These people are in charge of manning the counter for any purchases.
• Clean-up Crew – These will include people who are responsible for cleaning the tables, dishes, and everything else that you need to sanitize your bakery.

Product Line and Services

Cake pops are a favorite at bakeries.

This section is the moment you have been waiting for. This is where you’ll place all the products you are going to offer in your bakery. Be it puff pastries, sandwiches, or artisanal bread, just be sure to write them all down. Be specific and indicate the prices as well.

Aside from your product line, you can include other services you wish to offer. Do you do wedding cakes? How about customized cakes? Would you be willing to supply bread to other businesses? Are you open to catering? Putting this all down in this section will help you organize your thoughts so you can put them into action carefully.

Sales and Marketing

A very helpful way to start marketing your bakery is to combine your target market and product line to bring attention to what you’re selling. For Quick Bites, since their target market is for people on the go, they can push how convenient their buns can be eaten while they’re walking on the street. They can also advertise the many flavors of buns they can offer from sweet fillings such as custard or jam to savory ones such as pepperoni, cheese, or vegetables.

Social media is also a great way to market your business. By putting up nicely photographed images of your bread and knowing the right trending hashtags to use, you can capture a huge number of followers.

But if there’s one marketing plan that’s overlooked by many, it’s taking advantage of the sense of smell. Freshly baked bread is pleasing to the senses and can entice customers to check out what you’re baking. So if you have a physical store, use the delicious smell of your baked bread by letting it waft out into the streets to lure passersby. You’ll be surprised just how fast people will flock to your bakery when you allow the scent of your baked goods to fill them.

Financial Plan

Red rose cupcakes.

We’re now on to the nitty-gritty part of the business plan. This includes where you’re going to get the money to fund your bakery and forecast the expenses and possible profit you’re going to make. Why is this important? It’s so that you’ll know early on if the concept, product line, and proposed services you’re going to offer in your bakery is profitable or not.

Keep in mind that you don’t really need a lot of money at all if you’re just starting your bakery business. As previous guest on the podcast Jennifer Jacobs explained , she spent the first few years operating a home-based bakery business. Jennifer operated her business for years while holding down a full-time job, before opening the doors to her first retail space. This is the path she recommends for other food entrepreneurs too.

Funding Request

The only thing you need to focus on this section is to ask yourself, where are you going to get the money to start your bakery? Whether it is a small online business wherein you’re the only one who will be doing the baking and selling, or it’s a big bakery with dine-in options and lots of staff, you have to be clear where to get the capital for all of this.

Getting a loan from the bank or inviting investors are a few options you can choose. This is also the reason why you’re making this business plan to convince them to give you a loan or to join in funding your bakery.

Financial Forecast

Bakery Food Truck.

You will need to list down all your planned expenses for your bakery. For a simple online bakery business, this includes:

• Refrigerator
• Packaging Materials
• Ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, butter, etc.)

If you are planning to open a physical store with dine-in options, you’ll also have to include these:

• Store signage
• Bread display rack
• Point-of-sale system
• Chairs and tables
• Trays, plates, and cutlery
• Espresso machine

You’ll also need to spend on your advertising materials whether these are in social media or print. The bottom line is, listing down all your proposed expenses can help you forecast the amount of money you need to start your bakery. According to professional bakers we interviewed for this piece, starting up a bakery costs $100,000 and $750,000. With these numbers, you can then set up a budget and start looking around for affordable equipment for your bakery.

Aside from your expenses, you’ll also need to do a break-even analysis so you know if you’ll be able to receive any profit from your proposed product line and services.

Operational Plan

Attention Bakery Founders: Download our Food Business Startup Kit for Startup Templates

Writing all your plans down is one thing but to set up a timeline for your operations is another. This sets the gears in motion for when you plan to execute your business.

Do a simple timeline following this example:

Date Plan [Insert Date Here] – Finalize the design and layout of the bakery and secure all rental documents such as permits and business registration.[Insert Date Here] – Start construction.[Insert Date Here] – Hiring and training of staff. You may also start advertising your bakery’s products and opening date.[Insert Date Here] – Start operations for the bakery.[Insert Date Here] – Achieve goals and reach break-even.

This is an example of a physical bakery store. For online bakeries, your timeline should be shorter and simpler.

This section is where most of your documentation to back up your business plan is included. You can also add photos of your bakery’s layout, your proposed design packages, and payroll plans.

Download Templates

Here are templates and real bakery business plan examples you can use as inspiration to setup your own business structure. These are available for download in PowerPoint, Google Docs, and PDF files.

• Bakery Business Plan PowerPoint  
• Bakery Business Plan Google Docs 
• Bakery Business Plan PDF
• If you are planning to open a physical store, be sure to delegate tasks. It’s fun to be hands-on with everything going around your bakery but you can’t manage the counter and be the baker at the same time. So appoint specific people for different roles but also have them multitask so you don’t hire too many people.
• Plan your menu accordingly. You do not want to bake a lot of bread and let them go to waste at the end of the day. Study the foot traffic around your area as well as your possible bestselling item. For instance, if Mondays are the busiest, then maybe you can double up on your recipes for a certain bread that everyone seems to like best. But you can slow it down on Tuesdays and focus on other items instead.

Don’t be intimidated in starting up your bakery and making this business plan. The point of the business plan is that it’s supposed to help you go through the finer details of your bakery. If the whole bakery business plan seems too complex for you then you just failed in understanding the purpose of it. It has to be easy to read and understand because it will serve as your guide.

Where are you planning to open your bakery? We’re just as excited as you are for this new adventure and look forward to hearing about the plans you put in place. Don’t forget to sign up for our free Food Business Startup Kit for exclusive interviews with bakery founders.

Want to start your own food business?

Hey! 👋I’m Brett Lindenberg, the founder of Food Truck Empire.

We interview successful founders and share the stories behind their food trucks, restaurants, food and beverage brands. By sharing these stories, I want to help others get started.

If you liked this story, sign up for our newsletter that includes our food business startup kit and most popular interviews sent straight to your inbox.

Know someone interesting that should be interviewed on the website? Tell us about them here. 

About the Author: Brett Lindenberg

Related Posts

511+ Jam Business Name Ideas that Spread Success

625+ Rustic General Store Name Ideas & Strategies

1005+ (Not Boring) Fruit Business Name Ideas You Can Use

1,025+ Chocolate Company Name Ideas That Aren’t Taken Yet

Bakery Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Business Plan Outline

• Bakery Business Plan Home
• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Company Overview
• 3. Industry Analysis
• 4. Customer Analysis
• 5. Competitive Analysis
• 6. Marketing Plan
• 7. Operations Plan
• 8. Management Team
• 9. Financial Plan

Bakery Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create a successful bakery business plan.

We have helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their bakeries.

A bakery business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your bakery. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing strategy, and details your financial projections.

Sample Bakery Business Plan

The following information will provide a description of what to include in your own bakery business plan along with links to an example for that section:

• Executive Summary – The Executive Summary section provides a high-level overview of your plan. It should include your bakery’s mission statement, as well as information on your business offerings, your target audience, and your business goals and objectives.
• Company Overview – The Company Overview section provides an in-depth look at your bakery, including information on your company’s history, business structure, bakery location, and management team.
• Industry Analysis – Also called the Market Analysis, in this section, you will provide an overview of the industry in which your bakery will operate. Through market research, you will be able to discuss market trends affecting the industry, as well as your target market’s needs and buying habits.
• Customer Analysis – In this section, you will describe your target market and explain how you intend to reach them. You will also provide information on your customers’ needs and buying habits.
• Competitive Analysis – The Competitor Analysis will provide an overview of your competition (other bakeries or businesses that offer high-quality baked goods), including their strengths and weaknesses. It will also discuss your competitive advantage or your business’s core strength that will help you stand out amongst your competition.
• Marketing Plan – In the Marketing Plan section, you will detail your marketing strategies, including your community events, and digital marketing campaigns. You will also discuss your pricing strategy and how you intend to position your bakery in the market.
• Operations Plan – In the Operations Plan, you will provide an overview of your store’s operations, including your store layout, staff, and inventory management. It also includes information on your warehousing and distribution arrangements and a list of long-term milestones or business goals.
• Management Team – In this section, you will provide information on yourself as the talented baker, any business partners, your experience, and your roles in the company.
• Financial Plan – In this section of your bakery financial plan, you will include your financial statements: profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. It also includes information on how much funding you require and the use of these funds.

Next Section: Executive Summary >

Bakery Business Plan FAQs

How can i complete my bakery business plan quickly & easily.

Learn more about how to write a bakery business plan using this   bakery business plan template .

What Are the Main Types of Bakeries?

A bakery can be retail or wholesale. A retail bakery sells baked goods (i.e., fresh bread, specialty items, gluten-free and vegan baked goods, and other bakery offerings) directly to customers, while a wholesale bakery typically sells products to other local businesses, like restaurants, grocery stores, specialty shops, and cafes.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Bakery?

Bakeries are most commonly funded with personal savings and bank loans. Credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding for bakeries. Potential investors or lenders will often want to see a well-crafted business plan before considering providing funding.

Learn More:  Seeking Funding from Angel Investors vs Venture Capitalists

Where Can I Get a Bakery Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free bakery business plan template PDF here . This is a sample bakery business plan template you can use in PDF format.

How to Write a Bakery Business Plan + Sample

Makenna Crocker

7 min. read

Updated February 7, 2024

Free Download:  Sample Bakery Business Plan Template

Your friends and family have long marveled at your baking skills. Now, you’re ready to jump from passionate amateur to bakery business owner .

Making cakes and pastries in your kitchen is one thing—buying commercial-grade equipment, setting prices, and serving customers is a far greater challenge.

So, how does a new bakery owner maximize their chance of success? 

By writing a business plan. 

This article will guide you through crafting a bakery business plan, from describing your offerings and creating a marketing strategy to assessing your competitors and managing your finances. 

Need more guidance? Download our free sample bakery business plan .

Why write a bakery business plan?

Launching a bakery requires more than perfect recipes; it’s about strategically planning for success. 

A business plan gives you :

Clarity and direction

The plan helps you define your bakery’s identity, from your signature products to your brand ethos.

A financial foundation

A simple financial plan you update periodically gives you a major advantage, helping you manage a budget and understand how decisions affect revenues, expenses, and cash flows.

Market insights

Researching and documenting your target market and competition helps you position your bakery and stand out.

Operational strategies

The operational plan outlines how you will manage staffing, supply chain, and other logistics so your bakery runs smoothly.

Attracting investors

If you’re seeking funding , investors need to see a comprehensive plan demonstrating your bakery’s growth and profitability potential.

Brought to you by

Create a professional business plan

Using ai and step-by-step instructions.

Secure funding

Validate ideas

Build a strategy

How to write a business plan for a bakery

1. conduct market research.

Start by pinpointing your target market. 

Not every bakery appeals to all customers. Ask yourself, who do you see coming through your doors? 

It could be:

• Health-conscious individuals looking for gluten-free or low-sugar options.
• Professionals looking for a quick treat on their way to work.
• Families looking for fresh, wholesome bread and treats to eat at home.

