Running Your Business

Order Management 101: Stop Losing Track of Custom Orders

Sticky notes and group chats aren't a system. Here's how to track every custom order from inquiry to pickup without anything falling through the cracks.

Sarah Mitchell
Sarah Mitchell
Published Apr 10, 2025·6 min read
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Order Management 101: Stop Losing Track of Custom Orders

One lost detail — the wrong filling, a missed delivery time — can cost you a customer forever. Order management is the unsexy foundation every successful baking business runs on.

One place for every order

Stop splitting orders between texts, Notes app, and spreadsheets. Every inquiry should land in one system with status, due date, and payment tracked together.

Bakekick Orders gives you a pipeline: New request → Quoted → Approved → In progress → Delivered → Paid.

Capture details upfront

Use a standard order form: event date, servings, flavor, design references, pickup vs. delivery, and allergies. Missing info upfront causes expensive rework later.

Attach photos and messages to the order record so you don't scroll Instagram DMs at midnight looking for 'that shade of blue.'

Calendar and reminders

Sync due dates to your Bakekick calendar. Block bake days and delivery windows so you don't overbook.

Set reminders for deposit due dates and final payment before pickup. Automated nudges beat awkward texts.

Pro tip

Review next week's orders every Sunday. Flag anything missing a deposit — don't start baking until you're covered.

Tags:Order managementOperationsBusiness tips
Sarah Mitchell
Sarah Mitchell
Baking business writer at Bakekick

Sarah has been a home baker for 8 years and a small business coach for 5. She joined Bakekick to write the guides she wishes she'd had when she was starting out — practical, honest, and grounded in real baker experience.

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