By Rieva Lesonsky
A number of years again once I was editor of a enterprise journal, we named cupcake-only shops as a sizzling enterprise to start out. When the economic system tanked, I nervous that each one these cupcake-only entrepreneurs I had inspired would discover their companies coming to a screaming halt.
Apparently I needn’t have nervous. Cupcake shops haven’t solely survived, however are thriving to nonetheless be one of many hottest sorts of companies to start out. The truth is, The New York Times simply took a take a look at the continued phenomenon on this article that dubs cupcakes the brand new “entrepreneurial fantasy.”
The Instances spotlights 4 major enterprise fashions: the true cupcake-only retailer, the shop that sells cupcakes and different meals objects, the chain and the online-only cupcake retailer. Cupcakes are additionally spawning ancillary merchandise, akin to cupcake blogs dedicated to new flavors and traits, a cupcake guide by Martha Stewart that spent practically 3 months on the New York Instances bestseller checklist, and an upcoming Meals Community pilot, “Cupcake Wars.”
Why are cupcakes so sizzling regardless of the recession? Consolation meals all the time do nicely in dangerous occasions, and cupcakes match lots of wants. They’re nostalgic “child meals” that takes individuals again to an easier time; enjoyable and cheery; an inexpensive deal with; and a “little luxurious.”
The Instances acknowledges that the truth of launching a cupcake retailer isn’t simple (no startup is). However the idea continues to draw entrepreneurs searching for a enjoyable enterprise, and the outlets have been spreading not simply in large cities, however in smaller ones, too. Analysis agency Mintel says cupcake gross sales nationwide are projected to extend by 20 % within the subsequent 5 years. That’s an entire lot of frosting.