You can cook. You like money. You want to be known. You hate the corporate world and would rather have your own business. So why not start a catering company? Although there is more to a catering business than cooking, finding a job you love to do and being paid for it is a challenge. With a lot of hard work, business sense and determination, your catering business can be a success.
Instructions
1. Offer to cook at family and friend events to make your cooking noticeable. Networking from your inner circle is the easiest way to pass the word about your cooking talent.
2. Decide on a location where you will prepare all of your food, and make sure it is readily available. Sometimes your home kitchen is just not big enough for all of the items you'd like to prepare, especially for big parties.
3. Calculate expenses for kitchen appliances, food, assistance from other people (they will want to be paid) and estimate utility bills for your catering service.
4. Prepare a catering menu with prices that will include the expenses from Step 3.
5. Buy business cards that showcase your catering business. When or if someone asks about your business, she'll need contact information for you. Before picking a name for your business, check at the Secretary of State to make sure no one else is using your company name for a catering business or any other purpose. Make your business name unique anyway to avoid later legal issues.
6. Purchase a catering license at your local health department. The health department will verify Step 2 to make sure your cooking location is safe. The health department will make sure you have a business license, certificate of occupancy, business name (included on your business cards in Step 5) and a tax license. Request how often this information must be updated, and factor it into Step 3.
7. Start a website and make sure to scan your menu. Years ago, it was normal for cooks to just rely on word of mouth to get the word out, but if you want to get the word out about your company, technology has made it that much easier. People who may have never heard of your company will find it by using a search engine. Make sure to use keywords "catering" and "catering company" to boost your accessibility online.
Tags: your business, catering business, make sure, about your, health department, your catering, your company