Meg's Bake Shop

I asked my husband, a financial professional, how he’d make $700/month from a home bakery side hustle. Here’s the simple plan: 1️⃣ Find the Right Farmers MarketPick a busy market with max foot traffic. More people = more sales! 2️⃣ Get Your Business Set UpHandle the legal stuff to sell in your state. No surprises, just sales. 3️⃣ Choose Your Signature Treat Stick to ONE baked good that’s: ✅ Easy to scale in 1-2 nights ✅ High-profit (cookies are a great start!). ✅ Priced at $8 or less to sell fast 4️⃣ Build Your Brand Create a standout booth with a BIG sign:👉 “Best Cookies You’ll Ever Try…Period!!” 5️⃣ Start Selling & Making Money. Here’s how the numbers stack up: Price per Cookie: $4.99. Cost per Cookie: $0.85Labor Cost per cookie (for 85 cookies): $0.70. Gross Margin: 69%. Weekly Sales Goal: 70 cookies. Monthly Target: 279 cookies. 🎯 Goal: Bake 70 cookies over 2 nights, 3 hours max! 📅 Sell on Saturdays, Sundays, or both. What It Costs to Run the Biz: 💰 Your Pay: $700. 🛡 Insurance: $50. 🎪 Market Fees: $300. 🧮 SmartBake Calculator: $9.99🚗 Fuel: $120. Want an Easy Way to Calculate Profits? I planned this entire side hustle using our SmartBake Calculator, and it made everything EASY! No guesswork— just profits.💡 Whether you’re starting fresh or growing, SmartBake helps you price with confidence! Follow for more updates! The SmartBake Calculator will release in February 💜 Meg's Bake Shop ✨#charlottebaker #microbakery #homebaker #cake #cakedecorating #cookies #sourdough #megsbakeshop #bakerso

A recent survey of over 600 home bakers (see link below) uncovered surprising insights about profitability and self-pay. Nearly 70% are uncertain about their profit and earnings, and a significant number aren’t paying themselves at all—pointing to a major pricing challenge in our baking community. It’s one thing to read these results, but in my personal experience as a member of various community pages, I see numerous daily posts asking about pricing, which suggests these stats are more than likely true. This recurring theme highlights how critical proper pricing is to sustaining a successful home bakery. Relying on outdated spreadsheets and guesswork is no longer effective. Over time, I noticed that many questions about pricing persisted despite the abundance of formulas and guides available online, indicating a real need for a more practical solution. That’s why my husband and I developed the SmartBake Calculator—a straightforward and simple tool with deep insights aimed at helping you confidently price your baked goods, simplify complex calculations, and improve your profits. 💪🏼🧁 @ @✨ SmartBake offers features like customizable profit margins, time-saving automation, and instant identification of unprofitable products, all designed with the unique needs of home bakers in mind. It adjusts for economies of scale/increased batch volumes, provides a built-in database for storing and updating recipes and pricing and more! These features aren’t just technical improvements; they represent real-world solutions born from the questions I’ve seen time and time again in our community. If you’re ready to finally take control of your pricing, reduce the guesswork, and build a more sustainable home bakery, check out this reel to learn how SmartBake can make a tangible difference. Article: https:betterbakerclub.com/homebakerystatistics/

Since I don’t have a truck, a small U-Haul, or a guaranteed helper at all times, I’ve had to get creative when loading up on my own. I use a wheelchair ramp, utility carts, and ratchet straps to get my dollhouse display and fridge-freezer on board. This freezer is perfect for my homemade ice cream sandwiches (and can double as a fridge!). It might not be the prettiest process, but it gets the job done! Don’t let a lack of extra hands—or a bigger vehicle—hold you back. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! P.S. If you’re in the Charlotte are and spot a random dollhouse cruising down the highway, that’s probably me, lol. Comment “LINK” if you would like the links to the ramp, utility carts or fridge-freezer! #MarketDay #SoloSetup #SmallBusinessTips #NoTruckNoProblem #DIYSetup #CreativeSolutions #SmallBizLife #WomenInBusiness #FarmersMarket #WeekendMarket #MarketDisplay #BusinessOwner #SupportSmallBusiness #CLTBakery #CLTbaker #SmartBake #megsbakeshop #homebakery #cookie #cake #icecreamsandwich #huntersvillebaker #veteranspouse

