introducing the all new

Micro Bakery
Start-Up Guide
discover how to start a low cost, home-based micro
bakery in your spare time that pays you weekly, serves
your community, & fills your heart with joy...

micro bakery school

i’ll let you in on a little Meanwhile, searches for grocery
secret... store bread are at almost zero:

​ here has never been a better time

T
than now to start a home bakery.

When I first stumbled upon the

world of micro bakeries, my
instagram algorithm quickly became
filled with sourdough tutorials and
chocolate chip cookie recipes—and I
couldn’t get enough of it.

The more I watched, the more I

realized something big was
happening: sourdough bread and
homemade baked goods weren’t
just a trend—they were a movement. Sourdough searches highlighted in blue.
Grocery store bread in red.
I did some digging and found the
And it makes sense. Today, people
proof in Google search trends. Just
are hungry for something better.
a few years ago, searches for
They’re craving food that feels
sourdough were barely a blip on the
wholesome, personal, and real.
radar. Today? They’ve skyrocketed
to an all-time high.

micro bakery school

They’re tired of overly processed, There’s a big gap in the market, and
preservative-packed options lining it’s waiting for someone to fill it. By
supermarket shelves and are willing offering freshly baked goods with
to pay a premium for something clean, simple ingredients, you won’t
fresh, homemade, and made with need to create demand—it already
care. exists. All you have to do is meet it.

But here’s the thing—finding these So, if you’ve been dreaming about
homemade options is nearly starting a home bakery, this is your
impossible. Grocery stores don’t sell sign. The demand is there, the
them, and most people don’t have timing is perfect, and the world is
the time, skills, or patience to bake ready for what you have to offer.
them at home.
At the same time...
That’s where home bakers like you
come in.

micro bakery school

I also understand that starting a Whether you want to keep it small
micro bakery might feel like a big or go big, take it slow or dive in fast,
dream, and while it’s no small it’s completely up to you.
undertaking, it’s more achievable
than you might think. The only rule? Don’t compare
yourself to anyone else—this is your
In fact, there’s a 5-step process that unique journey.
can take you from dreaming about
running a micro bakery to making it And yes, there will be challenges
a reality. In this guide, I’ll walk you along the way. It’s not always easy,
through each step, breaking it all and it requires some genuine hard
down so it feels clear, manageable, work. But it’s the good kind of hard
and within your reach. work—the kind that feels fulfilling
because you’re creating something
As we dive in, I want to remind you: with love and passion that your
there’s no one-size-fits-all when it community will enjoy.
comes to your micro bakery journey.
So take your time, enjoy the
You can grow at your own pace— process, and savor the excitement
start with one loaf, then a few more, of what you’re creating.
and gradually expand as you feel
comfortable. That said—let’s start with the first
question I asked when I first
discovered home-based bakeries...

micro bakery school

“Are home bakeries
even legal!?”
In the United States, yes, home
bakeries are 100% legal! But the laws
vary state to state. Some states
make it very easy, while others can
be a little more complex.

The laws that govern home bakers

are called cottage food laws and in
most places they allow you to bake
and sell goods like bread, cookies,
muffins, and brownies without
needing a commercial kitchen or
complicated permits.

Most home bakery laws boil down

to just a few basic guidelines to
keep you and your customers safe.
Every state has its own specific
rules, but each state’s cottage food
laws typically cover four main things:

micro bakery school

1. What you can sell: Think breads, 4. Labeling requirements: On your
cookies, brownies, and other non- packaging, you need to include
perishable baked goods. In most basic information like your
states, you can sell pretty much ingredients list, business name, and
anything that doesn’t need to be a note that your goods were made
refrigerated. in a home kitchen.