Consider age, income level, dietary preferences, and local demographics. 

Remember, identifying your target market is more than just understanding the demographics of your customers. It’s about understanding their lifestyle, dietary habits, and what they value in a bakery. 

Are you targeting health-conscious individuals, families, or specialty dessert enthusiasts? Tailoring your products and services to your chosen clientele ensures your bakery meets their unique tastes and needs.

Market research tips

When conducting market research for your bakery, consider the following:

Customer preferences

Identify the types of baked goods that are in high demand. Do customers prefer traditional treats, artisanal bread, gluten-free options, or vegan pastries? 

Location analysis

Evaluate potential locations for your bakery. Consider foot traffic, visibility, parking availability, and proximity to complementary businesses. 

Product differentiation

Identify what sets your bakery apart from the competition. Is it your secret family recipe, organic ingredients, or unique flavor combinations? 

2. Analyze the competition

When evaluating competitors , you need to look beyond just other bakeries. 

Anyone who provides baked goods is a direct competitor or alternative. You must account for patisseries, cafes, and even grocery store bakeries. 

Then, focus on identifying strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling points by reviewing the following: 

• Product offerings and pricing: What kinds of baked goods do they offer, and at what price points? Are there items that are universally popular or notably absent from their menus?
• Customer experience: How do these establishments present themselves? Is the ambiance inviting? What level of service do they provide?
• Operational insights: Observe their staffing levels, speed of service, and any visible supplier partnerships.
• Marketing strategies: How do they attract and retain customers? Look at their promotional activities, online engagement, and customer feedback.
• Long-term trends: Have they expanded their product range or services recently? Any noticeable changes in their operation hours or customer demographics?

Visit local bakeries, patisseries, and cafes to understand their offerings, pricing, and customer experience. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, and look for opportunities to differentiate your bakery. 

What unique products or services can you offer? Is there a gap in the market that you can fill? 

3. Detail your operations plan

Misjudging resources needed to manage inventory, staffing, and other day-to-day requirements is one of the biggest mistakes an owner of any business can make. 

A solid operational plan will keep you from blowing your budget.

The operations plan covers aspects of your business like:

Where your business will operate, as well as the characteristics of the neighborhood and factors that may lead to a competitive advantage.

Licensing needs

Track what you need to remain compliant with regulations, from a business license to food handlers permits for employees.

Operating hours

What days and times do you plan to be open? When do you expect your peak hours to be? Listing these will help you plan staffing and determine promotions to offer. 

Staffing needs

It’s crucial to understand how many employees you’ll need to hire and when you will need them to work. Many bakeries make their goods before most people wake up, so you may need staff ready to work irregular hours.

4. Market your business

The market analysis should have uncovered valuable insights into who might come to your bakery. 

You can use that information to develop a comprehensive marketing plan to showcase your bakery’s offerings, build brand awareness, and attract a loyal customer base.

Consider the following promotional strategies for your bakery:

• Establish a strong social media presence: Be visible on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase your bakery’s products and engage with your audience.
• Build an appealing website: Create a strong online presence through a user-friendly website with photos and promotions to build an online following.
• Get out in the community: Participate in local events, sponsor community initiatives, and support local charities to create awareness and goodwill.
• Collaborate with local businesses: Consider partnering with nearby coffee shops, restaurants, or event planners to expand your reach and offer joint promotions.
• Offer sampling and tastings: Give potential customers a chance to try your baked goods and entice them to purchase.
• Create eye-catching displays: Invest in appealing window displays and enticing signage to create a visually appealing environment that attracts customers.

5. Financials and pricing

No matter how effective your marketing campaigns are, running a successful bakery requires staying on top of your finances.

You must be realistic to develop a solid financial plan and pricing strategy . 

Understand the costs of employee wages, ingredients, and supplies, and try to figure out how long you expect to operate before becoming profitable. This will be especially important if you seek a bank loan or outside investment.

Consider the following financial aspects when creating your bakery business plan:

Startup costs

Determine the initial investment required to set up your bakery, including equipment, leasehold improvements, licenses, and inventory. Factor in costs for marketing and branding efforts as well.

Ongoing expenses

Identify the recurring expenses in running your bakery, such as rent, utilities, ingredient costs, staff wages, and marketing expenses. 

Regularly review these costs to ensure they align with your revenue projections.

Pricing strategy

Set your prices based on a thorough understanding of ingredient costs, overhead expenses, and the local market. Consider factors such as quality, portion sizes, and the value you provide customers. 

Monitor pricing trends in the industry to remain competitive.

Sales forecasting

Develop a sales forecast based on your market research, pricing strategy, and capacity. Consider seasonal fluctuations, holidays, and events that may impact your bakery’s performance. 

Continuously review and adjust your forecast based on actual results.

6. Set milestones and goals

Setting milestones and goals helps you track your progress toward key achievements. 

These goals can be both short-term and long-term, covering areas like revenue targets or break-even projections , the number of customers served, menu expansions, or partnerships with grocery stores.

Consider the following tips when setting milestones and goals for your bakery:

Create “SMART” goals  

Ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound . 

For example: Instead of aiming to “increase sales,” set a specific target, such as “increase monthly sales by 15% within six months.”

Include your employees

Get your bakery staff involved in setting goals and milestones. Their input and commitment are essential to achieving your bakery’s objectives.

Evaluate regularly

Monitor your progress toward your goals and assess whether adjustments are necessary. Periodically review your financials, customer feedback, and broader market trends to stay on track.

Free sample bakery business plan template

If you’re ready to start your own bakery business, you can download our free sample bakery business plan from our library of over 550 sample business plans . 

Get started today, and discover why businesses that plan grow 30% faster than those that don’t .

Makenna Crocker is the Marketing Specialist at Richardson Sports. Her work focuses on market and social trends, crafting gripping and authentic content, and enhancing marketing strategy to foster stronger B2B and B2C relationships. With a master’s degree in Advertising and Brand Responsibility from the University of Oregon, she specializes in generating a strong and responsible brand presence through content that positively influences and inspires others.

Table of Contents

• Why you need a plan
• How to write a business plan
• Free business plan template

Related Articles

1 Min. Read

Free Clothing Retail Sample Business Plan

7 Min. Read

How to Write a Laundromat Business Plan + Example Templates

How to Write a Brewery Business Plan + Free Sample Plan

5 Min. Read

How to Write a Personal Shopper Business Plan + Example Templates

The Bplans Newsletter

The Bplans Weekly

Subscribe now for weekly advice and free downloadable resources to help start and grow your business.

We care about your privacy. See our privacy policy .

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

No thanks, I prefer writing 40-page documents.

Discover the world’s #1 plan building software

• Sample Business Plans
• Food, Beverage & Restaurant

Bakery Business Plan

Ready to turn your love for baking baked goods into a successful business?

To ensure that your business endeavor happens to be a flourishing one, write a business plan specifically crafted for your unique bakery business.

From helping you finalize the bakery location to evaluating the financial position of your business- a detailed plan uncovers every detail essential to kickstart a successful bakery business.

Writing a business plan can get complicated. With this step-by-step guide, you will have all the information essential to write a bakery business plan . Also, download our free bakery business plan template and modify it to fit your needs.

Ready to dive in? Let’s get started.

Key Takeaways

• Conduct a detailed industry analysis of the bakery market to understand market trends, target market, and the growth scope of your business.
• Outline the business goals and devise a business strategy that is in line with your bakery’s branding image.
• Analyze the competitive landscape of your business and identify local businesses that will offer direct and indirect competition to your business.
• Make calculations, assumptions, and projections to form key reports such as income statement, balance sheet, Cash Flow statement, and Break-even analysis.
• Determine the operations of your bakery business by outlining the procedures, processes, and equipment required to kickstart the business.
• Determine the baked goods and services you will sell through your bakery business.

Why is a bakery business plan important?

A business plan helps achieve your business objectives by creating a roadmap that will guide your bakery business in a strategic direction. An actionable well-drafted plan offers an in-depth view of your business idea and are a few benefits you must know:

• A business plan instills clarity in your business idea. All the ideas that were messed up in your mind start getting a clear point of view once you start writing a plan.
• A business plan is your checklist to understand what different aspects of the business need- the resources, equipment, manpower, licenses, etc.
• It helps crystallize your business vision and what it aims to achieve in the bakery market.
• A business plan optimizes the bakery operations and brings down the operating expenses by ensuring the resourceful allocation of bakery resources.
• A plan evaluates the financial aspects and viability of your bakery idea before you actually invest money in the business.

And, of course, a well-crafted plan will get you essential funds to get started in the bakery market. Moving forward, let’s craft a spectacular plan for your bakery business.

How to Write a Bakery Business Plan: A Complete Guide

From writing an executive summary to creating your financial plan- let’s decode the key elements of writing a business plan.

1. Get a business plan template

Before you start writing a business plan, consider getting a sample template to simplify the entire plan writing process.

A lot of information goes into writing a comprehensive business plan. Addressing all the key components in brief details is a challenging task.

However, by using a template, you can add structure to your plan. Not only that, it will help you organize the information clearly in a cohesive manner. With appropriate prompts, you will know exactly what to write in each section.

We know you would start searching for a template. Well, the Upmetrics business planning template is perfectly relevant and suited for your bakery business. It’s intuitive, modern, and available for free download.

Need Assistance Writing a Bakery Business Plan?

Get Upmetrics’ business plan template, import data directly into the editor, and start editing using Upmetrics AI Assistant.

Start Planning Now

2. Write an executive summary

The executive summary is a concise description of your entire bakery business plan. It highlights the key findings and entices the reader to delve further into your business plan. So make sure to keep it interesting.

A well-drafted executive summary includes an answer to every question, a potential investor might have.

For instance,

• What is the core objective of your bakery business?
• What are the pain points of your target customers and what solutions can you offer?
• What type of baked goods will you offer?
• What is your target market?
• What is your marketing strategy?
• What are the financial highlights of your bakery business?

As you start writing, remember that the executive summary should summarize the plan and not your business idea.

Lastly, fit your compelling summary description in 1-2 pages.

3. Conduct a competitive and market analysis

The market analysis section paints a clear picture of your ideal target market, bakery industry trends, and your competitors in the market. In a way, this section is your chance to validate the potential success of your bakery shop.

The market analysis section of your bakery plan must include:

Market share, growth potential, and industry trends

Identify your targeted available market (TAM) through thorough market research and determine your share in the bakery market. Analyze the emerging trends in the bakery market and assess your growth potential as a retail bakery.

Understanding of the target market 

Who will be your potential customer at a bakery shop?

It gets much easier to succeed in the market when you have a clear understanding of who your target customers are.

In this section of customer analysis, you will create a buyer’s persona of your ideal customer by understanding their psychographic and demographic details.

Competitor analysis

This is an equally important part of the market study, where you evaluate the position and competitive landscape of your bakery shop.

Begin by identifying your top competitors and evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats against other bakeries. Establish your competitive edge and show the potential investors that your business stands a promising opportunity in the competitive market.

Want to Perform Competitive Analysis for your Business?

Discover your competition’s secrets effortlessly with our user-friendly and Free Competitor Analysis Generator!

