Turn your passion for food and the ability to prepare savory dishes into a rewarding home-based catering business.

Catering is a very lucrative business if you plan effectively. One of the great aspects is that your start-up costs can be as much as you can afford. The services you decide to provide and the size and style of events you want to cater dictate the type and amount of equipment and supplies you will need.

WAYS TO SAVE ON START-UP COSTS

One way to save cost is to rent catering equipment and supplies until you start generating steady income. There are many catering supply stores ready to offer competitive prices to fulfill your equipment and supply needs. Also, why not save by renting kitchen space from local restaurants and/or churches on a per event basis. By thinking outside the box you can minimize costs and focus on building your reputation and promoting your business.

PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS

A few great ways to locally promote your home-based catering business are word-of-mouth, flyers, newspaper and radio ads. If you want to reach a larger market then you will need to take advantage of the Internet. Nowadays, the Internet is a one-stop shop for any and everything you can imagine - including catering services. If you want to be sure you get recognized above all the others, having a high-traffic website is key.

CREATING A WEBSITE

The two things you must have to create a website are 1) a domain name and 2) a web host. First you have to register your domain name (yourname@yourdomain.com) with a site such as SiteGROUND.com. They offer a great web host package which includes a free domain name. Another popular web hosting company is PowWeb who also offers affordable web hosting and free domain name. Which ever you choose make sure the package fits your long-term needs.

Now this all might seem a bit scary, but don't worry - it can be much easier than you may think. There is one company I know of that makes this daunting task super simple.

GREAT WEB HOST FOR HIGH TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE

If you are not website savvy and want your site to rank high with search engines then you will want to go with a company like Site Build It!.

SBI! removes the technical barriers allowing you to keep your attention on building your business. Many functions are completely automated. You don't need to know anything upfront about building a Web site in order to succeed. The tedious, "under-the-hood" stuff is handled automatically so you can focus on other important business-building activities.

INCOME POTENTIAL

The size of events you cater results in your income potential along with current demand and location. Top end caterers in the U.S. are averaging $190,000 a year while smaller, part-time caterers average around $55,000 a year. It's said that profits are the best in this niche out of the food and beverage industry.

YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY!

So catering seems pretty self explanatory, right? Yes food is the foundation of owning a catering business but you can't forget about the management and customer service involved. As you will be planning events it takes lots of organization, flexibility and a positive attitude. You have to be able to keep track of multiple tasks going on all at once while maintaining a pleasant disposition with your clients and staff.

You are providing a tasty and creative service to your clients. So building a good relationship and knowledge of their needs firsthand is key in this business. If you truly enjoy what you do - so will they.