2. How much you can sell: Some You can then apply for your cottage
states limit your annual income, food license with your local health
while other states have no cap at all. department. In most areas, the
If your state has a lower threshold, permits you need to run cost
there are some workarounds—for $100-$200 to get and typically
example, in addition to selling baked come with an online test you’ll have
goods, you can sell non-food based to take to qualify.
items, and those items do not count
towards your cottage-food revenue. So, how do you find the cottage
food laws in your area?
3. Where you can sell: Many laws
allow you to sell directly to Here are a few easy ways to get
customers at farmers markets, started:
online, or even straight from your
home, but they might not allow you
to ship your baked goods through
the mail or utilize delivery services
like DoorDash. And each state is a
little different.

micro bakery school

- State Government Websites: The Certain states are very lenient with
first place to look is your state’s their guidelines, while others are
Department of Health or Agriculture more restrictive. For example,
website. Most states have a some states restrict pets in the
dedicated section for cottage food home, while others do not.
laws where you can find detailed
information on what’s allowed, Once you've applied for and
what’s not, and any other received the proper permits, you
requirements you might need to can then begin selling your baked
meet. goods, whether that's through a
bread stand outside your house, at
- Forrager.com: This is a fantastic farmers markets, or through pick &
online resource that compiles delivery.
cottage food laws for all 50 states in
the U.S. It’s a great place to start if Obtaining the permits can take as
you want a quick overview of what’s little as two weeks and as long as
permitted in your state. six weeks depending on your area.
And don't worry, you'll still have
- Local Health Department: If plenty to work on while you wait,
you’re ever in doubt, don’t hesitate like create your brand, perfect your
to contact your local health recipes, and order your packaging,
department directly. They’re there so there won't be any wasted time!
to help you, and they can provide
you with the most up-to-date Note: If you're outside of the U.S.,
information and answer any specific you'll want to do your own research
questions you might have. to ensure it's legal in your area.

micro bakery school

 Now that we’ve covered the legal side of
running a home bakery...
You’re probably feeling a lot more confident about what’s possible and
how to get started.

With that foundation in place, let’s move on to the exciting part—

figuring out how you’ll sell your baked goods! Whether you imagine
customers picking up from your porch, enjoying doorstep delivery, or
discovering you at a local farmers market, there’s a setup to fit every
vision. So let’s dive into…
Step 1: choosing your I had so much fun setting mine up
selling set up and yours can be as simple or as
elaborate as you’d like.
When it comes to selling your baked
goods out of your home kitchen,
you’ve got three main selling set ups
to choose from.

Whether you live in a house with a

yard, an apartment in the city, or
somewhere in between, you can
choose a set-up that works for your
space, lifestyle, and goals.

Here are your 3 options:

Option 1: A Bread Stand or Porch

Pick-Up. Think of this as your own
little farmer’s market right outside
your door. Set up a cozy, inviting
spot where customers can pick up If you’re an apartment dweller,
their orders. Whether it’s on your don’t worry! You can either team up
porch, driveway, or front yard, a with a friend or family member who
bread stand is a simple, charming has outdoor space, or explore the
way to sell your baked goods. other options below.

micro bakery school

Option 2: Pick-Up & Delivery With pick-up and delivery, you get
to decide when orders are placed,
If you’re looking for flexibility or if when you bake, and when pickups
you live in an apartment pick-up and or deliveries happen, giving you
delivery could be the perfect option control over your workflow &
for you. It’s simple, efficient, and schedule.
gives your customers the
convenience they love. And don’t worry about the logistics
—I’ve got you covered!
Here’s how it works...
In my course, micro bakery school,
Customers place their orders in I’ll show you how to set up a simple,
through an online form, then you user-friendly, low cost ordering
bake everything fresh, package it system that makes the entire
beautifully, and either arrange for process seamless for both you and
them to pick it up from your home, your customers.
nearby public space, or you can
deliver it straight to their doorstep.
Option 3: Farmers Markets - Your Community: Are there local
markets or neighbors eager to
If you love the idea of interacting support small businesses &/or buy
with your customers face to face tasty treats?
and you live in an area with farmers
markets, this can be a great option - Your Schedule: Do you prefer the
for you. flexibility of delivery or the
consistency of a farmers market?
You can set up a simple booth, bring
your baked goods, and let the foot And remember, there’s no wrong
traffic and friendly faces work their answer here.
magic. It’s the perfect way to
connect with your community and This is just brainstorming right now
find loyal customers. to get your juices flowing.

Those are the 3 main selling set ups. You can even mix and match and
So how do you choose the right one do a combination of all three as
for you? your micro bakery grows!

