5 Tips to Have a Successful Home-based Catering Business

You don’t need to be a an expert in cooking in order to put up a home-based catering business.

More than having culinary talent, starting a home-based catering business requires the right business skills, small capital and lots of creativity. You can launch this business at the comfort of your home as long as you have a kitchen large enough to accommodate the food demands of your clients in order to save on start-up costs. With lots of catering service companies thriving in the market, it’s important that your business would stand out from the rest.
homebased-catering-businessHere are a few tips to have an edge in this industry.

1. Focus on a specialty.

While it’s certainly easier to get customers from a large market, it would be a good strategy to pick a niche and focus on a specialty. For instance, you can target birthday celebrations or weddings in Metro Manila where you could get steady customers all year round. If you decide to explore a smaller market, say a small town in province, it would be best if you could be the jack of all trades and explore all types of catering opportunities.

2. It’s all about the presentation.

Nowadays, customers are willing to splurge on the styling of the event which includes food and table presentations. Most professional caterers offer this service so it would be best if you master the techniques of food and table presentation and know the latest trends when it comes to event styling. You can hire a professional stylist to take care of this aspect of the business.

3. Tie up with party planners and other suppliers.

A great way to reach a wider market is to establish a network with known party planners and reliable suppliers like event venue operators, stylists, cake decorators and even party performers. You can give them a commission for every referral or advertise them to other clients in return. Keep in mind that many customers rely on their suppliers’ recommendations so establish a good relationship with them.

4. Use the power of social media.

Almost every business nowadays have their own social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram. Aside from getting a wider market reach, these allows businesses to get ratings from customers who have tried their services. This will give you the opportunity to improve several aspects of your business.

5. Join fairs.

If you wish to focus on weddings, it will be very helpful if you introduce your company to prospective clients by joining bridal fairs. Aside from meeting potential customers, it’s also a chance for you to meet other suppliers and learn more about the industry.

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