Welcome back to the Bakery Business Lab! Today's lesson in our FREE 5-day business planning series tackles something I see SO many home bakers struggling with. You know how to MAKE your desserts. But do you have an actual plan to SELL them? Because posting pictures, sharing your menu, and hoping someone places an order isn't really a sales strategy. And neither is waiting for word of mouth to magically bring in customers! A great product doesn't automatically create sales. You need to know WHO you're trying to reach, WHERE to find them, and HOW to give them a reason to buy. That's what we're working on today! LET'S PUT DAY 4 INTO PRACTICE! I want you to think about your current marketing efforts and answer a few questions. 1. Where are most of your customers actually coming from? Facebook? Instagram? Word of mouth? Farmers markets? Local businesses? Repeat customers? If you haven't started selling yet, where do you PLAN to find your first customers? 2. What are you currently doing to actively attract NEW customers? And be honest! Are you following an actual strategy, or are you mostly posting desserts and hoping someone orders? 3. What are you doing to encourage customers to come BACK? Do you have a repeat-customer strategy? Or are you relying on them to remember you the next time they want dessert? TODAY'S BUSINESS DECISION: Choose TWO specific ways you're going to actively attract new customers and ONE way you're going to encourage repeat purchases. Then take ONE action toward putting that plan into practice TODAY. It doesn't have to be complicated! Maybe you'll reach out to a local business, create a post that speaks directly to your ideal customer, or develop a recurring preorder opportunity. The important thing is that you're doing something intentionally, not just waiting for orders to happen. NOW LET'S HELP EACH OTHER! This is where I really want everyone to participate. If you've found a customer acquisition strategy that's worked well for your bakery, SHARE IT!

Welcome back to the Bakery Business Lab! Today's lesson in our FREE 5-day business planning series is all about identifying your target customers. And here's something I really want you to think about... Just because someone LOVES your desserts doesn't mean they're going to BUY them. We've all had those people who comment "OMG, I need these!" on every single post but never actually place an order. That's because liking something and having a REASON to purchase it are two very different things! And understanding that difference can completely change the way you market your bakery. LET'S PUT TODAY'S LESSON INTO PRACTICE! I want you to answer a few questions: 1. Who have you been trying to sell to? Be specific! "Anyone who likes sweets" doesn't count! 2. Who is ACTUALLY buying from you? If you're already in business, think about your real customers. Are they busy parents? Teachers? Businesses? People buying gifts? Customers treating themselves? Have you noticed any patterns? 3. What's ONE customer group you think you should focus more attention on? And more importantly, WHY? If you haven't opened your bakery yet, tell us who you're considering selling to and what makes you think they'd be interested. HERE'S WHERE WE HELP EACH OTHER! If you see someone mention a customer group you've had success selling to, jump into the conversation! Share what's worked for you. Maybe you've discovered a great way to reach corporate customers. Maybe you've had success with teacher appreciation gifts or birthday party packages. Your experience could help another baker discover an opportunity they've never considered! And don't be afraid to ask questions! TODAY'S BUSINESS DECISION: Choose ONE customer group you're going to focus on learning more about. You don't have to change your entire menu or marketing strategy today. Just identify where you believe your best opportunity might be. Remember, we're not just collecting information in this series. We're making actual decisions that can help us build better businesses!

Three main ingredients, a little flaky sea salt, and your choice of fall flavor: 🍎 Apple Butter 🎃 Pumpkin Butter 🍂 Or a little of both for some sweater weather deliciousness! The recipe includes a printable recipe card, my trick for cleaner slices, and a few untested “Make It Your Own” ideas for those who want to experiment with brown butter, chai spice, flavored emulsions, or cappuccino powder. You’ll find it in the FREE Recipe Index here in Baker’s Insider! Which version are you trying first?

I have a ton of Halloween candy left over. Does anyone have some creative ideas of what to make with the candy? I NEED to do something quick, because it calls my name every time I pass it. 🫨 Thank you in advance. 🙂

I've just added a brand-new section to our Community called Bakery Business Lab, and I'm really excited about what I hope we can build here! One of my biggest goals for Bakers Insider has always been to create a place where we do more than just collect recipes, read business tips, and scroll through information. I want us to actually PUT WHAT WE'RE LEARNING INTO PRACTICE! And that's exactly what the Bakery Business Lab is for. Think of it as our little workshop for building better bakery businesses. Here's what you can expect: ✨ Daily discussions, challenges, and activities designed to get you thinking differently about your bakery. ✨ Real-world business exercises that help you identify what's working, what isn't, and where you might need to make changes. ✨ Opportunities to ask questions, share experiences, and get feedback from other bakers who understand the challenges of running a home bakery. ✨ A place to test ideas, share results, and learn from one another. And here's something I really want to emphasize... YOU have something valuable to contribute here, too! We all come into this community with different backgrounds, experiences, strengths, and challenges. Maybe you're fantastic at organizing your production schedule but struggle with marketing. Maybe you've figured out how to consistently book large orders but have trouble pricing your products. Maybe you're brand-new and haven't sold a single thing yet! That's okay! Someone else in this community may have already figured out the very thing you're struggling with. And YOU might have the answer to something that's been keeping another baker stuck. We don't have to be experts at everything to be able to help one another. I'll be adding new things to the Lab daily, including discussions that go along with our new 5-day business planning series, which begins TODAY! But I don't want this to become another section where I post and everyone just reads. I want you to PARTICIPATE! Ask questions. Answer questions. Share your experiences. Tell us what worked AND what didn't.