/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>50192727
I don't know if it's normal or not desu, since a lot of small bakeries become failing businesses too quickly for me to get an idea of what they're worth in 8 years of successful operation. Also from what I've personally seen, I think what really kills a lot of bakeries is too much initial investment (I've seen this happen with an old couple I know. Took out a loan to open a shop with some high fidelity equipment and high-capacity ovens, even they were just barely starting), really poor marketing, and not enough originality. I started with making really basic breads, cookies, muffins, brownies, etc. Then I got more creative, and provided gluten-free options (not to be cynical, but 99% of the time people who go for the gluten free option don't have allergies or sensitivities, they just think gluten is bad for some reason even though bread texture really sucks without IMO but hey it's in demand), and what really kicked up our momentum was the international recipes. For example, pic rel is halva, a middle eastern sweet made with sesame paste as its main ingredient. This thing was a giant hit, and the best part is, super easy and super cheap to make. You don't even bake it, just put stuff together and wait for it to come together.

OK I got off-track, what I'm trying to say is that small bakeries certainly have the potential to be that lucrative, but a lot of them just either fail or close too early due to a variety of factors. I think WHERE you open a bakery is also pretty key. Had I opened my business in an urban area with highly health-"conscious" (read: misguided) hipsters with too many competitors around, I don't think I would have made it.