People often ask me why I don’t just stop working and bake full-time or open a bakery in town. There are several reasons, the biggest being I am not much of a risk-taker. I enjoy having a full-time job, knowing that as long as I work there I will have a paycheck. I like that I work from home and I am not adding a business mortgage or lease to my expenses. I would also have to make a lot of cakes to make a living wage, and a good cake is very time-consuming. I like knowing that my budget is based on my salary and any extra from my side business is a bonus.
I also enjoy not having employees, it is a lot of extra paperwork and an additional expense. I am willing to hire some temporary help if needed, but just the thought of figuring out having staff to keep a bakery open full hours gives me a headache, it just isn’t for me. Plus, I like to work alone.
I enjoy my current schedule too. I may work all day on a Thursday then come home to make dinner, take care of a child, and bake a cake before bed without skipping a beat but to me, that is way better than being tied to a store all day. I enjoy the freedom to create my own schedule and not take orders when it will not be a good time for me. Keeping the business on the side keeps it flexible.
Fortunately, a small bakery is a business that can work this way but there are many more. In my next post, I will share some low-cost start-up businesses that you can do in your spare time.
Susan