You must love to bake in order for your business to succeed -- because you're going to be baking an awful lot. Also, in setting up this type of home business, you'll have to do a little more homework than the average mompreneur. Strict rules apply to home businesses that deal with food.

To begin, try to track down caterers, bakers, personal chefs and other home-based food businesses in your area and see whether the owners will share any information with you about licensing. If you reach a dead end going the personal route, call up your town, county or state licensing office and ask for guidelines for a home baking business. Your kitchen will have to pass an initial health inspection, and you may even have to alter its facilities or design in order to comply. Once you're set up, you can expect frequent visits from the health inspectors to make sure you're still in compliance. Of course, some home bakers occasionally make specialty cakes for individuals and operate without health-inspector interference, but if you want to sell your products through the mail or to commercial establishments, or grow your business to make it more profitable, you should be fully licensed and above board.

After you've researched the legalities, think about a niche for your baking business. Will you specialize in baking custom cakes for special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries? Or maybe you'd like to target busy parents and focus on baking children's birthday cakes or providing homemade cupcakes or cookies for the birthday child to take to school. Do you have a recipe for fabulous brownies, banana bread or muffins so good you can start a mail order or Internet business?

You also have to think about how you'll market your product. Are you interested in selling directly to customers in and around your town, or do you want to supply stores with your finished product? Would you contract with a caterer to provide desserts for special events, or would you be hired directly by the client to create a show stopping cake? How about setting up a Website or mail order fulfillment service to peddle your wares?

Another area you should investigate is buying supplies and ingredients. If your business is going to generate some volume, it would be wise to find a wholesaler who can provide you with flour, sugar, spices and other ingredients in bulk, instead of running to the supermarket to replenish your pantry. A restaurant supply company is a good place to look for baking pans, decorating tools and other equipment.

Many mompreneurs who have started home-based baking businesses have found it to be a lucrative field, especially if you find the right niche. But expect to be on your feet a lot and working at odd hours of the day or night in your kitchen.