When I first started my home bakery, figuring out how to price my baked goods felt like an uphill battle. I tried every formula I could find, but I never felt truly confident in my numbers, and it took forever. Through this journey, I realized that so many home bakeries struggle—or even fail—because they don’t have a clear handle on pricing and profitability. That’s why my husband (an investment banker with an MBA from Duke) and I dedicated over 150 hours to creating the SmartBake Digital Calculator: a straightforward, adaptable system that helps you price your baked goods confidently, no matter where you are in your baking journey. I’m also thrilled to announce that all my resources—from digital calculators and in-depth/user friendly pricing and profitability guides (created exclusively for home bakers by my husband) to recipes and my 17-step Road Map for launching your own home bakery—will be available on my new website, launching early February 2025. I can’t wait to share everything that’s helped me and so many others take the guesswork out of pricing! ✨🍪 #HomeBakery #BakingBusiness #SmartBake #BakeryStartup #PricingTips #BakersOfInstagram #BakeryLife #SmallBusinessLove #EntrepreneurLife #bakingfromhome #NutritionistToBaker #SmallBusinessOwner #HomeBasedBusiness #MilitaryVeteran #BusinessBuilding #BakeryOwner #charlottebaker #charlottebakery #huntersvillenc #ncbakery #desserts #cake #custommade #customcakes #customorders #cookies #recipe

I’ve always been the friend who shows up to every gathering with something sweet in hand. After four years as a nutritionist for women and children, I realized that baking and starting my own home bakery was my true calling. 🍪 Fast-forward to marrying my husband—a military veteran and MBA grad turned investment banker—and everything changed. Together, we poured over 150 hours into creating the SmartBake Digital Calculator, a tool that takes the guesswork out of pricing and profitability for home bakers like me. But that’s not all. We also developed a suite of resources—including a detailed 17-step roadmap for launching your own home bakery, startup equipment lists, and in-depth guides on pricing, profitability, managing your finances, and more. Essentially, we created every resource I wish I’d had when I first started out. Removing uncertainty and helping others succeed in this space has become my passion. I’d love for you to feel as confident in running (and pricing) your baking business—big or small, full or part-time—as I do. So, if you’ve ever dreamed of turning your love for baking into something bigger, stick around—I’d love to help you get there, one sweet treat at a time! ✨ We’re in the final stages of building our website and finalizing our pricing tools and are planning to launch everything mid-February 2025. Follow for updates! #SmartBake #HomeBakery #BakingBusiness #NutritionistToBaker #SmallBusinessOwner #BakersOfInstagram #StartupJourney #PricingTips #BakingPassion #EntrepreneurLife #HomeBasedBusiness #MilitaryVeteran #MBAGrad #BusinessBuilding #BakeryOwner

Come see us at the @charlotteregionalfarmersmarket today and tomorrow!

🎉✨ Thanksgiving Pre-Orders Are Open! ✨🎉 Make this Thanksgiving unforgettable with Meg's Bake Shop! We've got the perfect lineup to sweeten up your holiday table: 🎃 Pumpkin Spice Cake with Buttercream – rich, cozy, and packed with fall flavors! 🍏 Apple Fritter Cake – a fan-favorite with real apples and a cinnamon glaze! 🍎 Apple Cider Donut Cake – a soft, spiced treat inspired by fresh apple cider! 📅 Pre-order by November 17th 📍 Pick up available at the Charlotte Regional Farmer’s Market & in Huntersville. Don’t wait! Message us to reserve your spot for these holiday must-haves today! 🥧🍰💛 #MegsBakeShop_ #ThanksgivingDesserts #PumpkinSpiceCake #AppleFritterCake #AppleCiderDonutCake #FallBaking #CLTEats #HuntersvilleNC #CharlotteBaker #NCDesserts #HolidayTreats #PreOrder

Indulge in the ultimate Oreo experience with this amazing custom Oreo cake from Meg’s Bake Shop! Each layer is packed with rich, creamy Oreo goodness, crafted with love and perfection. Perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or simply treating yourself to something sweet! If you’re in the Charlotte, NC area, this is a must-try dessert masterpiece. #MegBakeShop #CharlotteBakery #CustomOreoCake #CLTDesserts #NCBakery #HuntersvilleEats #sweettreats

Twix-ing up my day, one delicious bite at a time! 🍫✨" #twixtime #chocolatelovers #snackgoals #sweettreats #indulgeyourcravings

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉 Meg’s Bake Shop is popping up at the Huntersville Growers Market this Saturday from 8am-12pm!

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉 Meg’s Bake Shop is popping up at the Huntersville Growers Market this Saturday from 8am-12pm! 🌟 Come indulge in our delicious treats, including: 🍌 Crowd Favorite Banana Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream 🍓 Strawberries & Cream Cake 🍰 Vanilla Raspberry Cake with Salted Buttercream 🍭 Cake Pops 🍪 Oreo Rice Krispies & Classic Rice Krispies 🍫 7 Layer Bars & Homemade Twix Bars 🍦 Ice Cream Sandwiches 🍪 Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍌 Banana Bread FREE SAMPLES!! Stop by Huntersville Growers' Market early to grab your favorites before they sell out! See you there! 💕 #MegsBakeShop #HuntersvilleGrowersMarket #BakedWithLove #SaturdayTreatsp

Meg’s Bake Shop first farmers market! Check us out at Huntersville Growers' Market on 8/24 and 8/31!

#vanillaraspberrycake #bananasaltedcaramelcake #chocolatechipcookie #icecreamsandwiches #brownies #bananabread #chocolatezucchinibread #cakepops Huntersville Growers' Market