Think about these three things: And if you choose to work with me
in micro bakery school, I’ll show you
- Your Space: What’s available to how to set up each of these, so no
you—a porch, a driveway, yard, or matter what you choose, you’ll have
just your kitchen? a solid plan to get started.

micro bakery school

Step 2: building your Let’s start with the foundation:
brand
Your micro bakery’s name.
Your brand is so much more than a
logo or a name—it’s the heart and Think of your name as a little
soul of your micro bakery. It’s how window into your world.
you connect with your customers,
share your story, and show them It should reflect who you are, the
why your baked goods are special. type of baked goods you offer, and
the feeling you want to evoke in
And building your brand doesn’t your customers.
have to be complicated or
expensive. It’s all about tapping into
your unique personality and style,
then sharing it in a way that feels
authentic to you.

micro bakery school

Are you drawn to something - Add a personal touch: Include a
whimsical and playful, like “Crust & nod to a cherished recipe, a
Crumble”? Or maybe something favorite ingredient, or even your
nostalgic and homey, like name.
“Grandma’s Oven”? Or perhaps a
clean and straightforward name, like Need help? In micro bakery school,
“Golden Crust Micro Bakery” feels I share 25 charming micro bakery
more your style. name ideas to spark your creativity.

The key is to pick a name that feels Once you’ve nailed down your
authentic to you and aligns with the name, it’s time to build your look
story you want to tell. Here are a few and feel—the visual and emotional
tips for brainstorming: vibe of your brand.

- Make it memorable: Choose Start by asking yourself:

something catchy, unique, and easy
for people to recall. What kind of atmosphere do I want
to create?
- Keep it clear: Avoid vague or
abstract names—let people Cozy and rustic? Think warm tones,
immediately know you’re a bakery. handwritten fonts, and natural
textures like kraft paper and twine.

micro bakery school

Modern and chic? Picture clean Once your brand feels like you,
lines, minimalist designs, and neutral you’re ready for the next step:
color palettes. Whimsical and
playful? Imagine bold colors, fun Step 3: crafting your
illustrations, and a touch of menu
quirkiness. Here’s how to bring your
vision to life: This is where you get to decide
what treats you’ll offer your

- Logo: A simple, stylish logo that customers and how to make them

reflects your bakery’s personality. both irresistible and manageable on

the baking side.

- Colors: Choose 2–3 colors to use

consistently across your packaging, The key to a successful menu?

signage, and social media. Keep it simple, yet satisfying.

- Packaging: From paper bags with You don’t need to offer everything

twine to boxes with logo stickers, under the sun. In fact, a small, well-

create an experience customers will curated menu often stands out

love. because it shows you specialize in

quality over quantity.

And don’t worry, you don’t need to

be a designer—in micro bakery Here’s how to craft the perfect

school, I guide you through creating menu for your micro bakery:

your brand. I even include 3 brand

kits to make it easy.

micro bakery school

1. Start with Your Signature Item Once you’ve chosen your signature
item, round out your menu with a
Every great bakery has a signature—a few complementary options. For
product they’re known for. Maybe example:
it’s a loaf of artisan sourdough
bread, gooey chocolate chip If your signature item is bread, you
cookies, or buttery dinner rolls. might add something sweet like
cookies or brownies. If it’s cookies,
Think about what you love to bake consider offering a seasonal flavor
and what gets the most or a brownie to mix things up.
compliments when you share it with
others. Your signature item will likely 3. Cater to Your Customers
become your bestseller, so make it
something you’re proud to put your Think about your community and
name on. what they’ll love. Are they health-
conscious and looking for
And don’t worry if you don’t have a wholesome, clean ingredients? Or
signature recipe yet—micro bakery do they crave indulgent, nostalgic
school has you covered with 6 treats? If you’re in a health-focused
ready-made menus featuring area, offering sourdough or gluten-
mouthwatering items and recipes to free items might resonate. If your
help you get started. community loves comfort foods,
buttery cookies and brownies could
2. Add a Few Supporting Stars be a hit.

micro bakery school

 Reminder: your first menu doesn’t
have to be set in stone
Test it out, get feedback, and adjust based on what your customers
love most. You can even run small-batch “specials” to try out new
items—it’s a fun way to keep things fresh and exciting!

