I want to start my own catering business, what is it I have to do to start?

The starting point is your Business Plan off course you will need money, premises, stock, staff and more .........

Look into your local licensing requirements for food preparation. Look into local business license requirements. Research food vendors. Gain knowledge in accounting. Contact a local restaurant supply store in order to gain Equipment. Create sample menus. Do a cost analysis in order to see what you need to charge for your menus. Remember, you have to have ingredient cost + preparation cost + employees salary + your salary = total cost. You will have to increase that in order to make a profit.

Business Plan This is the first thing you need to think about before you can think of starting a catering business. It's not something that you can rush into, but to be successful careful planning has to be thought up. Name and Location Who customers will be Content of menu and drinks list Staffing costs Purchase costs Rental costs Projected Income Intro - purpose, history, staff, unique selling point Executive simmary - business in general ( short and to the point) Overview - mission, what you are looking to achieve and why do ou think it will work (be clear and short) Business Environment - Market Research, Location, problems, solutions, competition, expansion potential. You could be looking for a home catering business or you might like to stick to a restaurant in the town or city.

There are a lot of things to consider when starting a catering business. Obviously the quality of food is an important aspect. You should stock up on plastic packaging and plastic resealable bags and self seal bags to maintain the quality of the food you serve. You can create custom printed plastic bags at http://www.excellentpolybags.com. Good luck with your business!

When I wanted to start my own business, I made an appointment with my local Small Business Development Center. These offices are staffed with people who have been successful business persons. They can help you focus much better than strangers on the Internet and it's an ongoing relationship - not a brief few seconds. Also, one of the other posters is correct - you will eventually need a business plan and the example given on the Small Business website really sucks. I created mine using some examples online and was able to gain the interest of investors: http://www.entrepreneur.com/businessplan/index.html Also, you will need to be able to show some experience in the field before anyone will take a financial chance with you and as a small business, money is going to be your biggest hurdle. If you have no experience and aren't inclined to go work for someone to get it, you'll need a couple customers under your belt before anyone will look at you and give you money. Banks and small business lending agencies want to know they aren't tossing money at someone who will fail due to lack of experience. However, step 1 should be to contact your local Small Business Development Center. You can find a location near you by visiting http://www.sba.gov/content/small-business-development-centers-sbdcs These are federally managed offices and the cost to you is zero.

Business plans are a great way for looking at your business idea in detail. if you do it right it will show you where most of your income will come from i.e builders. and things such as advertising ideas, competition and most important is your idea need. look up business plan templates in images.

Do a catering course, and maybe a small business course. Make sure you're up on all the H&S legislation and have all the insurances, sort out a business plan and go for it.