So you can’t resist the sweet temptation any longer and know you are meant to get into the edible cookie dough business. Passion and excitement is wonderful, but how much do you know about starting such a business?
Have you done your due diligence and planned carefully? Learn how to start an edible cookie dough business here:
Is This the Right Fit for You?
While a passion for cookie dough and other sweet treats is great, there is a lot more than goes into owning a business. First, you need to make sure that you have the right skills, experience and personality for the job.
Have you owned a business before or helped manage one? Do you have any business education? Do you thrive under high stress situations and like dealing with people, both staff and customers, on a daily basis? Be honest with yourself about what kind of environment you thrive most in.
Create a Business Plan
Once you give yourself the green light, then you need to come up with a solid business plan for your edible cookie dough business. When developing your business plan, make sure you include the following sections:
- An Introduction that includes a description of the business in which you highlight the products and services you will provide, a description of the marketplace you will be operating, as well as any risks or challenges you anticipate.
- There should also be a section where you lay out all the key management roles you will need in your edible cookie dough business. If you already know who will fill these roles, then include a little bio of each of them and/or a resume which highlights their experience related to the running of a business.
- A marketing section is also important. Here is where you will lay out the competitive advantages your cookie dough business will have as well as give as much of a sense as possible of what your marketing and advertising strategies will be.
- You should also include Pro Forma Financial Projections which basically means any income statements, cash flow statements that are relevant to the business as well as balance sheets that project what the financial performance of the business will be once it open. Always make sure your estimates are on the conservative side because you don’t know what kind of delays or obstacles you will face, especially that first year.
- Even if you are funding this whole venture out of your own pocket, in your business plan you should still meticulous list all your startup costs including the money you will need to survive on until your edible cookie dough business starts turning a profit. Don’t forget to factor in a budget for marketing and advertising and leave yourself a little cushion for lean times or unexpected emergencies or repairs.
Research your Target Market
While you are putting together your business plan, figure out your target market for an edible cookie dough business. There are very few people who don’t crave sweets every once awhile, but probably your most frequent customers will be young families and young adults.
You need to also consider your growth potential. Luckily, edible cookie dough businesses are a part of a cool new trend in sweet trends so there is a large demand for them.
Consider Forming a Legal Entity
For extra protection, you should consider forming a legal entity. Doing this prevents you from being personally liable if your edible cookie dough business is ever sued.
Master Your Recipes
The heart and soul of your edible cookie dough business is of course all the flavors and creations of cookie dough goodness you can make. It is important to not rush this part of the process. Make sure you have tested your recipes thoroughly before greenlighting your business.
Dot All Your I’s and Cross All Your T’s
Make sure you have filled out all legal and financial documents that are important to protecting your business. In addition, make sure you have all necessary licenses and permits to run your shop.
Find a Prime Location
The location of your shop is also very important. You want there to be good foot traffic and ample parking spaces. Work with an experienced realtor to find the perfect spot.
Build a Strong Brand
As you finally open your doors, establishing a strong brand for yourself is going to be a key ingredient to the success of your edible cookie dough business. Grow your brand through customer interaction as well as advertising and marketing. A well-designed website and a strong social media presence are also important too.
Another business option that you might not have considered before is to go the franchise route. Instead of opening an original edible cookie dough business that you have to create from scratch, join an edible cookie dough franchise like DoDo Edible Cookie Dough & Ice Cream and benefit from their brand power and support structure and experience in the business.
Here is what you need to know about franchising with DoDo:
At DoDo Edible Cookie Dough & Ice Cream, their specialty is mixing ice cream and edible cookie dough to create the ultimate sweet treat.
Right now they have two locations in Ocean City, MD and are looking to expand. They have plenty of franchising opportunities and will work closely with you to make sure your locations are a sweet success.
Here is what you can expect when you join the DoDo family:
- An established, beloved brand that will draw in the customers
- A proven model for success that includes a pasteurization process that makes the cookie dough safe to consume raw
- The ability to own multiple locations
- A low cost of entry that makes DoDo one of the more affordable franchising opportunities out there
- A variety of fun flavors of cookie dough including chocolate chip, snicker doodle, sugar cookie, oatmeal, M&M, peanut butter, cake batter, naked and brownie batter
- A chance to be a part of the coolest new trend in sweet trends
DoDo also offers 16 daily flavors of ice cream that can be combined with the cookie dough or enjoyed on their own. The simple, streamlined menu is easy to manage, but also leaves room for you to experiment with different creations and to offer a special dough of the day.
DoDo has been growing quickly since it opened its first location in 2017 and shows no signs of stopping. Call them today for more information.
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