Archive for April, 2007
VOIP in your business?
Saturday, April 28th, 2007If you’ve ever considered using a VOIP service for your business phone, you’re definitely not alone. Years ago, I gave Vonage a try, but I wasn’t happy with it. Of course, I was using high-speed satellite internet, so my expectations were pretty low.
Now I use a cable modem, and I’m giving it some thought again. Has anyone else had any success using Vonage in their home or business? I’ve been reading up a bit on the Vonage forums, and I’m starting to feel a little better about the idea. They have a ton of information and reviews there, and it seems like I’d be able to get all my questions answered if something went wrong.
Requests?
Saturday, April 28th, 2007I always try to put up a wide variety of wholesale resources, but I’m definitely open to delving into a specific topic if there’s interest. Interested in wholesale kitchen stuff? Automotive products? Novelties? Just let me know.
Also, I’ve considered the idea of doing a weekly newsletter list that features 5-10 wholesale products. Would anyone be interested? Shoot me an e-mail at businessbroad (at) gmail (dot) com, or leave a comment if you’d enjoy something like that.
New CRM Software
Saturday, April 28th, 2007Now, depending on the way you do business, you may or may not use a customer relationship management (CRM) software. For most of us, it’s a very good idea. Even if you’re not directly selling anything, a CRM software can help you keep your important contacts organized, and perhaps more useful - it can organize reminders for tasks you need to do.
Need to remember to check on all your upcoming holiday inventory issues in September or October? Set reminders as you think of them, and the software will make sure you don’t forget. If you’re selling a product and you need to remember when to follow-up, even better. And of course, you can make notes of everything that happens with that particular contact over time, which is also very helpful.
Anyway, I just saw that AIM Promote is offering a free trial of their CRM software. If it’s something you’ve thought about in the past, now’s your chance to give one a try at no charge. If you decide that you like it, they’re a very affordable choice, especially compared to some of the softwares that seem to be designed more for big corporations.
Alter Eco - Wholesale Gourmet Chocolates, Coffee, & More
Saturday, April 28th, 2007If you’re looking for fair trade food items, Alter Eco may have what you’re looking for. They offer a variety of items like rice, chocolate, coffee, sugar, and tea. Mmmm….chocolate.
Get in touch with Alter Eco at:
Alter Eco
2339 Third Street, Suite 15
San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: 415.701.1212
Fax: 415.701.1213
contact (at) altereco-usa (dot) com
As Seen On TV Products
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007Dealing with As Seen On TV Products is pretty popular these days. A lot of brick and mortar stores are starting to carry them, despite the “As Seen On TV” logo that so many of them carry. If you want to get into carrying them in your own store, though, I highly, highly recommend purchasing one before you order a ton for your brick and mortar store. Some are great, some are so-so, and some may just be a mis-match for you.
Last summer I picked up a solar car fan and I was very happy with it. While my car has light fabric upholstery and doesn’t get too hot to begin with, it definitely made a noticeable difference. If I were purchasing any TV product in bulk, though, I would definitely go somewhere like TV Products 4 Less first, to make sure I was getting something good.
La Tee Da Fragrance - Unique Wholesale Candles
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007It’s not often that you find candles that need their very own instructional DVD, but La Tee Da Fragrance has created candles and fragrance units that manage to be that complicated.
Instead of offering “just candles”, they have units with tops that release fragrance as they heat up. I’ve wish I could say that I’ve tried them, but I haven’t. They sound pretty cool, and their website really doesn’t do much to explain the concept. Take a look, and see if you can figure out more than I can.
Anyway, if you’d like to get in touch with La Tee Da Fragrance, contact them at:
La-Tee-Da Fragrance for the Home
PO Box 740 - Scottsville, TX 75688
Phone: 800.246.1826
Fax: 903.935.8007
And let them know they’re confusing at least one person out there. They need a little text on that website!
Budget Tip - Before You Dump Your Old Computer
Monday, April 16th, 2007If your computer has slowed down lately and you’re contemplating a new one, hold off before you dump it. You can try a free Windows registry repair download to see if that speeds things up. In the past, I’ve had computers that were ridiculously, painfully slow, and a quick registry cleanup improves things dramatically.