4. Prepare a company overview

The company overview section of a bakery’s business plan is a brief description of your bakery business concept, its legal structure, location, and value proposition.

Be creative and write a compelling section that can propel the readers’ interest in your business idea.

Wondering what to include in your bakery’s company overview section? Let’s check:

• Type of bakery business: retail bakery, specialty bakery, cloud bakery, mobile bakery, etc.
• Business structure: Sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership LLC, corporation, etc.
• Mission statement
• Value proposition
• Quantifiable business goals and milestones
• History and background of the bakery, if applicable
• Partnership and ownership structure
• Name of owners/ partners
• Operating hours
• Service style

Drill down to details and make this section an engaging read.

5. Describe your products and services

After describing your bakery structure and mission statement in the previous section, you will now outline the product and service offerings of your bakery shop.

As a bakery business, you may sell a variety of delicious baked goods such as pastries, cakes, fresh bread, cookies, tarts, pies, donuts, sweet buns, etc. Add this to your product section and also non-baked goods such as savory snacks, coffee, etc, if it’s on your menu offering.

Specifically mention, if you will have products for special diets, i.e. gluten-free, keto-friendly, sugar-free, vegan baked goods, etc.

6. Bakery store design and layout

An effective bakery business plan must include a blueprint of your bakery shop’s layout and design to demonstrate the bakery’s concept practically to the readers.

Mention your bakery size and the space allocated for the back of the house and front of the house operations. Also, explain how the proposed layout will increase the efficiency of your business operations in great detail.

In this section, you will also talk about the decor and theme that will create a warm ambiance for your target audience. Keep in mind that the decor should reflect the branding image you want to create in your target market.

Offer an immersive experience to the readers while explaining this section.

7. Prepare a bakery marketing plan

The marketing plan offers a detailed outlook of marketing strategies you will use to market and promote your bakery shop. Consider it as a roadmap that will guide you in building a brand of sustainable value in the market.

So how do you build a perfect marketing plan?

Begin by identifying the marketing channels and different types of digital marketing campaigns that will work best for your potential customers. Now, allocate the monthly budget to different marketing activities. Lastly, devise a marketing strategy for each channel with a clear plan of action.

Here are a few marketing strategies that are popularly used by successful bakery businesses:

• Social media platforms for brand development
• Email marketing for promotional offers
• Video content such as easy baking recipes, tips, tricks, etc
• Online workshops and live sessions
• Influencer marketing
• Tasting events and sampling
• Customer testimonials

Now detail all your plans in this section and show your investors that you have a solid way to establish your business’s popularity in its target market.

8. Outline your organizational structure

In this section of your bakery business plan, you introduce the management team and employees at your shop. Also, highlight the organizational structure and hierarchy of employees in the organization.

Begin by introducing the owners and their role in your organization. Highlight their experience in the bakery industry and the key skills that can benefit the business.

Introduce your talented baker and their role in recipe development and standardization. Show their experience in the baking field and prove their asset worthiness.

Draw a clear flowchart depicting the flow of authority and responsibility in your bakery business. It is your chance to show the investors that you have a team and knack to take this business on a successful path.

9. Create a logistics and operational plan

The operations plan of your bakery business plan is a strategic document highlighting the processes, procedures, and resources needed to efficiently run your bakery shop.

A well-planned operations plan is like a business manual that has answers to all the questions one might have while running a bakery shop.

Wondering what to add to your operations plan? Well try to include answers to the following questions to make it detailed and comprehensive:

• Physical facilities: What will be your bakery location to produce bakery goods? Will you serve customers from that location or a different shop? Are you planning to sell the bakery goods online?
• Suppliers: Where will you get the raw materials and supplies for producing bakery goods? Who will supply non-bakery items like scones, sandwiches, and savory snacks?
• Inventory: Where will you store the raw material and ingredients? What will be the shelf life of these ingredients? How will you manage the stock levels? What are the minimum thresholds for different items and how long it takes to stock them?
• Production: Who will bake the goods? How long is the process? Will everything be made fresh or in batches to be stored for a few days? Will there be recipe cost cards for each menu item? How will you meet an unexpected spike in demand?
• Bakery Equipment: What type of bakery equipment will you require? Will there be a POS system at your store? What other technologies will you use? How will you take online orders?

The amount of precision here will help you regulate your operating expenses once the bakery starts serving the customers. Proper planning is advisable at this stage.

10. Create a Financial Plan

And now comes the most exciting part for investors- a financial plan. The figures in financial statements are helpful in determining the viability of your business idea. So this section holds a considerable weightage in terms of whether you will get funding or not.

To ensure you create a comprehensive financial plan, including financial projections for these key components:

• Cost of starting a bakery shop
• Sales forecast
• Revenue projection
• Operating expenses
• Pricing strategy
• Income statement/ Profit & Loss statement
• Break-even analysis
• Cash flow statement
• Balance sheet
• Business ratios

In this section, you will also evaluate your funding requirements and identify the funding sources for your business. i.e. bank loans, SBA-guaranteed loans, angel investors, and personal savings.

Having realistic financial projections at hand will help you realize your financial goals while evaluating the sustainability of your bakery business.

However, creating the projections for all these elements from scratch can get overwhelming. Additionally,  you also need to work on visuals and graphs to add impact and clarity to your plan.

Well, there is an easy way. Create your plan with the Upmetrics Financial forecasting tool . This tool will generate key reports and visuals that can be easily downloaded and added to your plan.

We hope this sample plan will guide you in writing a perfect business plan. Now, let’s move forward and check the industry trends ruling the bakery world.

Bakery Industry Highlights 2023

Before you open a bakery, here are some latest highlights from the bakery industry, you may find helpful:

• Bakery market size: The US bakery market size was valued at $99.47 billion dollars in 2023. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.08% between 2023-2028.
• Retail Bakeries: According to IBIS World , there are 8,780 independent retail bakery shops in the US.
• Bakery consumption: In 2022, Americans consumed 8.6 billion kilograms of cake and pastry goods, a sizable amount compared to other countries.
• Bakery trends: There is a growing trend of providing healthier alternatives, i.e. gluten-free baked goods in the bakery market. The organic and gluten-free baked goods market grew by 2.45% in 2022.
• Market Saturation: 55% of commercial bakery revenue in the US is generated by 3 major players- Grupo Bimbo, Flower Foods, and Campbell Soup.
• Specialty bakery market: The US Specialty bakery market share is expected to grow by 10.54 billion US dollars by 2026.

Download a sample Bakery business plan

Need help writing your own bakery business plan? Well, download our bakery business plan pdf and write your plan section-by-section with utmost precision.

Upmetrics templates are perfectly suited for entrepreneurs who need a little help to kickstart their business planning. Import the data into the editor and start planning.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

Write your business plan with Upmetrics

Optimize your business planning with Upmetrics .

With more than 400+ business plan examples , we offer invaluable guidance to help you write a cohesive business plan.

Whether you are writing a business plan to strategically grow your business or attract investors, Upmetrics’ invaluable resources like AI assistance, forecasting tools, and step-by-step guides will serve you perfectly.

Let’s bake a recipe for success together.

Related Posts

Bakery Business Marketing Plan

Bakery Financial Plan

Best AI Business Plan Generator

Tips for a Business Plan Presentation

How Much Costs to Start a Bakery

How to Open Bakery Business

Frequently asked questions, what should be included in a bakery business plan.

An effective bakery business plan must include:

• Executive summary
• Business overview
• Industry and competitors analysis
• Bakery goods and services
• Bakery design and layout
• Operations plan
• Key management team
• Financial bakery plan

How long should my bakery business plan be?

A bakery business plan should be not more than 15-20 pages including graphs, visuals, and charts. You are likely to lose the interest of investors with a lengthy plan. However, keeping it extremely short is also not favorable, as it would not cover important details. So try using crisp content for your business plan.

Can a bakery business plan template help in setting clear business objectives and goals?

Absolutely yes. A template offers a variety of prompts that will help you to write each section clearly and cohesively. Moreover, you will get a variety of bakery-specific examples that shall help in clearly determining your goals and objectives.

Do I need to have financial projections in my bakery business plan?

Yes, financial projections are important to assess the viability and profitability of your business idea. If you are planning to seek investor funds, this section is of crucial importance. Investors will evaluate the financial section and determine whether to invest or not.

Can I use the same bakery business plan template for different locations?

Yes, you can. However, you need to alter the content of your business plan for different locations and target markets by making specific modifications.

About the Author

Vinay Kevadiya

Vinay Kevadiya is the founder and CEO of Upmetrics, the #1 business planning software. His ultimate goal with Upmetrics is to revolutionize how entrepreneurs create, manage, and execute their business plans. He enjoys sharing his insights on business planning and other relevant topics through his articles and blog posts. Read more

Plan your business in the shortest time possible

No Risk – Cancel at Any Time – 15 Day Money Back Guarantee

Create a great Business Plan with great price.

• 400+ Business plan templates & examples
• AI Assistance & step by step guidance
• 4.8 Star rating on Trustpilot

Streamline your business planning process with Upmetrics .

Run Your Restaurant Efficiently

Grow Your Business Online

Attract & Retain Your Guests

Manage a Productive Team

Access Capital & Financing

Restaurant Types

Built for restaurants.

Toast is designed for restaurant success. Customize Toast to fit the needs of your restaurant type.

Visit our hub to explore all types of videos, articles and resources.

• How to Write a Bakery Business Plan

Tyler Martinez Author

Tyler Martinez

Business Plan for Bakeries Guide

Do you live for the smell of freshly baked bread or the endless buttery flakes of a homemade croissant? Have you perfected your family's baklava recipe? Perhaps you’d like to start a bakery and share your happiness with a base of hungry customers. 

While many avenues of the restaurant industry are highly competitive, there seems to be infinite space in the market for pastries, desserts, and bread. When people need a treat, they need a treat — and they often flock to bakeries to get one. 

Baked goods can be created from only a few ingredients, but they require masterful technique. Baking the perfect loaf of miche, frying churros to perfection, and building a perfectly set and balanced French entremet can take years of practice.

Once you've figured out what kind of bakery you'd like to bring to life, it's time to get down to brass tacks and write your bakery business plan. 

Why You Need a Bakery Business Plan

Bakeries are usually fairly specialized operations – they focus on morning pastries, desserts, doughnuts, bread, cakes, pies, vegan baked goods, bagels, cookies, or even cupcakes. A business plan is crucial for opening a new bakery to assess the market and match the baker’s skills and talents to an opening in your local area. 

Some bakeries require little overhead and start-up costs, and many small bakeries operate on a skeleton staff of the owner and an assistant or two, but operations can range up to full-scale industrial bakeries that supply loaves and pastries to grocers nationwide. Defining your place in that vast market is part of the goal of a business plan — as is helping you seek out funding, and creating a roadmap to guide you on the long and complicated process of starting a business.

How to Write Bakery Business Plan (Description, Examples, Proposals)

Business plans tend to be formulaic, as they're meant to convey a fairly specific set of information to whoever's reading it — often potential investors. That's why this bakery business plan template can be such a helpful tool for imagining and planning your bakery. 

