Are you passionate about baking? Are you inspired by that look of pure joy on a person’s face when they bite into one of your made-with-love, decadent, creations?
Anjelica Otness felt that way. She came by her passion for cupcakes honestly: “Life is unpredictable, eat dessert first,” was her mother’s advice. Anjelica was raised on the philosophy of embracing the good things in life – and we can all agree that cake is good – so it was no surprise when Anjelica decided to open Fat Cupcake.
While thinking about opening a cupcake shop, Anjelica knew one thing for sure: “It’s about joy,” she says. “The love of dessert and sharing that joy is what makes a bakery special. It brings people to the bakery for big moments with family and friends or ‘just because.’”
Still thinking about how to open a cupcake shop? You already know baking takes an eye for detail and the talent and skills to turn your creative ideas into a product.
But a bakery is a business, too, and opening a cupcake shop of your own can be a challenging proposition. What is the process of opening and effectively running a cupcake bakery?
How One Baker Approached Opening A Cupcake Shop
Anjelica first tried her delicious cupcake creations on her siblings before deciding to go out on her own. She built the first Fat Cupcake shop in 2014. Since then, two more successful shops have opened, all featuring the signature Fat Cupcake personality and processes that Anjelica created in the first store.
Business Recipe for Opening a Cupcake Shop – Yes, You Can Have Your Cake and Eat it Too
A great approach to opening a cupcake shop is to invest in an established bakery like Fat Cupcake. You’ll have all the advantages of an established business model and market-tested recipes from cake aficionados. You’ll also have access to support and encouragement when selecting some of the essential aspects of your cupcake bakery.
Step 1. Choose a Sweet Location
We’ve all heard the old saying “location, location, location” as the first three decisions for where to set up a business. That saying still holds true. A good way to establish a steady stream of business is to have your cupcake shop located in a high-traffic area. At the same time, you’ll also want to consider real estate costs, design costs, local labor costs, parking, foot traffic accessibility, whether or not to include seating areas or just offer carry-out, and more.
As part of the Fat Cupcake franchise family, this big step in building your business is one you don’t have to take alone. We offer site selection assistance, plus interior design service using our signature color palette and design elements to build a creative, fun, atmosphere where folks feel comfortable and want to come back.
Step 2. Training that Takes the Cake
No matter how much pride you feel for every product, it can be tough running a thriving business by yourself. You need staff – and they need training. Your team can bake and decorate, greet and serve customers, handle sales and catering orders, and help you maintain the look, cleanliness and service levels in the store.
Your franchisor support team should offer an in-depth onboarding process, ongoing coaching, mentoring and more. Good training is important, and these types of resources can help you build a well-trained staff when you’re opening a cupcake shop.
We’ve been there. Thanks to our own experience, Fat Cupcake offers ongoing personalized support – so you can build your own business and benefit from our established business model, which includes plenty of training and plus our signature cake and frosting recipes.
Step 3. Marketing Makes It Memorable
You may be thinking about how to open a cupcake shop, but once they know your bakery is coming to the neighborhood, your customers will be thinking about the delicious treats they’ll enjoy at your bakery.
Look to your franchisor for strong marketing programs that incorporate a variety of communication methods, including digital media tactics. Social media, for example, can bring a lot of valuable word-of-mouth marketing to your business. In addition, you’ll want promotional messages that bring customers to the door and continue to engage them.
A cupcake bakery franchise’s marketing should reflect its unique personality. That’s certainly true of Fat Cupcake’s marketing. Founder Anjelica Hayes uses social media to feature stunning cupcake images and share her perspective as a business owner. She loves talking about opening a cupcake shop and her bakery’s wonderfully one-of-a-kind cupcakes.
“As our name suggests, Fat Cupcake is not an ordinary bakery,” she says. “We’re funky, upbeat and eccentric. Our cakes are made with real butter and decadent ingredients, and have innovative flavor combinations and catchy names, like ‘Suit and Tie’ and ‘Goody Gracious.’”
Step 4. Cupcake Magic Happens in Your Kitchen
Wouldn’t it be great to have a baking and decorating team dedicating to making sure you have everything you need for each delicious creation? It would certainly simplify that aspect of how to open a cupcake shop.
Look for cupcake franchise opportunities that have research and development for product and flavor introductions. Of course you’ll want delectable proprietary recipes that offer customers a cupcake that they can’t get anywhere else. And don’t forget what goes into those delectable recipes: the higher quality the ingredients, the better the cupcake. Look for real ingredients from preferred suppliers – including real butter, real fudge – with no skimping, just deliciousness.
Step 5. There’s Nothing More Neighborly Than Cupcakes
There’s little doubt that opening a cupcake shop can spread joy to its customers and the neighborhood around it. Many cupcake franchises don’t stop there and become deeply engaged in their communities, making donations and helping local outreach efforts. The all-around goodwill from neighborhood involvement helps everyone, including your own business. It’s something to keep in mind when you consider how to open a cupcake shop.
How to Open a Cupcake Shop with Fat Cupcake
If opening a cupcake shop sounds perfect to you, the time is right to consider franchise ownership. Having built and expanded a popular cupcake shop brand, Fat Cupcake shares its business model and fantastic recipes with its franchise family of upbeat, creative and eccentric cake enthusiasts.
Owning a cupcake shop franchise like Fat Cupcake can sweeten your career and spread joy to each and every customer.