Crafting your menu is one of the most exciting steps because it’s
where your creativity truly shines.

And when you join micro bakery school, I’ll guide you step-by-step to
curate the perfect menu. Plus, I’ll give you 6 ready-made menus to
choose from that are designed to be easy to bake and loved by your
customers.

Next up, we'll talk pricing your products!

Step 4: pricing your And as I dug deeper, I realized she
products was selling out every week, which
blew me away because here’s what
Pricing can feel a little intimidating I didn’t understand at the time:
when you’re just starting out, but
don’t worry—this is about finding the Pricing isn’t just about the cost of
sweet spot where your baked goods ingredients.
are:

Yes, you need to cover the cost of

✔ Profitable ingredients, but you also need to
✔ Competitive consider your:
✔ And a great value
- Time
When I first started, I remember - Expertise
zooming in on an Instagram video of - Small-batch quality
another micro baker, trying to catch
a glimpse of her prices. You’re not a commercial bakery
cranking out hundreds of loaves—
That’s when I saw she was charging you’re offering something
$15 for a loaf of sourdough bread. homemade, local, and special.

At first, I thought, “Who would pay Here’s a few things to consider

that much!?” when pricing your products:

micro bakery school

1. Start with the Basics 3. Consider Profit Margins

Cover your ingredient costs and also Your goal with any product you sell
factor in your time. is to have at least 70%-90% gross
profit margins after ingredients and
For example: If it takes 4 hours to packaging. So if it costs you $2.00
bake a batch of 10 loaves of bread to make a batch of 6 cookies, you'll
and you want to pay yourself want to sell that bag of cookies for
$20/hour, that’s an additional $80 at least $7, which would be an 71%
you must charge in addition to profit margin, or $10 giving you an
ingredient costs. Divide that across 80% margin, or even $12, which
10 loaves, and it’s $8 per loaf just to would be 83.3% margins.
cover your time.
This will ensure that your micro
2. Add the Value of Your Craft bakery is profitable.

You’re not competing with mass- 4. Do Market Research

produced items at grocery stores.
You’re offering: Every area is unique. You might get
away with charging more downtown
- Handcrafted, small-batch goods L.A. for example, than you could
- Fresh, homemade quality charge in a small town in the
- The experience of buying local midwest. In micro bakery school, I’ll
guide you through researching your
Which makes your products worth market to find the pricing sweet
so much more than what you can spot that works for your
get in a grocery store. community.

micro bakery school

Step 5: launching Share your excitement about your
launch with friends on Facebook
your micro bakery and Instagram. Post photos of your
This is the moment when all your baked goods and sneak peeks of
hard work comes together— your menu. Include the details of
launching your micro bakery! Here's your grand opening—date, time,
a simple plan of action you can use location—and encourage your
to create buzz and excitement friends to spread the word.
around your grand opening:
3. Invite Friends and Family
1. Spread the Word with Door
Hangers Message your closest friends and
family members, sharing your
Print eye-catching door hangers with excitement and inviting them to
your bakery’s name, a short support your launch. Keep it casual,
description of your baked goods, and I bet many of them will reply
and the details of your grand with encouragement and be
opening. excited to attend your grand
opening.
Then, spend an afternoon or two
walking your neighborhood, placing 4. Offer Free Samples
them on doors. This is a personal
way to let people know you are A bonus step is to walk around your
about to be open for business. neighborhood with free samples of
your baked goods to get feedback
2. Leverage Social Media on your recipes and give neighbors
a taste of what was to come.

micro bakery school

 Recapping The 5
Step Process
Choose Your Selling Set-Up
1
Decide how you’ll sell your baked goods: a cozy bread stand, convenient pick-
up and delivery, or connecting with your community at farmers markets.

2 Build Your Brand

Create a memorable name, visual style, and packaging that reflect your unique
story and make your micro bakery stand out.

Craft Your Menu

3
Start with a simple, curated menu featuring a signature item and a few
complementary options that your customers will love.