Download a customizable version of the business plan template below and read on to learn more about how to make it work for your bakery.

Related Restaurant Resources

• Bakery Business Plan Executive Summary
• Bakery Financial Plan
• Bakery Operations Plan
• Bakery Industry Market Analysis
• Bakery Management Team

Bakery Business Plan Template

Use this free bakery business plan template to easily create a great business plan that organizes your vision and helps you start, grow, or raise funding for your bakery.

Elements of a Bakery Business Plan

Bakery plan executive summary.

As the first section of your business plan, the executive summary is your prime opportunity to make a great impression with a concise summary of your bakery’s concept. An executive summary introduces key elements of your business plan like an overview of the budget, the business’s mission, market, and core values. It’s also a chance to communicate your full vision for your bakery’s products and services.

The kind of bakery you're opening will determine the type of funding you are seeking and the potential investors you attract – consider the audience of your business plan and how you might persuade them to keep reading and potentially invest.

Company Overview

The company overview and executive summary work together to provide a quick look at your business plan, but the company overview is more practical than attention-grabbing. It works as a glossary for the rest of your business plan by defining the products, information about ownership and the company structure, and your vision for the customer experience.

Consider including information about the jobs your bakery will create and your beliefs about labor and hiring practices, the location of your bakery, and the style of service – will your bakery be a counter service dining room or a house of made-to-order custom confections?

This is also a good opportunity to introduce the aesthetic vision of your bakery to stakeholders – paint a picture with architectural mock-ups, a color palette, logo design, and a description of the ambiance of your bakery. Is it a cozy spot to have an intricate dessert after dinner or a minimalist grab-and-go for bagels and coffee? Let the readers know.

Team and Management

Baked goods are often labor-intensive and require specialized ovens, surfaces, and equipment to prepare, bake, decorate, and sell. As such, bakers are highly-skilled workers that have an exclusive and desirable skill set — and your bakery will only be as good as your baker’s skills.

This is why it’s crucial for your business plan to include information about the management and team structure of your bakery. If you are the baker and business owner, consider what roles you will need to fill and who to hire to help you run your business, or if you plan to run an individual or family business.

Some bakeries have storefronts while others deliver custom orders directly to the customer – how you plan to deliver your baked treats to your customers might require you to hire additional staff. Others employ dozens of bakers to produce large quantities of consistent treats and how you plan to train, delegate, and compensate those workers is important as well.

Don’t forget to include information about who will be creating marketing and publicity for the bakery – will you market your business, hire a marketing professional or firm, or hire a manager that can market your business in addition to their other duties?

Consider including information about what kind of jobs you plan to create, whether they are full-time or part-time, how you will hire or train skilled bakers or chefs, and what kind of benefits you plan to offer.

Sample Menu

While you might want to avoid writing down any intellectual property related to your great-grandmother’s croissant method, a sample menu is a crucial part of your bakery’s business plan because, so often, the concept and the product for a bakery are closely aligned.

Your sample menu provides a lot of information to partners and investors and prompts you to start thinking about some of the finer details of your business. Consider how you will make and deliver your products and what specialized and potential costly equipment for large-scale production and storage are required. 

For instance, will you require a large deep fryer for doughnuts and fritters, or a 55-gallon stand mixer for large batches of dough, icing, and meringue? On the other end, have you begun to budget for the things like food-safe gloves and delicate decoration tools that your bakery might regularly require? 

Beyond being a valuable asset to the information you provide potential investors, building a sample menu is a good exercise for ensuring that your business plan is airtight before you present it to banks or partners.

Restaurant Menu Templates

Use these menu templates as a starting point for your menu design or to give your menus a refresh.

Market Analysis

Unlike some other types of restaurants, bakeries often compete with other bakeries that don’t provide a similar product or experience. Consider the customer’s options in your market when choosing a bakery to patronize in a situation – whether seeking breakfast bagels, intricate pastries and coffee, a full boulangerie, catered desserts, or other complex confections.

As such, your market analysis should include how you plan to attract a segment of the customers seeking the goods, services, or combination that you plan to provide – how will you compete with or stand apart from the grocery store bakeries or the other donut stands in your area?

Completing a market analysis will be as productive for you as it is informative for your investors by revealing opportunities to enter an opening in the market and make the best of that opening.

Marketing and Publicity

Planning a marketing and publicity strategy will flow naturally from finding an opening in your market to enter. Use your market analysis as a stepping stone for your marketing and publicity plan

Opening a bakery is a good chance to capitalize on the intrigue and hype that a “grand opening” event can generate. The best customer of a bakery is the loyal, regular customer — people have strong affinities for specific baked goods and will be loyal when they find a product that provides the sensory and emotional experience they’re seeking.

Word-of-mouth marketing from regular customers, especially if they are incentivized to talk about your bakery with a loyalty program or branded merch (strong tote bags work particularly well for carrying spoils from bread shops), is a valuable assertion of your bakery’s quality. 

Social media and online marketing are almost expected of restaurants these days and a concerted social media strategy can help to bring both local and tourist customers to your doors. Create your restaurant marketing plan in advance, and sum it up in this section.

Branded Graphics

One of the most exciting aspects of building a cohesive brand across your business plan is creating branded graphics that convey your brand’s concept to both potential investors and customers. Think about how you might represent the ethos of your bakery and the experiences that you plan to offer your customers through branded graphics and the design of the documents in your business plan.

Read this next

How to brand a restaurant: restaurant branding ideas and examples.

Learn how to market your restaurant and build a lovable restaurant brand.

Business Operations

The business operations section includes information about customer service, the point of sale , sales and inventory tracking, accounting, equipment, and the supply chain of the products on your menu. Consider the role you plan to play in the business – will you be executing are sourdough recipe perfects over a decade of practice or hiring the best natas makers you can find? 

Bakeries focus on baked goods, but they can offer a range of products and services in addition to delicious foods with intricate combinations of flavors and textures. Include detailed expectations of the customer experience in the business operations sections – how will you deliver or hand off your good to customers or collaborate with them to bring their confectionary imaginations to life? 

Also, you might consider in more depth in this section how you expect interactions between any staff you hire, and your customers will go. How will you train your staff to interact with customers and which staff members do you expect to handle which parts of the customer experience?

Cafe and Bakery POS Comparison Tool

A free, customizable Cafe and Bakery POS Comparison Tool to research and compare point of sale systems in one Excel spreadsheet or editable PDF.

Financing and Loans

If you are seeking to secure funding, have already secured partial funding, or have a plan to fund your bakery, it is crucial to include that information in your business plan. Provide potential investors with information about other investors and detailed financial plans about the projections of profit and expenses of your business.

Include information about how you expect investors to be involved with the business and any benefits they might incur by investing, such as discounts or access to menu previews.

For more information about finding funding for your bakery, check out The Complete Guide to Restaurant Financing and Loans , where we outline 11 different types of restaurant funding options.

The Complete Guide to Restaurant Financing and Loans

Whether you’re opening a new restaurant, expanding your concept, or renovating within your existing four-walls, you’re going to need capital to make it all happen.

Sales Forecasts and Operating Expenses

The operating expenses for a bakery include the costs of labor, insurance, products, supplies, rent, and more, and there might be supply chain or operations expenses that are unique to bakeries, such as the cost of importing quality chocolate or other global ingredients that are worthwhile to consider.

One common analysis to include in a business plan is a break-even analysis which compares how much sales are required to break even with the cost of expenses each month. Investors will be interested in the potential for profit and loss before they contribute to your business, but to produce a profit a loss statement for a restaurant that isn’t open yet will require some educated projections. 

A cash flow analysis details how you plan to spend on labor, supplies, and operations to show investors that the bakery can support itself without additional investments. Consider how the cost of supplies, labor, taxes, maintenance on equipment, cleaning supplies, and paper or plastic balance at the end of each fiscal quarter.

How to Present a Bakery Business Plan Sample

There are a few ways to prepare to communicate with investors about your business plan and get them interested. As you write and edit your plan, you’ll have become the world’s only expert on your bakery. Remember that the way you talk about your business should be tailored to the situation you find yourself in.

First, send your business plan to investors and banks far and wide – put your concept and plan in the hands and minds of as many people as possible. You can’t hear no (or yes!) unless you ask.

Perhaps you’re at a networking event for local small restaurant owners and financiers. You might want to have a 30-second elevator pitch prepared so that you can communicate everything you need to about your plan for a bakery quickly. Be sure to include something exciting or make an opportunity for questions to keep people talking.

Once you secure a meeting with a potential investor or partner, you’ll want a more detailed presentation that presents all the key elements of your business plan – for a bakery, that will likely include the products and services at the core of your business.

It’s good to anticipate potential questions and prepare answers for questions you encounter for the first time. When networking, be honest and genuine, even if you don’t have a ready answer for each question that comes your way – investors will be interested in your charisma and savvy just as much as your ability to build a detailed plan.

Related Bakery Resources

• How to Open a Bakery
• How Much Does it Cost to Open a Bakery
• Bakery Name Ideas
• Best Bakery Websites
• Bakery Marketing Ideas
• Bakery Branding
• Bakery Design Ideas
• Bakery Menu Ideas
• Bakery Licenses and Permits
• Bakery Equipment List
• Bakery Floor Plan
• Bakery Supplies

Is this article helpful?

Submitted! Thank you for your feedback.

DISCLAIMER: This information is provided for general informational purposes only, and publication does not constitute an endorsement. Toast does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links, or other items contained within this content. Toast does not guarantee you will achieve any specific results if you follow any advice herein. It may be advisable for you to consult with a professional such as a lawyer, accountant, or business advisor for advice specific to your situation.

By clicking any of the above links, you will be leaving Toast's website.

How to Open a Bakery: Starting a Bakery Business Steps

Wondering how to start a bakery? Here are the steps to open a bakery business from permits to marketing and everything in between.

How to Open a Donut Shop: Starting a Donut Shop Business Checklist

Real restaurant kitchen designs to inspire your new concept, restaurant news, advice, and stories — right in your inbox..

Join the fun. We promise not to spam you, swear.

We'll handle your info according to our privacy statement .

All Formats

Plan Templates

Bakery business plan template – 23+ word, excel, pdf format download.

The bakery plan is undoubtedly one of the booming industries that are present out there, so if you ever want to open one, you will need to come up with an effective business plan . To make an effective one, you can refer to our collection of bakery business plan templates that are designed to ensure that you achieve all of the goals and objectives that are set for your business. The best part about our bakery plan templates is that they are pre-made with professional content and can be opened in various formats like Word Format , Excel, or PDF. Whether you are opening a coffee shop or a bakeshop, you need to have a business model so that management runs smoothly. With our bakery business plan templates you can easily write the details of your business plans such as the introduction, SWOT analysis, marketing, budget , project costs, etc. We have different kinds of sample templates applicable to specific bakery businesses such as a startup cake shop or a home bakery.