If you’re not convinced that it’s something that you can do for yourself, check out their registry cleaner screenshots. They show you everything in simple, easy pictures - none of that crazy, all text stuff that you would have been dealing with 10-15 years ago. They even have a contact section if you have questions.
Bon Voyage Fashion - Wholesale Handbags
Monday, April 16th, 2007If you’re hoping to sell bags, it can be really, really tempting to pick up a lot of those fake Coach or Louis Vuitton bags. “If I can’t tell the difference, who’s gonna notice?” you tell yourself. Unfortunately, it only takes one person to notice and get angry - and you could hurt the reputation of your business (especially if you’re an eBay seller), lose money (refunds are never fun), and possibly even end up in the middle of a courtroom.
You’re not supposed to sell fakes. Coach, Louis Vuitton, and all of the other premium brands put a lot of time and money into their branding, and selling replicas tarnishes their names. I’m always amazed at the number of people who don’t realize that you CAN get in trouble for that.
So anyway, now that I’ve gotten that ugly message out of the way let’s move on to Bon Voyage Fashion. They sell a number of cute bags that are designer-inspired, but they never claim to be anything they aren’t. The bag below is similar to the Burberry plaid, but it’s definitely different, and there are no fake labels.
Outside of their website, I’m not sure about contact information, so be sure to do your homework before giving out any important payment or contact info.
[tags]designer inspired handbags, handbags, purses, wholesale, distributors, product sourcing[/tags]
Vacation
Monday, April 16th, 2007I need a vacation. I’m pretty sure that almost everyone I know would say the same thing, but I’m home sick today because I probably should have taken a vacation some time ago. We’ve been looking into Florida vacations, but we can’t decide between a hotel and some kind of florida vacation rentals.
On the plus side, hotels do everything for you - but a vacation rental would give us a lot more room to move around, plus it would end up being cheaper than a really nice hotel. We’re thinking about Disney, but a Miami vacation would be pretty sweet, too.
Has anyone else stayed in a vacation rental before? I did once, about 6 years ago, and the whole experience was great. We even had a pool in the backyard, which is something I wouldn’t mind repeating.
Our Name is Mud - Wholesale Mugs and Doggie Bowls
Thursday, April 12th, 2007If you like the bright and festive look, you’ll probably like Our Name is Mud. They have a variety of cute mugs, but more recently they’ve been selling DIY mugs, bowls, and plates. Instead of letting some random company decorate your stuff, you can use the included ceremic marker to make it your own.
Check out the 
If you’re interested in reselling their pieces, get in touch with Our Name is Mud at:
Our Name is Mud
Phone: 1-800-971-9982
Fax: 1-800-972-9982
wholesale (at) ournameismud (dot) com
As an interesting side note, you may have heard the old Abe Lincoln “His name is Mudd” story about how some poor compassionate doctor unwittingly treated the guy who shot Lincoln. The Dr.’s name was Dr. Samuel Mudd, and because he treated Wilkes’ broken leg, he spent the rest of his life in prison While it’s a pretty darn good story (or bad, if you’re Dr. Mudd), the phrase actually dates back to a time in the early 1800s when dope was some crazy English slang that wasn’t particularly nice.
Credit Cards - Yes or No?
Tuesday, April 10th, 2007I know that some people are a little old-fashioned and they spook easily when it comes to credit cards, but I still love them. No matter how bad they are, they’re nearly always better than cash.
People constantly cite fraud as a reason not to use credit cards, but I see fraud as the number one reason FOR using credit cards. While it can be tough to argue with a company to get your money replaced (after fraud has occurred), it’s a whole lot easier than getting cash back from the fraudster, or getting compensated for a CHECK that was written without your consent.
While it is definitely easier for someone to get your number and use it fraudulently, you can do things to minimize the inconvenience if it ever happens. I always keep a couple of cards. That way, if there were fraudulent charges on one, or if one was stolen, I have another card, stored somewhere completely different, that I can pull out and use while I’m sorting everything else out. It’s never happened, but I’m ready if it does.
