People ask me all the time how to start a home catering business. Well…

I've helped over 30,000 vendors and you may be wondering how can this old hot dog vendor “guru” help you with starting a home catering business? For several years now, I've screamed from atop the mustard bottle and even beaten some vendors in that direction. This has resulted in incredible results.

Vendors have a hot dog cart, but don't realize what they really have is a fully functioning mobile kitchen. Excellent for catering!

STARTING A HOME CATERING BUSINESS IS EASIER, FASTER AND…

…doesn't have near the red tape to cut through. In fact I just helped a lady in North Carolina start her home catering business and from the time she had the idea and contacted me to the time she was operational, was only 4.5 days.

And that is exactly why I can help you!

HOW TO START A HOME CATERING BUSINESS ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET

What if I were to tell you (#hint #hint I'm about to tell ya) that you can start a catering business in most states for less than a few hundred dollars? Some states require no Health Department permitting or licensure and only require you get a simple business license in your town.  [tip: business license in your town doesn't mean you can't go to others]

As low as the cost of a 500 pack of business cards (about $8.50) and the cost of a business license $50 (average) you can start a real income producing catering business from home.

A HOME CATERING BUSINESS TAKES ON MANY FORMS

Which one fits you?

And you're probably thinking of catering like some type of “big” production; glass ware, silverware, fine dining and fancy looking “chef” type people standing opposite the crowd their feeding. Maybe you're thinking the type of catering like Outback or similar chain restaurants advertise, where they charge twice as much for the meal but they deliver it heated in pans with little candles under it and provide all the paper(ware) products for serving.

That's great if you're some schmancy fancy outfit or are like a chain steak house.

But I'm not talking that kind of catering.

I'm talking easy peasy. I'm talking…

• Drop-off catering
• Minimal service catering
  and even a
• Pick up catering service

All doable from your home. Now granted, some states will require you “work” from or “operate” from a commissary. A commissary being a fully licensed kitchen. But don't let this discourage you. There are just over 13 ways to get a home catering commissary to use without spending a dime.

WHAT EQUIPMENT IS BEST FOR CATERING FROM HOME

Although you can start with very little money, an ideal setup for doing home catering business is to be unique. I'm not talking about wearing a clown costume (that's gimmicky).  I'm talking your equipment and specifically when doing the easiest forms of catering like the ones listed above.

Recently I've helped multiple vendors start home catering businesses but not with the typical mobile kitchen “hot dog cart,” including my daughter. We are using the Cater Pro and it's like eye candy to your clients and offers a unique and very versatile menu selection.

The Cater Pro® mobile home catering business machine is absolutely perfect for catering. Not to mention it's sexy as all get out, it allows you to do just about anything. It holds two full size commercial steam pans which allow you to boil, steam, bake or keep warm.

Here are some of the amazing things you can do:

• Full Buffet Service
• Seafood grilling or smoking
• BBQ
• Side dishes
• Pasta, soups, sauces
• Tacos, burritos, quesadillas
• Lamb / Beef
• Grilled, Smoked or Roasted Vegetables

That's just a few of the things you can do with the Cater Pro and because of uniqueness of it all, it's why of everything I considered, I chose that for my own daughter to start her home catering business. Also why I'd recommend it to you.

From the most simple Cater Pro rentals to the drop off catering, with or without a chef, you can make a fantastic income with the home catering business.

DOES YOUR STATE HAVE LOOPHOLES?

Forty Nine states have loopholes, laws specifically to allow you to make food from your kitchen that can be sold to the public!

It's called cottage food laws and to see what loopholes your state has, click here: CottageFoodLaws.com