Plan Template Bundle

• Google Docs

Construction Business Plan Template Bundle

Construction Business Development Plan Template Bundle

Construction Business Continuity Plan Bundle

Simple Bakery Business Plan Design

Sample Bakery Sales Plan Template

Bread Bakery Business Plan Design Template

How to Write a Bakery Business Plan in 5 Steps

Step 1: title page, step 2: executive summary, step 3: overview of the bakery business, step 4: analysis of the market, step 5: financial analysis, bakery marketing plan template.

Bakery Cake Shop Business Plan Template

• Apple Pages

Standard Bakery Business Plan

Coffee Shop Business Plan Template

Catering Business Plan Template

Standard Business Plan Template

Sample Business Plan Template

Sample Business Plan Outline Template

Usage of the Bakery Business Plan Template

Bakery business introduction plan pdf format.

Home Bakery Business Model Plan Sample

Bakery Business Executive Summary Plan Template Example

Bakery Business Management Plan Description in PDF Format

Target Audience of Bakery Business Plan Template

Dessert bakery product financial business plan template.

Bread Bake Shop Business Plan Template

How To Write a Bakery Business Plan Template

Sample Bakery Business Project Plan Template

Small Bakery Startup Business Plan Template

Bakery Business Plan Template Free Download

Bakery Business Swot Analysis Plan Template

Bakery Small Business Cost Budget Plan Template

Benefits of Bakery Business Plan Template

More in plan templates.

Business Handbook Template

Weekly menu plan template, cafe business plan presentation template, basic business activity plan template, sample lean business plan template, business plan template, business plan format template, 90-day business plan template, one page business plan template, small hotel business plan template.

• 7+ Financial Plan Templates
• 10+ Operational Plan Templates
• 9+ Training Plan Templates
• 5+ Shooting Schedule Template
• 11+ School Counselor Lesson Plan Templates in PDF | Word
• 9+ Interdisciplinary Lesson Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word
• 10+ Business Continuity Plan Templates in Google Docs | Ms Word | Pages | PDF
• 18+ Compensation Plan Templates in Google Docs | MS Word | Pages | PDF
• 10+ Executive Bonus Plan Templates in PDF
• 8+ Facility Management Plan Templates in PDF
• 10+ Diversity Recruitment Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word
• 11+ Audit Corrective Action Plan Templates in MS Word | Excel | PDF
• 9+ Recruitment Agency Marketing Plan Templates in PDF
• 10+ Recruitment Marketing Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word
• 10+ Student Recruitment Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word

File Formats

Word templates, google docs templates, excel templates, powerpoint templates, google sheets templates, google slides templates, pdf templates, publisher templates, psd templates, indesign templates, illustrator templates, pages templates, keynote templates, numbers templates, outlook templates.

Bakery Business Plan Template – 15+ Samples

Starting and growing a small business can pose challenges to entrepreneurs. Financial management complicates such a venture and requires strategic planning. Poor decision-making can compromise objectives of the small business. Bakery business plan template provides an example of forecasting operations and making the right choices.

Prudent financial management skills can support a small business and promote market growth. Businesses fail to accomplish their objectives because of financial issues such as cost management and losses. A good business plan can avoid this situation and promote efficiency in operations.

Home Bakery Business Plan Template

Sample Bakery Business Plan

Bakery Business Plan Example

Template for Bakery Business Plan

Communication and coordination matters in business management. The dessert bakery business plan depends on these factors. Management should adopt flexible communication channels in order to boost growth. A good management strategy should inform organizations concerning their current situation and exploring opportunities in the market. The bottom line is that communication can support increased output given its value addition. Operations depend on employee coordination within an organization and this should help them make progress.

Dessert Bakery Business Plan for PDF

The bread bakery business plan highlights the rationale of effective management techniques. A business using the same principle can manage operations and identify problem areas. Generating solutions comes up concerning a business plan. Managers can understand areas of priority and work on them to the success of the business. Controlling costs and maximizing revenues can hamper a business from making positive development. Applying the business plan used by the bakery can advance the interests of an enterprise.

Bread Bakery Business Plan Template

Bakery Business Plan Format

The scope of market engagements determine the success of a business. The small bakery business plan elaborates development of positive market relationships. A small business manager should evaluate market dynamics before launching operations. Small businesses take time before their market presence gains momentum. The example of small bakery business plan speaks volumes about initial business preparations and implications on output. Management of a small business should make preparations as they begin operations. Information management should prevail to assist operations move in the right direction.

Small Bakery Business Plan

Bakery Business Plan for Deserts Template

Bakery Business Plan Template in PPT

Business Plan Template for Word

A project checklist provides information about operations of a venture. Organizations use a project checklist to measure their operations and determine outcomes. Success or failure comes up under a project checklist and ensures that management makes the right choices. Risks facing operations come under review through implementing a project checklist. A business enterprise benefits from a project checklist by engaging stakeholders such as customers, suppliers and management concerning operations.

Sample Business Plan Template for your Bakery

Template for Home Bakery Business Plan

Model Bakery Business Plan

Street Bakery Business Plan

A business template serves as a guiding tool for entrepreneurs in their operations. Application of a business template promotes business growth and supports smooth operations. A template assists business managers to navigate their operations while understanding market dynamics. Existence of a project checklist can improve measurement of operations and boost development.

The bread bakery business plan shows the role of management approaches in meeting objectives. Discussion concerning the dessert bakery plan promotes communication success required for stable operations of a business. The small bakery business plan has mentioned the need for market relationships. According to this plan, market movements should come to the attention of management.

Boosting the operations of a small business should drive growth and assist in development of smooth operations. Risks faced in market operations come under control and boosts business success. Overall, a business template matters in the development of a business enterprise. You might also like to have a look on some catering business plans .

How did our templates helped you today?

Opps what went wrong, related posts.

Food Truck Business Plans

Payment plan templates.

18 Sales Plan Templates and Examples

Test Plan Templates and Examples

Party Planning Checklist

14+ Free Birth Plan Templates (MS Word, PDF)

Social Media Marketing Plan Template – For (Word, PDF)

26+ Training Plan Templates and Checklists for Effective Training Programs

Thank you for your feedback.

Bakery Business Plan

Who doesn’t love baked delicacies, such as cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and biscuits? No one, of course. If people say they don’t like them, they probably haven’t tasted one in their life. Because baked delicacies delight most people’s palates, opening a bakery business has an absolute potential for profitability. So if you have excellent baking skills and love baking, why not establish a small business out of it. You’ll get to do what you enjoy and earn good money at the same time. So if you’re convinced, start plotting your ideas with our home bakery business plan examples !

10+ Bakery Business Plan Examples

1. bakery business plan template.

• Google Docs

Size: A4, US

2. Bread Bakery Business Plan Template

3. Cake Shop Business Plan Template

4. Bakery Business Planner Template

5. Bakery Business Plan Example

Size: 604 KB

6. Cakes Bakery Business Plan

7. Retail Bakery Business Plan

Size: 50 KB

8. Home Bakery Business Plan

9. Business Plan for a Cake Bakery

10. Sample Bakery Business Plan

Size: 90 KB

11. Bakery Business Plan in PDF

Size: 487 KB

What Is a Bakery Business Plan?

A bakery business plan is a written outline of a bakery business’s overview, baked products, marketing strategies , and other vital info. Owners of bakery businesses use it as a guide on how to run their operations successfully. Plus, it can also function as their bakery business plan proposal if they want to present propositions to potential business partners.

If you want to launch a bakery business, such as a cupcake business and a cake shop, you need to formulate a business plan beforehand. It’ll help you have a clear direction on how to structure your bakery’s business model.

How to Start a Bakery Business

In planning a bakery, you’ll not just prepare a business plan. You also have to do the following:

1. Choose What Kind of Bakery You Want to Run

There are several bakeries; there are those that focus only on selling cakes, cookies, pies, and other baking delicacies. Some bakeries offer a diverse variety of them. For your business, the choice is yours and yours only. However, we do advise you to select a type of bakery business that you specialize in.

2. Look for Space

Of course, you’ll need a location for your bakery. Your home will do if the area where it belongs is an excellent place to do business. But if otherwise, you should look for other locations. Choose one that has many people around it. That way, your bakery will attract more customers.

3. Create a Menu

A menu is the heart and soul of every business that sells and serves food items, especially restaurants , coffee shops , and bakeries. So, make sure to make a bakery menu that can represent your business’s identity correctly. Use your creativity and baking knowledge to the fullest.

4. Implement a Family and Friends Policy

People close to you—your family, cousins, neighbors, high school buddies, and workmates—will likely ask for discounts. And being the kind-hearted person that you are, you grant what they want. That’s an excellent way to introduce your bakery to them, but don’t give discounts to them all the time. Make them understand that you’re running a business, and you need all the money you can earn from it. That’s why you should implement a family and friends’ policy .

How to Write a Bakery Business Plan

Now that you know what other things you must do in starting a bakery let’s now focus on making your business plan. When people hear business plans or business proposals , most of them think they’re hard to make. Yes, they’re crucial for a business, but they don’t have to be hard to create, especially for a simple business like your bakery. So here are four easy peasy tips in writing your bakery business plan  outline.

1. Provide a Clear Overview of Your Business’s Concept and Strategies

All sorts of bakery business plan samples you’ll come across have complete details about concepts and strategies. That’s because they manifest the majority of what the business will be. So, make sure to provide a clear overview of them in your business plan.

For the concept, it’s up to your creative and innovative mind on how you’re going to formulate it. As long the “all about bakery” theme of your business is evident, it’ll do. For your business strategies, you have to do some market analysis and SWOT analysis of your locality’s bakery industry.

2. Highlight Your Menu

As we’ve said earlier, a menu is the heart and soul of businesses that offer food items. With that in mind, you must highlight your bakery menu on your business plan. For every baking delicacy that you plan to sell, present it on the document. Write brief descriptions about them and attach photos if possible, like making a food portfolio  with examples of pastries and other mouthwatering recipes.

3. Be Clear About Your Financial Projections

Regardless of whether a business is big or small, its owner will need money to operate and generate profits. In running a business, money is everything. For that reason, be careful in formulating your financial projection in your business plan. That includes your budget estimates , operational expenses, and pricings.

4. Write the Executive Summary Afterward

All examples of a bakery business plan have an executive summary as their first section. Though not just bakery business plans, but all types of business plans. Although an executive summary should be the first section of your business plan, you should write it after. Why? That’s because it’s a general overview of your entire business plan and your bakery itself. With all your business plan’s contents set, it’ll be easier to write its executive summary.

Is owning a bakery a good business?

Of course, it is, especially if baking is your passion. As a bakery business owner, you can explore all sorts of baking styles, trends, and recipes while earning. On top of that, you’ll have the chance to pioneer new baking recipes and make them your best seller. You see, a lot of amazing possibilities can happen in running a bakery. All it takes is being creative and adventurous.

Is a bakery business profitable?

Yes, a bakery business is profitable. But for that to happen, you should establish your bakery in a strategic location—an area where many of your target customers reside or pass by regularly. And also, your baked delicacies should offer something unique that other bakeries don’t have.

What bakery items sell the most?

According to OrderNova , bakeries will potentially enjoy a 7.2% increase in the sales that their cakes and cupcakes will generate through 2021. The most likely reason is that cakes and cupcakes continue to be a favorite delicacy of most, especially among children. So if you’re thinking of what signature item your bakery should offer, consider cakes and cupcakes, and put your twist making them.

