How to Open a Financially Successful Bakery : With a Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

~ Sharon Fullen (Author), Douglas R. Brown (Author) "Operating a bakery is hard work and the failure rate is, unfortunately, significant..." (more)
Key Phrases: existing bakery, journey bakers, temperature danger zone, Department of Labor, Atlantic Publishing, Daily Preparation Form (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The small bakeries that are popping up every where in this country can be started with a low investment compared to other food business, and can be highly profitable! This is the A-to-Z guide to making it in your own small bakery! Learn the expert tips, tricks, and a vast gold mine of crucial how-to information you just can't find anywhere else. This is a perfect book for entrepreneurs, schools, colleges and technical training centers. This detailed text contains all the information you will ever need to needed to start, operate, and manage a highly profitable bakery.

While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through finding a location that will bring success, learn how to draw up a winning business plan (The Companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan you can use in MS Word TM), how to buy and sell a bakery, basic cost control systems, profitable product planning, sample floor plans & diagrams, successful kitchen management, equipment layout and planning, food safety & HACCP, successful food & beverage management, legal concerns, sales and marketing techniques, pricing formulas, learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money, learn how to hire & keep a qualified professional staff, brand new IRS tip reporting requirements, managing and training employees, generate high profile public relations and publicity, learn low cost internal marketing ideas, low and no cost ways to satisfy customers and build sales, learn how to keep bringing customers back, accounting & bookkeeping procedures, auditing, successful budgeting and profit planning development, as well as thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. Never before has so much practical information about the bakery business been offered in one book.

This is an ideal guide new for comers to the business as well as experienced operators. In addition to basic operational practices this book will demonstrate show how to: increase impulse sales and improve presentation, utilize merchandising fixtures and techniques, cross merchandising, point of purchase materials, how to develop a product sampling program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group Inc. (May 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910627339
• ISBN-13: 978-0910627337
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,514 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, April 12, 2006

By	Brandi M. Seals (Fayetteville, AR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"How to Create a Financially Successful Bakery" bakery by Sharon L. Fuller and Douglas R. Brown is an excellent choice for anyone thinking about opening up their very own bakery. It presents a number of things to consider. From weighing the pros and cons of different bakery locations to selecting a menu and from possibly serving meals, coffee, and ice cream to deciding to buy or lease baking equipment, the authors of this book gave me a plenty to think about before I dive into the food industry. It is a great basic resource for anyone looking to own their own food industry business.

In addition to bringing up several points to consider, the authors also direct readers to a number of helpful resources and they guide readers to seek out individualized information from local sources, such as the local health department, fire department, and more.

I found the chapters on hiring the staff and getting set up with suppliers to be the most helpful. Sometimes when you are new to an industry it can be hard to know where to start. Thanks to "How to Create a Financially Successful Bakery" I now know what needs to get done.

The accompanying CD-ROM is also a great resource. On it are a number of sample business plans and related Microsoft Word documents that anyone can alter and use for their own start up business.

While the book does offer great insight into the industry, it is by no means an in-depth, step-by-step guide to owning your own bakery.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start Here, April 11, 2006

By	Book Woman (Southeast) - See all my reviews

Opening any new business is a daunting task and there are always a myriad of informational sources from which to choose. This self-titled "A-to-Z guide" is a great first step. Although the text size is perhaps slightly too small for those of us over 40, the information is worthwhile and practical. Packaged with a CD-ROM, this book should be treated as a bound check-list rather than an actual instructional manual. The flow is smooth and the transition from subject to subject is carefully orchestrated. The most helpful chapters include "Successful Employee Relations & Labor Cost Control", "Your Customers", and "Public Relations" - as these subjects seem to be glossed over in similarly promoted texts. As someone concerned with our environment, I was certainly pleased to see a section on incorporating green materials and designs into a new or renovated bakery. Any soon-to-be bakery owner will find the best feature of the CD to be the Bakery Plan section. This document outlines valuable information on pricing & sales strategies as well as advertising and marketing considerations. The Sample Business Plan is an excellent template for those uninitiated with basic business forms. I was excited to find the Bakery Supply List, also on the CD - but was disappointed in the structure; this alphabetical list would be more user-friendly if the items were categorized in a more organized manner. Overall this book is certainly worth the asking price but could be slightly improved with minor modifications.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The authors do not sugar coat the process of opening and running a bakery, May 8, 2006

By	Lindsay Zortman (Vermillion, South Dakota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"HOW TO OPEN A FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL BAKERY" by Sharon L. Fullen and Douglas R. Brown.

From start to finish this book will help to solidify your view of opening a bakery and the work that it will require. The authors do not sugar coat the process of opening and running a bakery. They give honest straightforward information to help you be as successful as possible.

This book is comprehensive look at the bakery business. Starting with the financial and real estate technicalities. Then moving into more technical aspect of running a bakery business. The section on customers was especially interesting. Many people want to start a new bakery and are unprepared to identify whom their customers are; this book is excellent in helping to narrow down your customer base. The authors also talk about ways of getting new customers in your doors.

Beyond marketing "How to open a financially successful Bakery" goes into public relations and even menu planning to help make your newly opened Bakery an absolute success. This is a great overview of all the areas of concern when opening a new bakery. The authors have gone to great lengths to provide the highest standard of information.

To make this book even better, it comes with a CD that contains over 30 forms for the operations of your new financially successful bakery. There are forms on general management issues, food safety issues, and even employee training. "How to open a financially successful bakery" is a great starter book for anyone considering opening their own bakery business.