Just starting a catering business? Check the following tips. 
8+ Tips to Start a Home Catering Business with Small Capital
One of the food businesses favored by entrepreneurs is the catering business. In addition to the considerable benefits, this business can also be called a 'paid hobby' for people who like to cook.
In every business that is run, of course there are always challenges, both small and big challenges.
The wrong initial step in starting this catering business can make the business not grow, even go out of business.
But don't worry, you can see the following tips for starting a catering business with small capital.
1. Determine the Type of Catering
Before starting a catering business, of course you must know what type of catering will be engaged and marketed.
Given the many types of catering businesses, for the first step, you should focus on one type first.
What types of catering businesses can you choose?
A. Party Catering
As the name implies, this party catering business means that you serve special food orders for sizable party events.
Examples are weddings, birthday parties, and others.
This type of business requires careful planning and management. It's no longer small-scale catering, you have to prepare large quantities of food for buffet or ala carte dishes.
B. Corporate/Office Catering
The target of this business is a company with a large number of employees.
Usually companies require catering in the form of a buffet to be served in the office or in factories.
There are also several offices that require catering with large portions for the needs of meetings and gatherings between branches.
C. Catering for Schools
The challenge in running a catering business for school children is the type of food served.
Given that school children definitely need good nutrition and nutrition, of course you as a catering provider must also prepare nutritious food.
But the advantage, you don't have to bother hiring employees.
Why? Because usually the food is sent in the form of a box and the school is in charge of preparing it.
D. Home Catering
Have a desire to market catering in the form of rice boxes to homes for certain events?
You can start a home catering business. The capital spent will not be too large.
However, this type of catering is usually 'seasonal', so it is possible that the turnover obtained will also not be too large.
Of all the types of catering, you can adjust it to the needs of your customers. To add references, you can refer to the article on food business ideas .
2. Determine the Brand Name
Of course, in every business, you definitely need a brand name, and the catering business you are in is no exception. Determine the brand name after you are sure to choose which type of catering to work on.
Choose a brand name that is easy to remember, relates to catering, and has a good meaning. Make no mistake! Choosing a good brand name can bring you good luck!
Don't forget to prepare a logo too! With a brand name and logo, your business will look more professional.
As much as possible logos or brands that have been made are printed and used as food labels. You can see examples of food labels to provide interesting food label references.
3. Looking for Cheap and Quality Suppliers
The price of food raw materials in one store may not be much different.
But, if you intend to start a catering business, you automatically have to prepare raw materials in large quantities, right?
Because the small difference will reduce your capital to be less.
Choose a store that provides the cheapest supplier. Not only that, also choose a quality one. Do not let the supplier sell raw materials that are not fresh or even rotten.
Instead, you go directly to the 'wholesale' of raw materials, do not buy it in the market or grocery store. That way, you will definitely get a pretty low price.
4. Preparing Business Capital
Because you have prepared this catering business quite maturely, now is the time to prepare business capital.
The business capital of course follows the type of catering business that you have chosen. The more capital you spend, of course, the more profits you will get.
Adjust your capital and abilities, don't force it. If indeed the scale of your catering business is still on the scale of a home- based business , it is better to use a capital that is not too large.
You can gradually develop your business and your capital.
But remember, you also have to be right in considering the capital used and also the benefits obtained, you can refer to tips for managing business finances to give an idea of how to manage your business finances.
To facilitate financial management, you can use the BukuWarung financial management application .
5. Promoting
One of the most important tips for starting a catering business is promoting.
How are people going to order your catering services if they don't even know about the menus on offer?
Start doing promotions according to the target market that has been planned from the start. If you choose the type of catering for the company, do promotions in the company.
If you choose the type of home catering, you can start promoting it to the neighbors of the house complex.
Unlike in the past, where promotions only relied on word of mouth, now you can market it on the internet with a digital marketing approach.
You can start marketing through websites, social media, and digital advertising. The farther the reach of the promotion, the greater your chances of getting consumers.
Also remember, if you are promoting online, make your merchandise as attractive as possible, whether from photos, packaging , the point is to make the content interesting.
To make it easier for you to sell catering online, if you use WhatsApp, you can use the BukuWarung WhatsApp link.
Its function will turn your number into a link, so later your buyers no longer need to type in a WhatsApp number, just click the link.
6. Pay attention to the taste of food
Surely you want this catering business to continue, right?
Especially if there are subscriptions from clients who have previously ordered in advance. Not only increasing turnover, but you will also get a fairly broad business connection.
To make this happen, of course you have to pay attention to the quality of the food being marketed.
At a minimum, the taste of the food served must be delicious, nutritious, and in accordance with the price offered.
Even better, the taste of the catering food marketed should have a distinctive taste. Where this can be unique for the catering business that you are engaged in.
7. Providing Optimal Service
Do not only maximize your business products, but you as an entrepreneur must always provide optimal service.
If you hire employees, provide training first. Do not let the employees who are recruited do not provide good service to consumers.
Bad service such as unfriendly employees, wrong food orders, catering arriving not on time, will certainly make consumers think again and again about using your services again.
Don't let that happen!
8. Bookkeeping
After your catering business is running, don't forget to do periodic bookkeeping. This is very important. By doing bookkeeping , you can find out the pros and cons of the business.
Every transaction made can also be recorded properly, making it easier for you to audit the company.
Don't be surprised, nowadays there are so many young entrepreneurs who often ignore bookkeeping, the end result is that financial records are not recorded properly, it can destroy the business that is being occupied.
Again, in this all-digital age, you don't need to do manual bookkeeping.
Bookkeeping can be practically and quickly done through the BukuWarung application. You can also get daily to monthly reports.
Don't worry, BukuWarung will also store your data securely, so you don't have to worry about losing your bookkeeping records.
By knowing some of the tips for starting a catering business above, you shouldn't have to hesitate anymore to start a catering business.
For the initial strategy, the point is careful planning, followed by maximum service for consumers, and don't forget the very important bookkeeping.