In being a bakery owner, not only will you make money, but you’ll also bring joy to the people in your community. Cakes, bread, pies, cookies are the comfort food of many. So go ahead and use your baking skills and passion to make that happen. Take advantage of our bakery business plan template to make your preparation easier.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Create a study plan for final exams in high school

Develop a project timeline for a middle school science fair.

• Business Templates
• Sample Plans

FREE 14+ Bakery Business Plans in MS Word | PDF | Google Docs | Pages

Business plans are fundamental business tools that helps in the preparation of what the business must expect and what they must do before they the business operations actually start. A business is not an easy thing, regardless if it is a start-up business or an existing business. That is why a business plan is needed.

Bakery Business Plans Pdf

5+ business plan cover letter samples sample templates, 7+ sample bar business plans sample templates, 9+ sample film business plans sample templates.

If you are looking into starting a bakery business of if you already have one and wish to move into a different direction with it, we have bakery business plan samples and templates that you may find useful. We will also find our more about this specific type of business plan, as well as the things needed in order to be able to start one. You may check them out below.

Bakery Business Plan Template

• Google Docs

Size: A4, US

Bakery Marketing Plan Template

Bakery Sales Plan Template

Bread Bakery Business Plan Sample Template

Cake Shop Business Plan Template

Business Plan For a Cake Bakery

Cake Shop Business Plan Sample

Bon Bon Appetit Specialty Bakery Business Plan

Size: 868 KB

Piece of Cake Bakery Business Plan

Size: 770 KB

Business Plan to Start an Organic Bakery

Size: 235 KB

What Is a Bakery Business Plan?

A bakery business plan is a business plan specifically created for the purpose of starting or running bakery business. it is a detailed plan that describes how a bakery business is going to achieve the goals and objectives that ti has set for itself.  Since a business plan needs to take into consideration the entire business as a whole, it must be written with a financial, marketing and operational points of view.

How does a business plan help in a bakery business? Let’s check out the uses of a bakery business plan.

• A bakery business plan is used as a road map that will guide the business on what direction to take to achieve business success in the future and that can also help avoid bumps along the way.
• Business plans allow you and your business to conform to generally accepted guidelines for the business and the industry you are in.
• Having a bakery business plan is used to persuade investors to invest in your business, and persuade lenders to lend you money so that you can pay for business costs and other expenses to be able to actually start.
• You can focus on the things that you must do for the business, like your business strategies and ideas with the use of a bakery business plan.
• Through a bakery business plan, you can identify business drawbacks and other weaknesses that you may have and be able to minimize or eliminate its effects by making the planned improvements.

You mainly use a business plan to help you prepare for the business and help you ensure that you are successful with it. Other related articles you may find useful are Business Plans Samples & Templates,  Sample Bar Business Plans , and  Sample Catering Business Plans .

What Licenses and Permits Are Needed for a Bakery?

There are certain licenses that you must complete if you want to start a bakery business or just about any other business. It is important that you comply to these requirements so that your business will be able to operate legally. Below is a list of licenses that you need for your bakery business.

• Business License –  Business licenses are required for bakery businesses and are issued by the city or county where the business is going to operate.
• Sales Permit –  Acquiring a sales permit would depend if the state where the business will operate charges sales tax.If they do, then a sales permit is needed.
• Health Permit –  This permit can be acquired from the local health department. This is required to ensure that the business is complying with health and safety standards for food establishments that has been set by related government regulating body.
• Fire Permit –  This permit can be acquired from the local fire department and is required to ensure that the bakery has adequate fire protection. Routine inspection is done to make sure that the appropriate equipment is installed to ensure safety from fire.
• Other Permits –  Other permits that may be necessary depending on the local government or state ordinances are building permits, parking permits and sign permits.

The licences and other requirements vary depending on the state or area where your business will be operating. Make sure that you check the specific details with the appropriate entities about it. You may also check out other business plan related articles, like  Sample Photography Business Plans ,  Sample Daycare Business Plans , and  Sample Startup Business Plans .

Dessert bakery Business Plan Sample

Size: 206 KB

Business Plan for Setting up a Bakery or Hot Bread Shop

Size: 295 KB

French Bakery Business Plan Sample

Size: 487 KB

Home Bakery Business Plan Template

Size: 241 KB

Model Bakery Business Plan Template

Size: 405 KB

Tips for Effective Bakery Business Plans

Need to make your bakery business plan effective but you just don’t how and where to start? we have got you covered! Here are some tips that you will surely find useful in making your bakery business plan effective.

• You will need equipment to help you with operating your bakery business. These equipment could be anywhere from refrigerators, ovens to electronics. You need to finance these things and you need to do it right. Ask yourself if your business needs it, will be generating profit even after you have fully paid for it, or will it make running your business more convenient?
• Determine when it is time to brand your business. You can’t spend money just to put a brand on your stuff just yet, but you will surely but surely be able to do that in the long run. Using a brown paper bag for your purchases is fine. You don’t have to rush into branding everything.
• many businesses get known by word-of-mouth and this is because people know that the business is there and where they can find it. In building your client base, you should let your neighborhood know of the products you offer.
• Consider adding accepting credit card payments to your business as more and more people are switching to paying with credit cards than with cash. With this you can have both customers who pay with cash and those who pay with their cards. being flexible will be good for your business and will allow you to earn even better.
• Always choose quality over savings. Your customers will not be coming back because you are able to save, but they will be coming back because you provide high-quality products. For sure they would choose that over savings, too. Good ratings or reviews from customers will have more people coming into your business to try out what you are offering. Wouldn’t you earn more that way?

Remember these tips if you need help with making your bakery business plan effective. You will definitely be able to make some changes that will help make your business plan better.

Business plans are put together so that business owners will be able to picture out how the business will be, the potential cost, if there are any drawbacks, determine what decisions to make and make appropriate changes to the business before the plan is actually carried out. Other business plan related articles you may want to check out are  Sample Small Business Plans ,  Sample Professional Business Plan Templates , and  Software Business Plan Templates .

Related Posts

Free 11+ construction business development plan samples in ms word | google docs | pdf, free 20+ budget planning samples in pdf, free 20+ workout plan samples in ms word | google docs | pages | pdf, free 20+ lesson planning samples in pdf, free 14+ employee work plan templates in pdf | ms word, free 8+ sample weekly meal plan templates in pdf, free 17+ sample classroom management plan templates in pdf | ms word, free 13+ homework planner samples and templates in pdf | ms word, free 14+ leadership development plan samples in ms word | pages | google docs | pdf, free 15+ sample math lesson plan templates in pdf | ms word, free 11+ gym business plan templates in pdf | ms word, free 13+ sample lesson plan templates in ms word | pdf, free 15+ music lesson plan samples in ms word | pdf, free 19+ construction safety plan templates in pdf | ms word, free 9+ sample sharing plan templates in pdf, 11+ sample food truck business plans – pdf, word, pages ..., 13 sample restaurant business plan templates to download ..., 8+ short business plan templates sample templates, 11+ consulting business plan templates sample templates.

How to Create a Home Bakery Business Plan (Template Included!)

by Aurelia Lambrechts | Home Baking Biz Tips

How to Create a Home Bakery Business Plan

I’m beyond excited that you’ve decided to take action to read this post because your life could be starting on a NEW path from here on out…

Deciding to create your Home Bakery Business Plan means that you are actively responding to your dream. Today your dream has officially started to become a reality.

Acknowledging that you are a baker at heart is extremely difficult in our corporate world. It’s frowned upon to pursue a career that’s RICH in CREATIVITY and IMAGINATION.

So I just want to give you a room full of applause for being brave enough to start accepting who you were made to be.

We are Home Bakers and the world needs us.

The world needs the comfort, joy and hope that pure home baking brings.

And that’s why I’ve made this post and  FREE Workbook to help you create your own Home Bakery Business Plan !

I want to give you the jump start you need to start your Home Bakery.

Creating your business plan will give you a lot of insight into yourself, your ideal clients, what you want to bake and why you want to do it.

Most importantly it will help you figure out where you want to go …

Because “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

By outlining where you want your business to go, you have a much greater chance at success because you will always be aware of where you are heading.

Your free Home Bakery Business Plan workbook is waiting for you in my free Resource Library. Follow this blue link to access the library and then download & print out your workbook 👉 Access your free workbook here!

Awesome! Let’s get stared!

YOUR HOME BAKERY BUSINESS PLAN

Step #1: your executive summary.

It might sound super intimidating to create an “executive summary”, but don’t worry 🙂 An executive summary is super easy to create through answering a few questions. It’s basically just about WHAT you do and WHY you do it…

IF YOU HAVEN’T STARTED YOUR HOME BAKERY YET:

You might not be able to a nswer all of the questions below yet, BUT you can share your research and all the steps you’re taking to ensure your business’s success.

1. YOUR MISSION STATEMENT

What is the purpose of your Home Bakery? What value do you add to your city/town? Why did you start your Home Bakery Business?

2. HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR GROWTH

3. your products & services.

Write down a short summary of the products & services your Home Bakery will offer in order to make your business profitable.

4. YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR HOME BAKERY

Time to dream, my friend! What are your goals for your Home Bakery?

What do you want your business to look like 1 year from now, 2 years from now and 5 years from now?

STEP #2: Your Home Bakery Business Description

Now we are going to dive into your business culture & brand which is something that EVERY business is either working on or has figured out.

1. WHAT SETS YOUR HOME BAKERY APART?

Why should someone buy from YOUR Home Bakery above others? What makes your business different?

2. THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE

Every business needs clients in order to survive and thrive! So it’s super important to define WHO your business’s ideal clients are:

How old are they? What do they do for a living? What do they care about most? Why have they come to your baking business? How can you help them? What are their goals & aspirations? What are their hobbies? Which things make them happy?

3. YOUR HOME BAKERY’S CULTURE & BRAND

Another way to think of “culture & brand” is simply to see it as your business’s personality & looks; it’s the first impression that clients get from your Home Bakery Business…

When people interact with your Home Bakery, what do you want them to feel? How would you describe your Home Bakery’s Personality? What purpose does your Home Bakery serve?

4. YOUR HOME BAKERY’S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Organizational Structure simply refers to the legal definition of your business. If you are the only person working in your Home Bakery – which is pretty much always the case – then you are automatically defined as a “ sole proprietor “.

Even if there’s one other person in your business who cleans for you or helps you out with deliveries or admin, etc. you are still a sole proprietor.

You’ll include this organizational structure definition when submitting your tax information each year.

Related: Home Bakery Certificates, Licenses and Insurance

If you decide to expand your Home Bakery in the future, you can do the necessary research to figure out whether you should register your business as a Partnership, CC, LLC, etc.

The motivation for changing your business to one of these other organizational structures is for financial reasons. If your business should go bankrupt while you are a sole proprietor, then YOU are by definition bankrupt as well.

But if you have an LLC, CC, etc. then only your business will be bankrupt and not YOU as a person.