As a small business owner, you really can’t beat cash back benefits when you’re buying your inventory. With most cards allowing you to earn up to $500 in annual rewards, you could do quite well for yourself over the course of one year and a couple of cards.
So no, don’t expect me to join the “cash only” crusades any time soon.
Bakertowne Company - Wholesale Kitchen Gadgets
Tuesday, April 10th, 2007While Bakertowne Company is known mostly for wholesale kitchen gadgets and tools, that’s not all they do. Looking over their site, I see the aforementioned kitchen utensils, plus survival tools, waistband stretchers, laundry items, ipod accessories, and restaurant supply. For that reason, I won’t even try to categorize them.
I’m kind of drawn to this Super Lint Shaver:
I can only assume that you can buy them wholesale from Bakertowne, but you’d have to contact them to be sure - Their site doesn’t offer up a whole lot of information on their wholesale prices and policies.
The Bakertowne Company
136 Cherry Valley Ave
West Hempstead, NY 11552
Toll Free:1-800-989-8696
Fax: 516-489-6087
Email: bakertownequestions?(at) yahoo (dot) com
[tags]wholesale, distributors, vendors, as seen on tv, kitchen gadgets, bakertowne company, restaurant supply[/tags]
Budget Tip - Combine Your Buying Power
Monday, April 9th, 2007Sometimes it’s hard to save up enough money to meet manufacturer and wholesaler minimums. Sure, $150-300 first orders don’t sound like that much, but when you’re trying to build up a substantial product line, it adds up. There are a couple of ways to get around that problem, though.
Order with a friend: Ideally, your friend would be someone who’s also in retail - but in a different market. Maybe you’re online and she has a brick and mortar store. Maybe you have a small local pharmacy and he runs a gift shop for tourists. It could be anything, really, as long as there’s no good reason for things to go sour.
Buy from companies that sell lots of products: Some companies import a ton of similar products, so they can help you get a number of different items while being subject to just one minimum initial order amount. Just make sure you don’t let yourself get suckered into buying stuff you don’t believe in simply because it’s easier.
Sell off the excess: Retail isn’t your only option. Break your excess products up into wholesale lots and sell them on eBay. You’ll need a bit of feedback, but who doesn’t have at least 20-30 feedback in this day and age? Plus, you should build it up even if you don’t intend to do this. EBay comes in very handy during the lean periods.
Better Closeouts, Inc. - More Closeout Merchandise
Wednesday, April 4th, 2007I’ve gotten a few e-mails asking for more information on closeout suppliers, and I can understand why. There’s a certain thrill in getting something THAT cheap, especially when you know that every once in a while, you’ll get an item insanely cheap and still be able to get close to retail price for it. It’s addictive 
Better Closeouts, Inc. is another fun addition to the growing list of closeout dealers. Like all closeout sites, they have their fair share of oddball products. Like these:
In case you’re having a tough time with the second one, I’ll help you out. It’s an NCAA candle cover. Really. That makes about as much sense as, I don’t know…WWF licensed lace panties? Are there really that many proud college moms out there who have a need to cover their candles? Crazy.
Anyway, if you’re looking for some cheap closeout deals, check out their website or contact them at:
Better Closeouts, Inc.
1120 W. Exchange Ave.
Chicago, IL, 60609, US
Phone: 773-376-8432
Fax: 773-367-8468
Email: jackr41 (at) aol (dot) com
Klockit - Wholesale Clocks
Monday, April 2nd, 2007If you’re looking to carry clocks in your store or online shop, check out Klockit. They’ve got a ton of different styles, and they even have kits to help you put together your own clock. Check out this adorable retro clock:
I’m a big fan of that strange old institutional look, like something that should be in a horror movie. That’s not to say I want it in my house, but I can’t definitely see how someone might want it.
If you’re interested in reselling Klockit products, give them a call at:
Klockit
(800)-556-2548