Kate’s Cupcakes Katelyn Paulsen

Description Business Concept: A new innovative shop creating exquisite cupcakes with a modern twist. Product: An array of delicious flavored cakes; each cupcake will be like no other cupcake you have seen before. Ownership Structure: Owner- Katelyn Paulsen, General manager- Ashley Owens, Advertising Manager- Becca Bartell Strengths: I have a major in business, I have been baking all of my life, and my managers all obtained business degrees alongside with financial insight Weaknesses: I will need to come up with a lot of new ideas for cupcakes and often. In order to do this I will ask all my employees to pitch ideas each week. Market: We are aiming to grab customers from all over the area that vary widely in age. At Kate’s we will provide many hypo-allergenic cakes and alternatives to suit our guests’ needs, unlike many of our competitors.

Vision Goals: Short term- Sell 1000 cupcakes in the first two weeks of opening Long term- Become the largest cupcake shop by 2015 To generate a revenue increase of at least 5% each month for the first year To be able to hire ten more employees within the next 6 months Vision: Kate’s Cupcakes will be living proof that caring, integrity, hard work and innovation at all levels create success. Mission: Our mission is to enhance our customers’ business. We will do this by providing the highest quality bakery products and the best possible services to the food industry. We will continuously improve all aspects of our business in order to sustain the long-term success of our customers and ourselves.

Competition Industry: Most products are very similar and bland The amount of free-range is limited to make your shop stand out Cupcake shops are not difficult to start but hard to keep open Economy: The economy is rising Families are eating out more and splurging on treats

Competition Continued Strengths of Competition: The products are quality They are well organized and already well-known Weaknesses of Competition: They have little uniqueness to their cupcakes They are not fully utilizing the power of catering There cupcakes are mediocre but not delicious They are not completely family friendly

Operation Plan Organization: The business will run smoothly We will be flexible with employees needs and if they need time off I will be the executive, Ashley will be the mid-manager, and my sister Mckenzie will be the supervisor. Major Operations: Providing catering, making delicious cupcakes, and a beautiful place for the family to relax and have a treat

Operation Plan Continued Resources needed: Connection with a fresh produce provider A person who knows how to advertise well Connection with a company for cupcake supplies An appliance company connection for ovens and mixers Human Resources: The major people in charge will be relatives and well-educated We will hire 5-10 other people to be regular employees These new employees will be observed to make sure they are proper for the job

Audience/Consumers Customers: Anyone who loves cupcakes Aiming to hit all walks of life- young to old Many of our customers will be locals due to our single location in West Des Moines. We will advertise and hope to bring in people from as far as Ankeny to our shop. We plan to have 500 customers in the first week of opening and plan to generate over $2000 in the first week.

Marketing We will be using social media to get the word out- Becca will be in charge of this as the role of advertisement (If you follow us or tweet at us, you get a free cupcake) This will be our first form of marketing We will produce a radio commercial that contains a catchy song- My mom has many media connections and could easily obtain this (This will occur second) We will also provide fliers to elementary schools- I know teachers in the WDM school district that could help with this (This will be third)

Financial Plans Start up cost: I have 75% of the start up costs already saved and I will get a loan from the bank for the other half I hope to make enough right away to start paying back the loan Long-term: We will need to open more locations and revamp the store to modernize it Short-term: We will need to hire as few employees as needed to start and in order to cut overhead costs We will try to save as much money as we can by being eco-friendly with the ovens and other appliances Budget: 50% of the total budget will go into paying the employees 25% will go into the building itself and any furniture needed to be added or bills 25% will go into the actual making of the cupcakes and purchasing the produce

Thank you and if you have anymore questions please contact me. Katelyn Paulsen 515-111-1111 Kate’scupcakes@aol.com