This may sound like super scary stuff, but you don’t need to worry AT ALL, okay? Home Bakeries typically do not shuffle around tens of thousands of dollars each day so our risk is SIGNIFICANTLY lower.

We also typically do not buy like 5 company cars and employ 20 people and stuff like that.

Our Home Bakeries are small and safe 🙂

STEP #3: Competitor Analysis

Before launching your Home Bakery business, I encourage you to THOROUGHLY research your largest competitors (popular bakeries with staff) and other Home Bakeries in your city, town and suburb.

Doing this is important because it will enable you to make more informed decisions and chart your own, unique course moving forward that serves a REAL need in your community and beyond.

Be mindful when you’re researching & analyzing your competitors though…

It’s SO EASY to be swooped up in a wave of comparison when you look at other Bakeries; their high skill level, beautiful website & branding, EPIC social media…

Guard your heart and analyze with your HEAD. Be HAPPY for them because they’ve worked super hard to get to where they are.

They may be your competitors, but they are NOT your enemies.

ALWAYS BE HAPPY FOR OTHER BAKERIES. BAKERS SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND THEIR SUCCESS. PERIOD.

See these businesses as inspiration for where YOU could be in a few months! It’s 100% possible!! By completing this home bakery business plan you’re taking a GIANT LEAP towards your own success!

Related: 5 Mindsets Shifts of Successful Home Bakery Owners

Also, I know all too well how tempting it is to just copy their cakes, their designs, their website design etc., but doing this will ONLY DAMAGE YOUR BUSINESS!!

They became successful by doing THEIR own thing and so will you if you do YOUR own thing.

Now, when doing your competitor analysis, you’ll want to take the following steps:

1. IDENTIFY YOUR COMPETITORS

Now you’re going to list of all of your competitors. Which other Bakeries bake goods that are similar to yours (or similar to what you want to bake in the future)?

Write down the Bakery’s name with links to their website & social media:

The Free Home Bakery Business Plan Workbook has very handy spaces for you to easily fill in 👉 Access your free workbook here!

If you’re brand new to the Home Bakery scene, then you may not know who your competitors are.

Here are a few ways to find them:

• Search on Google: This is the easiest way to find your competitors. Search phrases like “delicious cake [your town/city]”. You can even get more specific by searching for “home bakery [your suburb]” which will give you results for Home Bakeries closest to you. I encourage you to click through to look at all result pages from 1 – 4 to get a more thorough scope (and because Home Bakeries mostly not listed first).
• Search on Social Media: Social media – especially Instagram – is THE place to be for businesses today. Bakeries that are worthy competitors will have social media accounts. Search hashtags in Instagram like #[your city]cakes or #[your city]food. Or simply search for “Home Bakery [your city]”.

2. STRATEGIES & GOALS OF YOUR COMPETITORS

Cool, now that we know who your main competitors are we need to find out what their angle is for reaching their ideal clients – because you can learn from them and also readjust your own strategy accordingly.

What are they promoting? (Their products, services, lifestyles, feelings…)

What strategies do your competitors have in common ? (Like Instagram lives, Facebook lives, certain types of promotions or giveaways…)

Which things  set each competitor apart from the others on your list? (What do they do differently than all the rest?)

What goals do your competitors have? (I know you’re not a mind reader, but what assumptions can you make from analyzing their business? Sometimes Bakeries will even share their goals on their about pages on their websites…)

3. PRICE RANGE OF YOUR COMPETITORS

Check out the prices of all of your competitors for each different type of bake they sell. This will give you a better idea of what your future clients will be comfortable paying for baked goods.

4. STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES OF YOUR COMPETITORS

Now that you’ve analysed each of your competitor’s websites, social media, products & services, you should have a pretty good idea of:

who they are, what they are doing, why they are doing it, who they are doing it for and where they are going with their business…

Let’s dig a little deeper. Use the next section on the home bakery business plan workbook to make a list of some of their strengths and weaknesses.

What are they super good at and what can they improve on or change completely ?

STEP #4: Audience & Market Research

Back in STEP #2 of your home bakery business plan we identified and described your Home Bakery’s ideal client. Go ahead and look back to refresh your memory because now we’re going to dig deeper…

1. SURVEY YOUR AUDIENCE

Surveys are hands-down the best way to gather priceless insights into the minds and needs of the people you want to serve – especially because surveys are anonymous.

People tend to share their TRUE desires and thoughts a lot easier when they have the security of anonymity.

Create your own FREE survey on SurveyMonkey or Typeform and then share it with your audience. I recommend sharing it with your email contacts, your social media, local family & friends.

You don’t want your survey to be too long – because then people will be too lazy to answer the questions! Trust me… Keep it to 3 questions 😉

What are the best 3 questions you can ask your audience to understand their needs & desires better?

2. HOW CAN YOU HELP/SERVE YOUR AUDIENCE?

In Step #2 we covered your brand’s personality and in Step 3 we defined the brand personality of your Competitors. With this information in mind, here are a few questions for you…

How can YOU, as a unique human being & baker, help your audience?

What makes your Home Bakery different from all other Bakeries (big & small)?

In what ways can your Home Bakery’s unique qualities benefit your ideal client that’s different from all the other Bakeries in your town/city & suburb?

STEP #5: Your Home Bakery’s Products & Services

And now it’s time for the BEST part – your baked goods & services! Yay! 😄

These are the 2 things that will bring profit to your Home Bakery , so it’s super important to put thought, heart and proper planning into this…

1. YOUR MENU – THE BAKED GOODS YOU WILL OFFER

Which products do your ideal clients need? Refer back to the answers from your survey to get good ideas.

HOWEVER, I do believe that people are aware of what they want, but they aren’t necessarily always aware of what they NEED. So trust your own talents and passion on this as well…

2. THE BAKED GOODS YOU WILL NOT OFFER

Defining what you DON’T bake is just as important as defining what you DO bake. Which products will NOT be on your menu and why?

I’ve also got an amazing free guide for you in my Home Bakery Resource Library to help you find the perfect niche for your business. Join the library to get the free guide on finding your niche.

3. YOUR SERVICES – WHAT YOU WILL OFFER

Which services do your ideal clients need? Refer back to the answers from your survey to get good ideas.

Will you offer delivery? Are you considering to offer customization? Will you offer on-site catering or set-ups? Will you offer rental services for cake stands etc.? Get specific here.

4. THE SERVICES YOU WILL NOT OFFER

Defining which services you DON’T offer is just as important as defining which services you DO offer. Which services will you not offer and why?

5. HOW ARE YOUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIFFERENT?

Refer back to your competitor research: How are your products & services different from theirs? Is there anything you could add that would make your menu & services feel even more valuable than theirs?

This sure is a LOT of information to keep track of! You can easily have it all on hand by downloading your free Home Bakery Business Plan Workbook 👉 Access your free workbook here!

STEP #6: Your Home Bakery’s Sales & Marketing Strategy

  Wow! Look how far you’ve come already – I’m so proud of you for putting in all this hard work to create your Home Bakery’s Business Plan…

It’s the first and biggest step you can take to start turning your Home Bakery dreams into a reality! 😄

The last step in your home bakery business plan is working out your sales & marketing strategy. Without a strategy there’s nothing you can do besides “waiting and hoping” your business will grow. A strategy makes it all REAL! Let’s dive in!

1. HOW WILL YOU MARKET YOUR BUSINESS & BAKES?

Take some time to consider which platforms and methods you want to use to market your business and baked goods…

Do you want to use a Facebook group, page or ads? Are there some local Food Markets you’d like to trade at? Do you have some contacts and connections who love your baked goods you can ask to “spread the word” via email or with a flyer?

RELATED: The 4 Essentials of Home Bakery Marketing

Once you’ve decided on some methods, research them online for better results.

2. YOUR MARKETING SCHEDULE

It’s important to set a day and time aside for yourself to spend on Marketing – otherwise life will find a way of soaking up all of your time! When will it be?

Related: How to Plan your Home Bakery’s Work Schedule

3. LAUNCHING YOUR HOME BAKERY (IF YOU’RE NEW)

If you haven’t started your Home Bakery yet, it will help to create a “launch” strategy for your business. How will your business officially come into existence?

What are some things you can do to launch your Home Bakery with a bang and get people excited about what you bake?

4. HOW WILL YOU GROW YOUR HOME BAKERY?

You’ve made it to the last question! Congrats! This last section is about coming up with strategies to grow your business.

This doesn’t necessarily mean employing staff and moving to a larger facility (or opening a retail bakery) – unless that’s what you desire.  This last section pertains more to how you will grow your profits and client base.

Will you outsource certain tasks like cleaning, branding, photography, deliveries, social media management, website building, etc.?

Will you expand your menu & services?

How will you look after your clients to keep them coming back?

Think about things that you can do to keep your Home Bakery Business growing and thriving.

And that concludes your Home Bakery Business Plan my friend! I’m so proud of you for taking action and taking this first step towards starting your baking business 😄

Now you might be wondering, what happens next?

The perfect next step for you is to check out my Ultimate Guide to Starting a Part-Time or Full-Time Home Bakery.

What info are you looking for?

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers create a Home Bakery Business with consistent orders so they never have to worry about a stable income.

Popular Posts

philosophyofyum

POPULAR BAKING BIZ TIPS

POPULAR POSTS

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

Starting a Bakery Business Plan (PDF)

A bakery can also be known as a pastry shop or a confectionary. When dealing with the bakery industry we are looking at products such as bread, cakes, pastries, cookies, muffins, and pies, amongst others. It is basically food products baked from flour or other grain meals. A bakery business is a very profitable venture if operated efficiently. It is not enough to be able to make good bread or cakes. A bakery business is an enterprise that requires resources and planning. The quality of your output is important. However, you also have to create an environment within which customers can access your products at great prices. At the highest level, the bakery business is capable of producing incredible profits and prestige. This article will outline how to start the bakery business, and the bakery business plan – PDF, Word and Excel.

Above all you should develop a passion for the enterprise given the hard work that is required of you. The great thing about this model is the possibility of transitioning from other corporate endeavors straight into bakery. Moreover, you can do it as a side business without hindering your other profession. The range of possibilities includes a family-owned and run home business. You can also become a major corporate entity that caters for major events.

Market Research

Before you go further along with the bakery business this must be your primary focus. Who do you intend to cater for? This question is your launch pad into ultimately coming up with a comprehensive marketing strategy for your bakery business. In fact, insights from your market research have ripple effects towards all other components in setting up the bakery business. You must appreciate the fact that you must niche which entails targeting a particular market. It’s not that easy to cater for the whole breadth of the market because that might be unsustainable due to high costs. Therefore you must be diligent enough to figure out which specific portion of the market you’ll target. When conducting market research you must closely study people’s eating out behaviours, check the age range dynamics and also analyse the levels of income of your prospective target market. This is why it is important to have a good bakery business plan before you start this business.

