2. Advertise your business. You can advertise in your local Valpak or other money-saving coupons vehicles offering discounts to buyers. You may want to advertise more aggressively during important seasons of the year, such as the wedding season and graduation in May and June.

3. Seek out partner distributors in your area. Expand your marketplace by finding partners who will sell your cake products for you. Approach local coffee shops, and local bookstores operating coffee shops, and check if they would be willing to offer your cakes to their patrons. Don’t be afraid to talk to them; the worst they can say is “No.”

4. Network with local wedding planners and ensure that you provide their wedding cake requirements (or at least you are one of the vendors they will recommend to their clients). Weddings can provide a steady stream of business for you.

5. In the same vein as above, network with event and party planners to ensure that you will be included in their list of vendors. You want your cake to be in every party – from birthdays to corporate festivities -- in your locality.

6. Make your business more visible in the community by sponsoring local events or church activities, or offering free sample products. Be present in fundraising activities (schools have this, non profits, etc) offering your products for free. Exposure in the community can help create buzz for your business, and word of mouth can go along way in helping get the word out about your business.

7. Send out press releases about your new business, making sure that you specify what makes your business special and different from the rest. The more newsworthy your release (e.g. did you create a very unique cake), the greater your chances of getting picked up by the editors.

8. Tap the Web. Create a website that showcases your products, then promote it or advertise in local online directories. Think of your website as your online brochure where customers and potential clients can see your expertise in cake decorating and new varieties you offer.

9. Send out direct mail including postcards. There are several targeted markets that you can tap in your area. One of them are newborn announcements where friends and relatives can celebrate the occasion with a cake. Parents with graduating children can also be an important market for whom you could send out postcards suggesting to reserve their graduation cakes now.

About the Author: Isabel Isidro is the co-founder and VP-Managing Editor of PowerHomeBiz.com, an online magazine for home business entrepreneurs that provides guidance on starting, running and managing a home-based business