GQs and follows because this is something I want to do

Talk to your local chamber of commerce about any small business initiatives they may have going to encourage growth. They might have a program designed to help people start a small business that says basically what you need to know and how to go about starting.

The Small Business Administration website is really helpful for giving you a high-level look at the steps you’ll need to get there, in order.

You’ll need a business plan first, and this site runs through the basic components of one. Googling “Small Business Plan” or “Bakery Business Plan” will also bring up a lot of different templates with the steps organized.

Other things to think through are your market. Cupcake bakeries are really popular right now and are a niche market, so a lot of them are springing up. Make sure you know who and where your competition is, and why your product would be better or different than what they offer.

Also, spend some time doing some research on other cupcake bakeries to see what they’re doing, how they do it, how strong their web presence is, etc. This could be a good springboard for thinking through your menu, your market and the image of your bakery.

This Seattle bakery makes a killing and gets national attention because of their inventive cupcake menu. Take a look!

Good luck!

It would also be beneficial to talk to owners of similar shops. Most shouldn’t have a problem talking with you about how they got started, etc. as long as you respect that you would be competition, so don’t dig too deep.