Location and Premises

This here is a component that’ll be greatly informed by your target market. You want a scenario where your bakery store is ideally located at a spot characterised by high volume vehicle and foot traffic. It shouldn’t just be about traffic only though; it must be close to or in an area where your intended customers are abundantly found. Another vital feature to consider is the availability of adequate and secure parking space and easy access to mass transportation. The best approach to take is to locate your bakery shop in an area close to other businesses that can lead to customer inflows for you. For instance, locating it at a shopping centre, shopping mall or central business district (CBD) creates prospects of regular customer inflows. The premises should be large enough to accommodate all your equipment, offices, and space for customers. Your bakery business plan should cater for the costs of buying or leasing the premises.

Competitive Analysis

There are already established bakeries wherever you might think to start a bakery business. There are also new and upcoming bakeries as well. Thus you cannot turn a blind eye to competition. You have to study all your competitors to figure out their business profiles. This entails their products and services, market shares, distribution network, operating times, payment methods, customer segments, and so on. A thorough look into all this shows you loopholes and market gaps.

You have to seek to build a bakery business that has several differentiators. Tweaking operating hours can become one of your differentiators. A strategic location can also be a differentiator. It could be a unique product range that can differentiate you. Maybe it could be allowing online orders, payments and offering home deliveries. All these aspects are best figured out after studying your competitors. Remember, consumers are always looking for convenience and cost savings.

Equipment for a Bakery Business

The bakery will require a variety of equipment. The fixed items will delve a lot into your initial capital outlay. This is because you will typically purchase big ticket items such as ovens, fridges, mixers, bakeware, bread slicers, display case and utensils. The costs of purchasing the bakery equipment should be included in your bakery shop business plan. You may consider purchasing preowned equipment as a way of cutting down your startup costs.

Permits/Licenses, Insurance & Business Bank Account

Permits/licenses.

The first thing is to register your bakery business. After that you must get properly licensed. A bakery business is in the food industry. In the food industry there are strict regulatory frameworks to adhere to. You will need to apply for a business license from the relevant often local (municipal) authorities. Prior to getting that food license your earmarked premises will be thoroughly inspected. It varies from place to place but there will be a long list of things your premises must have or satisfy. Some of the critical areas inspected or inspected for are drainage system, waste management system, ventilation system, sanitary facilities, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), amongst others.

Insurance & Business Bank Account

There are so many things that could go wrong in a bakery. Important assets can get damaged or destroyed. There are several risks that can affect workers as well. The smartest thing to do is to get insured. Contact your nearest, reputable insurance provider and get the necessary guidance. This might seem unnecessary but when something happens in the future you will be glad you got insured.

Then buttress insurance by opening a business bank account for your bakery business. It helps make financial management easier. Most importantly it will help separate your personal finances from those of your bakery business. In the event something catastrophic happens with the bakery business, it will sink alone. It will not sink with you. This is a principle in financial literacy many people in business are yet to grasp.

Bakery products

There are so many different types of bakery businesses that you may want to explore. Your decisions are determined by four primary considerations:

• The amount of capital that you have
• Your skills and competencies
• The business aims, goals and objectives
• The tastes and preferences of your customers

Each of these factors can change throughout the planning and implementation process for the bakery business. Therefore, you need to constantly adjust your bakery business and product selection accordingly. You have a number of options and niches that might just suit your client base. Examples of products that your bakery can offer include bread, muffins, rolls, cakes, donuts, buns, pizza, tortillas, cookies, biscuits, pies, bagels, scones among others. The products you are going to offer should be included in your bakery business plan.

Staff And Management

The effective running of a bakery business requires a significant workforce. As a rule of thumb, your bakery staffing needs are always informed by your intended scale of operations. Some of the key areas in this business are operations management, financial management and inventory management. At the minimum you need pastry chefs, waiters, cashiers and logistics personell. Other required staff include accountants, supervisors, security team, stock controllers and managers, though this depends on the size of your bakery.

Your bakery should have sufficient number of well trained staff. This is because repeat purchases and ever-growing customer inflows are a product of swift and quality service from the staff. Having a small or skeletal staff makes it very difficult to provide swift service. Remember we are living in a fast-paced world where people don’t want to be kept waiting for too long. The salaries of all your employees must be catered for in the bakery store business plan.

Marketing Plan

An official launch is important.

Kick-starting your bakery business can get a boost from doing an official launch. This follows that you would have set up a website and social media accounts. This also follows that you would have been active and engaging with people online and on the ground. All that must culminate into an official launch along with a press release. You can offer free samples on the day as well. Adorn the place and make it lively on the day such that it attracts people. People generally love new outlets, new offerings, and free food. Your initial pricing should be penetration pricing. This means you price lesser than existing players to lure customers to your business. Make the most out of the official launch.

Used A Blended Marketing Approach (Offline And Online)

Afterwards the focus becomes building your audience online. By the way, incorporating online ordering and payments on your website will be a game-changer. Regularly post useful, fun, and informative content daily. Conduct online competitions with giveaways of your products or branded items. All your promotional material, be it physical or virtual, must be high definition. That is a must in the food industry if you want your marketing material to stand out. If your scale of operation is substantial consider potential bulk, recurring clients. Engage them with proposals on how you can be their supplier. These can be companies, food outlets, schools, and the like.

The market for bakery is huge and ever increasing. There is always huge demand of different types of  baked goods. The market for a bakery include individuals, families, hotels, guest houses , supermarkets, companies and organizations. Your bakery should have fair prices that keeps you in business. Do not be tempted to compromise on quality as a means of correcting errors in your budgeting process. Those entrepreneurs that are running local family businesses should be careful about giving discounts to loved ones. This is because they could end up destroying the bakery business before it gets a chance to establish itself. A proper marketing strategy should be included in the bakery business plan.

Keys To Profitability

Your choice of location is a major part of making your bakery business profitable. You ideally need a spot that has high human and vehicle traffic. If that is not possible then the important key becomes your distribution network. The other key is to cultivate a huge clientele mostly comprised of bulk and recurring customers. These are customers who require your products in bulk daily. Economies of scale are a major aspect; scale your operations sooner. Identify your major costs and manage, preferably lessen them. For instance, 60 percent of costs may go to raw materials and remuneration. Your product range must be diversified and comprehensive but informed by market demand. This will ensure you always have and sell fast-moving products. This is one of the best food industry businesses you can start. There is vast room to diversify. You can scale and can pivot if needs be. Best of all, the market for baked foods is always there.

Pre-Written Bakery Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel): Comprehensive Version, Short Funding/Bank Loan Version and Automated Financial Statements

For an in-depth analysis of the bakery business, we encourage you to purchase our well-researched and comprehensive bakery shop business plan. We introduced the business plans after discovering that many were venturing into the bakery shop business without enough knowledge and understanding of how to run the business, lack of understanding of the financial side of the business, lack of understanding of : the industry, the risks involved , costs and profitability of the business; which often leads to disastrous losses.

The StartupBiz Global bakery business plan will make it easier for you to launch and run your bakery business successfully, fully knowing what you are going into, and what’s needed to succeed in the business. This is a complete business plan for bakery. It will be easier to plan and budget as you will be aware of all the costs involved in setting up and running the bakery shop business.

Uses of the Bakery Shop Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel)

The bakery shop business plan can be used for many purposes including:

• Raising capital from investors/friends/relatives
• Applying for a bank loan
• Start-up guide to launch your bakery business
• As a bakery shop business proposal
• Assessing profitability of the bakery business
• Finding a business partner
• Assessing the initial start-up costs so that you know how much to save
• Manual for current business owners to help in business and strategy formulation

Contents of the Bakery Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel)

The business plan for bakery shop include, but not limited to:

• Marketing Strategy
• Financial Statements (monthly cash flow projections, income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, break even analysis, payback period analysis, start-up costs, financial graphs, revenue and expenses, Bank Loan Amortization)
• Industry Analysis
• Market Analysis
• Risk Analysis
• SWOT & PEST Analysis
• Operational Requirements
• Operational Strategy
• Why some people in the bakery business fail, so that you can avoid their mistakes
• Ways to raise capital to start your bakery business

The bakery shop business plan package consists of 4 files

• Bakery Business Plan – PDF file (Comprehensive Version – 83 Pages)
• Bakery Business Plan – Editable Word File (Comprehensive Version – 83 Pages)
• Bakery Business Plan Funding/Bank Loan Version- Editable Word File (Short version for applying for a loan/funding – 41 pages)
• Bakery Business Plan Automated Financial Statements – (Editable Excel File)

The business plan can be used in any country and can be easily edited. The financial statements are automated. This implies that you can change eg the percentage markup, salaries etc, and all the other financial statements will automatically adjust to reflect the change. 

Click below to download the Contents Page of the Bakery Shop Business Plan (PDF)

Testimonial 3

I was extremely lucky to come across StartupBiz Global. Their business plan exceeded my expectations, and most importantly I was able to secure a loan from my bank. Thank you guys, now my dreams are coming true!

Testimonial 5

I was able to understand the business side of farming because of your business plan. You did extensive research; the business plan was well prepared and fully detailed.  It made everything clear, and I have somewhere to start now. I am confident that I am going to succeed in my business because of the guidance from your business plan.

Testimonial 7

I found Startupbiz Global online when I was in desperate need of a business plan. I was overwhelmed by the quality of the business plan, it’s comprehensive and well researched! I did not have to wait to get the business plan, I got it instantly after payment. I highly recommend Startupbiz Global, and would happily use them again in the future.

Testimonial 6

I purchased a business plan from you, and I’m glad to inform you that I was able to get my loan, and I’m starting my poultry farming business on the 1 st of July. This was made possible because of your business plan. Thank you very much, you made my dream come true.

Testimonial 4

The business plan which I purchased from your website saved me TIME and MONEY! The layout of the business plan was excellent. The financial statements were detailed and easy for me to edit. I will come back to purchase another business plan soon.

Testimonial 8

Just wanted to say I am very happy with the business plan and I will gladly recommend your products, thank you very much and have a great day.

Testimonial 1

StartupBiz Global provided a very professional and comprehensive business plan which I used for my business. The business plan was easy to edit, and I was able to get the funding which I wanted. I highly recommend their business plans.

Testimonial 2

Many thanks for your incredibly efficient service and thorough business plan. I am very impressed with the business plan. Before I bought the business plan, I tried to do my own business plan – it was such a nightmare and it turned out badly, also not to mention the stress it caused me. I wish I knew about your website earlier!

Get the Bakery Business Plan (PDF, Word And Excel)

Click Buy Now  below to purchase using Paypal, Credit Card, or Debit Card. After you have purchased, you will immediately see the download link for the business plan package on the screen. You will also immediately get an email with the business plan download link. The Pre-written business plan package (PDF, Word, and Excel) costs $30 only!

If you want to purchase multiple business plans at once then click here: Business Plans Store.

The business plan package is a zipped compressed file containing the PDF, Word and Excel documents. To open the package after downloading it, just right click, and select Extract All. If you have any problems in downloading and opening the files, email us on [email protected] and we will assist you.

We wish you the best in your bakery business! Check out our collection of business plans  , and more business ideas .

Related Posts

Starting Goat Farming Business Plan (PDF)

How To Start An Abattoir Business

Top 6 Profitable Education Business Ideas

Starting a profitable House Flipping Business

Join our mailing list to receive the latest posts and updates from our website.

You have Successfully Subscribed!