From the smell of freshly baked bread to the sound of people enjoying their first coffee of the day, there’s nothing more exciting than running a bustling bakery business. Of course, before you can start thinking about day-to-day operations, you’ve got to start with a solid plan – and that’s where a bakery business plan comes in.
A bakery business plan is a document full of information that describes the critical parts of your bakery business. It starts with high-level information about your bakery and vision, and then dives into more detailed sections, such as your ideal customers, what goods and services you’ll offer, and your marketing plan. It’s usually 15–20 pages in length, including graphics, charts, and other visuals that help communicate your vision and simplify information and data.
Although writing a business plan for your bakery can be daunting, doing so offers you and your bakery business many benefits.
A bakery business plan has a number of key benefits:
Now that you know why having a bakery business plan is so important, you can learn about how to write one using this guide and by downloading the business plan template for a bakery.
Writing a business plan for your bakery can be complex, but instead of starting from scratch (like you would with a batch of homemade croissants), our business plan template for bakeries can help you turn your dreams into reality in just a few quick and easy steps.
Keep in mind that you should write your business plan with a professional, objective tone, and with clear, concise, and simple language. This way, any reader, including potential investors, can easily understand the information in your business plan and will be more likely to provide you with funding.
Following a traditional business plan outline will also help orient your readers and ensure you include all the essential information that a successful business plan needs, ultimately setting yourself up for success.
A traditional bakery business plan sample has the seven sections, all outlined below. Read on to learn more about what each section is. And, download the free bakery business plan template if you want to follow along and start jotting down your ideas.
Start your plan with an executive summary for your bakery. This will give a broad overview of the other sections of your business plan (the sections below). It gives readers the highlights of your vision, target market, goals, operations, strategies, menu, and financial information. And it will tell readers how your plan will succeed.
This overview is the first impression of your bakery, so make your business stand out by talking about how your bakery is different from competitor bakeries – whether that’s with your locally sourced menu items, your innovative marketing strategies, or other value props.
The company overview is a more detailed rundown of your bakery idea after what you mentioned in the executive summary. Now that you have the interest of the reader, you’ll want to back up your plan with details and your history.
In the company overview, you can talk about what makes your bakery special, what goods you’ll offer, and what kind of service you’ll be using and why. You can also summarize your company’s history with specific details, like why you opened your bakery and the milestones you’ve hit.
The market analysis section is where you talk about where your bakery is or will be located and why. What’s special about that location and how does that help your bakery business? What sets you apart from other bakeries in the area?
Also, talk about your target market – who are your ideal customers and do you have any research to support this being your target market? Include how you’ll reach your ideal customers and how you’ll stand out against competitor bakeries. Completing a competitive analysis of other bakeries will also help you be more creative throughout the business plan and show investors you have the research needed to help your bakery succeed.
This section is where you describe what baked goods you’ll offer in your bakery. Go into as much detail as you want, right down to the specific types of pastries or bread you’ll be making. Focus on the parts that contribute to your value prop, such as special ingredients you’re using (e.g., nut-free, gluten-free), where the ingredients are coming from (e.g., locally sourced), and why these will appeal to your target market (e.g., market research shows a high demand for gluten-free pastries that other bakeries in the area aren’t supplying successfully).
To provide investors with a clear picture of your offerings, include a sample menu for foods, drinks, and other merchandise (if you have any), as well as the pricing strategy behind it all. Don’t forget to consider how your customers will be consuming your products when creating your menu – will they be taking food to go (so you need to ensure the goods will travel well) or eating inside the bakery (so you might offer different foods at different times of day)?
In this section, you’ll talk about the logistics of your bakery business – what will you need to run your business every day? This section includes the following information:
Here you’ll explain the marketing channel you’ll be using and strategies for each. Some channels to consider include public relations, online advertising, social media, referral, SEO, and community partnerships.
Be thoughtful about your marketing tactics by always keeping your target market in mind. If a certain channel or tactic won’t resonate with or reach your ideal customers, then think of what you can do that is more likely to draw them to your bakery.
Also, as you explain your marketing strategies, include your budget and expected return on investment. This exercise will help you ensure you invest in only the most effective marketing tactics.
The financial analysis and projections is the last major section of your bakery business plan. Here you’ll talk about the different financial aspects of your bakery business, such as how you’ll support the bakery’s startup costs with loans and existing investments, and how much more funding you’ll need.
You’ll also talk about the costs and projected revenue for your business – you can do this clearly and effectively with a projected profit and loss statement. You can also include other financial information, like a break-even analysis, to provide investors with the clearest picture possible of your bakery’s finances. This way they’ll know exactly how you plan to spend their potential funding.
With all these sections, your bakery business plan will be thorough enough to answer any questions investors might have before offering you funding. But, to make your business plan stand out, follow the tips below.
Because a business plan needs to be professional and detailed, it can be easy to get lost in the weeds and make your plan too technical, verbose, or unclear. Here are some tips to help you while writing to make sure your business plan is easy to read and engaging.
With these tips and the free bakery business plan template, you’re ready to start your business plan or update your existing one to be more impressive. All the sections will help show investors why your business will be successful and worth investing in. Plus, your business plan will act as your roadmap and keep you on track as your business comes to life.
