Start Your Own Catering Business

Do you love to entertain and host parties? Do you love to cook and create exciting menus? Through this course, offered by our accredited school partners, you can now realize your dream of working from home doing something you enjoy. Catering is considered to be the fastest growing segment of the food service industry in the United States! Learn the steps necessary for setting up and running your own home-based catering business. From writing a successful business plan to marketing your new business and tips for deciding on a menu, this course has it all. Enroll through one of our accredited university or college partners today!

Start Your Own Catering Business Module 1 So You Think You Want to Be a Caterer? In module one, we will look at the pros and cons of starting your own business. Leaving the security of a job to start your own business can be scary, but in this module we will look at how working out of your home can be rewarding, especially since you are working in a career of your choice. Module one will also go over the rules of cooking in private kitchens and we will take a look at who to use as your vendors. Learning From Mistakes Leaving the Security of a Job Working Out of Your Home Working With Your Local Health Department Establishing Relationships with Wholesale Purveyors Start Your Own Catering Business Module 2 Writing Your Business Plan, Proposals, and Legal Advice Before starting your own business, there are several must-do items to take care of. In module two we will take a look at the different business structures available and which will best suit your needs. Students will compare example contracts and agreements between clients and the company so that they are familiar with the various pieces of business documents they should set in place. Also included in module two is a discussion on how an attorney can help your business succeed. How to Structure Your Company Written Agreements and Contracts Why You Need a Good Attorney How to Price Your First Menus How to Stay Profitable When You're Working with a Fixed Price Start Your Own Catering Business Module 3 Sales, Marketing, and Crunching the Numbers Get ready to define your niche! In module three students will look at who their clients will be and what they need to do to promote their business. Module three will point students towards good habits that will help their business succeed. Defining Your Niche Making Your Menus Part of Your Marketing Program Drumming Up Business Making Good Use of Your Accountant Why So Many Caterers Fail Start Your Own Catering Company Module 4 Setting the Stage and Pulling It Off with Ease Module four will go over the final catering event and tips for organizing your time and setting up your party. Students will review sample scheduling charts and time tables. After the event caterers should identify their strengths and weaknesses with report cards from staff and clients. Module four will discuss how to use this information to make improvements in their company. Organizing Your Time and the Party Setup Scheduling Staff and Assistants Getting Down to the Wire The Day of the Party Report Cards from Staff and Clients

All required reference materials are provided with this program. Technical requirements: Internet Connection • Broadband or High-Speed (DSL, Cable, Wireless) Hardware Requirements • Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher • Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended Software Requirements • Operating Systems - Windows 7, 8 or 10; Mac OS x 10 or higher • Microsoft Office 2007, 2010 or 2013 or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx) • Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended • Cookies MUST be enabled • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled) • Adobe PDF Reader

This class is an independent-study course. Students will have all the resources needed to successfully complete the course within the online material. A student helpdesk is available for technical support during the course enrollment.