How to take home bakery orders and get paid
Custom cakes and weekend cookie trays usually start in Instagram DMs. That works until two June weddings, a last-minute allergen note, and a date you held with no money attached.
This page is a practical order-taking workflow you run by hand, plus where quotes and invoices fit. Linchpin does not have an orders module. You still own the checklist. The software helps you see what is quoted, invoiced, and paid.
Check local rules before you scale
Home bakery rules vary a lot by city and state. Cottage food limits, allowed products, labeling, and where you can sell are local questions. This guide does not tell you what is legal where you live. Check your local rules (and your tax person for sales tax) before you treat a hobby as a business.
A manual order checklist that prevents disasters
Before you buy ingredients for a custom order, lock these details somewhere you can find them later. This checklist is yours, not a Linchpin feature:
- Pickup or delivery date and time window
- Exact product ("8 inch double-layer vanilla, Swiss buttercream, fresh flowers on top")
- Servings and shape
- Allergies and exclusions, in the customer's words
- Colors, references, and what you will not attempt
- Total price, and whether you want a deposit
- How the customer will confirm changes (text or email only, for example)
If any line is fuzzy, do not start baking. Fuzzy is how you rebuild a cake at 11pm.
Step 1: Turn the DM into a quote
When the details are clear, send a quote that repeats them back. The quote is the agreement in writing:
- Product and date
- Allergen notes you accepted
- Total price
- Deposit amount if you are asking for one, or a note that payment is due before pickup
- Balance timing
- How long the quote stays open
Example lines (labeled example, not a price list you must copy):
Two dozen mixed cupcakes for Saturday 3pm pickup. No nuts. Vanilla and chocolate, vanilla buttercream, simple swirl. Total $72. Deposit $30 to hold the date. Balance due the day before pickup.
Those dollar amounts are sample customer pricing for the story, not Linchpin product prices.
Step 2: If you want a deposit, create that invoice when they say yes
Holding a weekend date without money is a risk. One option: when the customer accepts the quote, create a deposit invoice for that quote. You choose the amount. Linchpin does not auto-collect deposits, run payment plans, or force a percentage.
Send the deposit invoice by link. They view it on a client page, can download a PDF, and pay by card through Stripe.
If you skip deposits, say on the quote when full payment is due, then send one invoice at that time.
If a deposit does not land by your deadline, release the date. Say that on the quote so it is not personal later.
Step 3: Bake from the quote, not from memory
Print or keep the quote open while you bake. The allergen line and the date matter more than the pretty reference photo. If the customer changes something mid-week, update the written quote or send a short follow-up note that both of you can find. Do not rely on a buried DM.
Step 4: Invoice the remaining balance before pickup
Send the balance invoice when you said you would, often the day before pickup or when the order is ready. Convert from the original quote when you can so you are not retyping. The customer pays on the invoice link, or you mark it paid if you took cash at the door and you still want the record clean.
For repeat menu items with no custom work, you can skip the long checklist and send a simple invoice. Custom work should still get the checklist plus a quote.
Two invoices you chose to send (deposit, then balance) is not a payment plan. Each one is a separate send.
Step 5: Weekly look at quoted, invoiced, paid
Because there is no orders board in Linchpin, your weekly review is the safety net:
- Quotes still open (follow up or expire them)
- Deposits unpaid on dates you are holding
- Balances unpaid on finished orders
- Next week's pickup dates from your own calendar or notes
Scheduling can help if you want a booking page for cake consults or pickup windows. Availability is what you set, and you can sync with your calendar. That still does not replace your allergen checklist.
Where Linchpin fits for home bakers
Linchpin is a small set of tools on one site. I built it for friends and family who needed the same basics without a giant suite. You turn on modules you actually use.
Invoicing covers the money side of this page:
- Make and send quotes
- Convert a quote to an invoice in one click
- Create a deposit invoice for a quote when you want one
- Invoice links, client page, PDF, Stripe card payments
Optional:
- Scheduling for consults or pickup slots on a booking page
- Inventory if you want counts on boxes, cups, flour, or standard menu stock (quantity +/-, bulk adjust, CSV import/export, barcode lookup, stock in from a receipt)
- Receipt capture for supply runs
Again: no orders module. Job status is quoted, invoiced, paid.
What Linchpin does and doesn't do
Does: quotes, invoices, seller-created deposit invoices, payment links for cards via Stripe, PDF, optional scheduling and inventory modules.
Doesn't: track bakery orders as a kitchen ticket system, auto-collect deposits on a plan, file taxes, tell you cottage food law, or guarantee a sale.
Example custom cake weekend (labeled example)
Riley gets a DM for a birthday cake on Saturday. Riley sends a quote Friday morning with size, flavor, allergy note (no coconut), total, and an optional deposit to hold Saturday. The customer pays that one deposit invoice by card Friday afternoon. Riley bakes Saturday morning from the quote text, sends one balance invoice at noon, and releases the cake at pickup after the balance shows paid. Monday Riley expires two old quotes that never moved so next weekend is not half-promised.
FAQ
Do I need an order form app if I use invoices?
Not always. A written quote that repeats date, product, allergens, and price covers a lot of custom work. Use a form if you want. Just do not let the form replace reading the allergen line before you mix.
Can Linchpin track my bakery orders end to end?
No orders module. You can see what you quoted, what you invoiced, and what got paid. Your checklist and calendar still carry bake-day details.
Do I have to take a deposit on every cake?
No. A deposit is one way to hold a busy date. Some bakers invoice in full before pickup instead. Put the rule on the quote so the customer knows before you buy ingredients.