Price Your Products

4 Set prices that cover your costs, value your time and craft, and keep your
micro bakery profitable while providing great value to your customers.

Launch Your Micro Bakery

5
Spread the word with door hangers, social media, and personal invitations,
then kick off your bakery with an exciting grand opening!

micro bakery school

The next step in your Micro Bakery School is my online
micro bakery journey course designed to take you from
dreaming about running a micro
By now, you have a solid bakery to actually making it happen
understanding of what it takes to —with confidence, clarity, and a
start a micro bakery—from the legal step-by-step plan.
side of things to choosing your
setup, pricing your products, and It’s everything I wish I had when I
launching with confidence. started my micro bakery and so
much more.
But here’s the truth…
Everything inside the course is self-
Knowing what to do is one thing— paced, meaning you can go through
actually doing it is another. the lessons whenever it works for
you—no deadlines, no pressure, just
When I first started my micro clear, actionable guidance that fits
bakery, I spent months piecing into your life.
together information, second-
guessing myself, and wondering if I And you won’t have to do it alone!
was doing things the right way. I Micro Bakery School also comes
made mistakes, wasted time, and with a private community where
wished someone could just hand me you can connect with fellow bakers,
a roadmap to follow. ask questions, share your wins, and
get support every step of the way.
That’s why I created Micro Bakery
School—so you don’t have to go
through that same trial and error.

micro bakery school

 What’s inside micro bakery school?

✔ 47 Step-By-Step Video Lessons ✔ Social Media Marketing

– Walking you through every step, Templates – Promote your home
from permits to branding, baking, bakery with pre-written captions
pricing, marketing, and more. and beautifully designed templates
that make online marketing simple
✔ Part & Full-Time Baking and stress-free.
Schedules – Flexible schedules
designed to fit your lifestyle while ✔ Sales & Expense Tracker – Keep
keeping you organized and efficient. track of every dollar with an easy-to-
use tool that helps you manage
✔ 3 Done-For-You Brand Kits – Get costs and maximize profits.
a professional look instantly with
ready-to-use logos, color schemes, ✔ Product Pricing Calculator – Say
and packaging templates. goodbye to pricing guesswork—this
tool calculates the perfect price for
✔ 6 Ready-Made Menus – Choose your products, keeping you
from menus featuring products like profitable while delighting your
bread, brownies, and cake jars, customers.
complete with recommended
recipes. ✔ Micro Bakers Community –
You’re not in this alone! Join a
✔ 25 Micro Bakery Name Ideas – supportive network of fellow micro
Need help coming up with a name? bakers to share wins, swap tips, and
Choose from 25 creative and cheer each other on every step of
charming ideas to inspire the the way.
perfect fit for your bakery.

micro bakery school

 A special offer is coming soon! 🥳
And here’s the exciting news… In just a few days, I’ll be running a special sale
where you can get 50% off Micro Bakery School + 8 free bonus gifts! 🎉
I’ll be emailing you all the details very soon, so keep an eye on your inbox! For
now, just know this: If you’ve ever dreamed of starting your own home bakery,
I truly believe this is the best time to do it.

People are looking for real, homemade, small-batch baked goods—and they’re
willing to pay a premium for them. I’d love to help you bring your dream to life.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this guide. I hope it was
well worth it. Stay tuned for more details on the special offer coming soon!

With loaves of love,

Jess ♡

micro bakery school

 P.S. While you wait, I’d love your help!
Before you go, I have a quick favor to ask! I’m always looking for ways to make
Micro Bakery School even better, and I’d love to hear from you. So I put
together a super quick 2-minute survey to learn more about:

✔ What excites you most about starting a micro bakery

✔ What you’d love to learn inside the course
✔ How I can better support you on your journey
Your feedback will help me:

✅ Add new lessons & resources based on what you actually need
✅ Improve the experience so it’s simple, clear, and easy to follow
✅ Make sure you feel fully confident in starting your own micro bakery
It only takes a couple of minutes, and I’d be so grateful for your input!

👉 Click here to take the survey!

Thank you so much for being here—I truly appreciate you!

micro bakery school