How to Start a Donut Shop Business and Make Money
Planning Your Donut Shop Business
The first step to starting a donut shop is putting together a plan because it gives you an outline to follow
as you grow your business.
It's not really cheating, but it can be helpful to look at a sample bakery business plan before you write your
own. Sample plans can give you insight into potential start-up costs, unique marketing techniques and other
business ideas that you might not have considered.
You can also download a business plan template designed
specifically for donut shops. Templates are basically in "fill-in-the-blank" format, which can save you a
lot of time. Again, not really cheating - it's just business planning made easy. =)
So, you've got your business plan. What next?
Donut Shop Checklist:
1. Get a
business license. Check with your local government office to find out which licenses, zoning and signage permits you need for your
donut shop. Some offices have application forms you can download from their websites. In addition, your
cooking space will be required to pass an inspection by the Department of Health.
2. Register your business name with the
county clerk, or you can incorporate
your business.
3. Open a business
bank account so you can keep your donut money separate from your person bank account. Speaking of
money - need some? See small business financing
options. You may also want to take a look at accepting credit cards from customers who
come in and buy thousands of donuts at a time. Oh, and easy payroll online, unless you
plan on running a one-man shop.
4. Find a profitable location for your donut shop. Ideally, you want your
shop to be convenient and visible to customers. Look at the surrounding retail shops or neighborhood -
does it already attract people who are likely to buy donuts?
Check out a free service called Office Finder to see available storefronts and retail space. It seriously takes the work
(and much of the cost) out of finding a retail storefront.
5. Signage is important for advertising, to help customers locate your shop and to
professionalize your business. You can design your own logo to really make
your sign stand out.
6. Talk to an accountant about how you can maximize your business tax deductions. They can also help you find a
qualified bookkeeper to handle company finances - unless you want to do it yourself with business accounting software.
7. Find out what insurance you will need for your business by either
calling a local insurance agent or getting free quotes online. Or both!
8. Stock up on inventory and supplies for your tea room. Business Forms & Templates
9. Get a business phone line. You can even get a
toll-free 800 phone number for
cheap.
10. Get a website. Save money by creating your own website with simple online design
programs, or outsource the job to an affordable website designer. Your website is a great place to display your donuts,
provide nutrition information, offer downloadable coupons, show a map of your location and display beautiful
pictures of your shop, staff and happy customers eating your donuts.
Getting Started:
If you know how to bake a tasty donut but aren't sure about the business side of running a bakery,
you're in luck. Expert Gary Downey has experience and insight that can help you get started making money.
Once again, we're not cheating - just taking advantage of Gary's hard work.
Find out exactly what you need to do
to get started, secure financing, come up with a great name for your shop and get the required
business
licenses and permits.
Gary also shows you how to price your donuts for maximum profit and covers multiple ways you can bring
in new clients.
- Tips on managing a donut shop, efficiently and profitably
- How to attract a steady flow of customers with a simple market plan
- Links to helpful government resources that can assist you in launching your
start-up
Start a Donut Business
You can also start a donut franchise, where you get a turn-key business system already set up for you. In
exchange for liquid capital, you get the benefit of starting a business that already has a recognized name.
Request free information here: Dunkin Donuts
, Robin's Donuts
and Coffee Time Donuts Incorporated
.
Donut Business Resources:
Selling Your Donuts
Get Free Publicity
Besides advertising in your local yellow pages and placing ads in newspapers and neighborhood mailers, you can
save money by writing a brief press release or "letter" to your local paper announcing the opening of your
donut shop.
Offer a special discount or free offer for first-time customers, and publications will find this more
newsworthy. This means that they're more likely to publish news about your company. Include a photo of previous
work you have done to demonstrate your skills and entice new customers to try out your service. Your press
release doesn't have to be long, and you can find press release samples here: How to Get Free Press.
Local
Search for Businesses
More and more people are looking for local businesses
online (instead of the traditional yellow pages) - and you don't want to miss these valuable customers.
Local Search sources that are affordable and receive substantial traffic include: Google Local, Yelp, Super
Pages and more specialized sites Urban Spoon and Insider Pages.
Want people to find your website in the search engines? Get listed in 20 search engines for free or in
300 search engines for $4.
If you are serious about getting lots of customers, and you don't want to pay thousands of dollars to an ad
agency, the Small Business Marketing Guide shows you how to attract a steady stream of
buyers - on the cheap.
Donut Business Associations
