Catering...?

Question

I am a really good cook, and I have started thinking about starting up a catering buisness. I was wondering if anyone knew what to do, or where I could go to learn more about it.

Answer 1

I suggest you read the free article "How to Start Your Own Highly Profitable Home Based Catering Business" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol25/cateri... . The article can give you an introduction on how to start your own catering business. It covers information on the demand for catering, startup costs, income potential, and marketing your catering business.

Some other articles providing information on how to start a catering business

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/homebus/354-305/354-305.html
http://www.4www.us/catering/catering-business.htm
http://www.metrokc.gov/health/foodbiz/cater.htm
http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_SK/display&c=GuideHowto&cid=1102419629903
http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_ON%2Fdisplay&lang=en&cid=1085679426135&c=GuideHowto

For detailed information, I suggest you check out the following books:

- How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business
- How to Run a Catering Business from Home
- The Complete Caterer: A Practical Guide to the Craft and Business of Catering
- How to Manage a Successful Catering Business
- Catering Management
- Successful Catering
- Start Your Own Catering Business

You can also learn a lot from the following associations of the catering industry:

National Association of Catering Executives http://www.nace.net/
National Restaurant Association http://www.restaurant.org

Answer 2

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.

Associations may be a good avenue to explore as well. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business, 5th by Denise Vivaldo
* How to Run a Catering Business from Home by Christopher Egerton-Thomas
* Start and Run a Catering Business by George Erdosh

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!