Archive for March, 2008
GPS Saves a Business Money
Friday, March 28th, 2008If your business involves much in the way of doing pickups and delivery, you shouldn’t hesitate to invest in a gps tracking system. Even though it may seem like a lot of money up front, consider the long-run cost of missed turns and general confusion for as little as 1 hour each week.
That’s 52 hours in a single year. That’s a minimum of $390. Some GPS units are as little as $150 these days. Not a bad deal.
A Business Vehicle
Friday, March 28th, 2008If you run a small business, it’s very tempting to use your personal car as a business vehicle. Be careful if you make that decision, though, because your insurance carrier may decide to drop you. Worse yet, you may find that if you don’t tell them and you end up having to make a claim, your entire claim could be denied (and your policy would be canceled). That’s not something that any business wants to deal with.
So, if you’re concerned about using your own vehicle for your business, do a little online auto insurance research to make sure that what you’re doing will work out well in the long run.
Warm Weather and Getting Fit
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008Even if you don’t have plans to offer a full selection of exercise equipment in your store, you can take advantage of the common desire to get fit. Think about what may fit in your store: workout attire, small weights, exercise balls, jump ropes? Chances are good that there’s something you can tempt your out of shape customers with.
If you’re looking for distributors of those exercise accessories, check out Everlast. They offer a variety of products, many of which are available in girly spring colors like pink.
Spring Self Assessment
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008I think it’s important that every business do an occasional self assessment. Since you do mostly the same things day in and day out, it’s easy to get complacent and forget your goals or fall into bad habits.
As we approach warm weather, take a look around your business. Identify the biggest problems that have been holding you back, figure out what you’ve been doing right, and try to come up with a new plan for the areas where you could improve. Your bank account will thank you.
Wine Accessories Wholesale
Monday, March 17th, 2008If your customers are Resveratrol fanatics, you might want to look at some wine related products (because red wine is a notable source of resveratrol, of course). Luckily, there are about a million different companies that will be happy to sell you wine accessories.
Oenophilia is just one of those companies. They sell wine racks, books, corkscrews, and almost anything else you can think of. If you’d like to get in touch with Oenophilia, contact them with the details below.
Oenophilia
500 Meadowland Drive
Hillsborough, NC 27278
1-800-899-6366 - Toll-Free
WineSalesNational (at) oenophilia.com
High-End Brands
Sunday, March 16th, 2008Depending on the look and feel of your store, you may be able to draw more traffic by carrying high end brands like Patek, Omega, and Concord. Often, people actively seek out their favorite high end brands, which means that they’re going to put some effort into finding you and your store.
You may also benefit from brand advertising and local referrals directly from the company, especially if they don’t have many retailers in your area. So, if there’s a high-end brand that fits your market, put a little time into researching your alternatives.
Merchant Responsibility
Sunday, March 16th, 2008I was recently talking to a couple of women who own shops and the subject of “cutting customers off” came up. At first, I thought they might be talking about customers who try to buy 17 of something when it’s clearanced, leaving nothing else for other customers. It took a while before I realized that they were actually talking about customers who just shop too much.
One woman said that she felt a responsibility to keep her customers from overspending on her trinkets and decor items. Another said that she had occasionally cut people off simply because she knew the woman would be returning them later anyway (and in worse condition).
Do you think it’s the merchant’s place to cut off a customer who needs addiction treatment for their shopping?
Orovo, All Natural Products
Sunday, March 9th, 2008If you want to get into the health and wellness marketings, you should check out distribution options for Orovo. Orovo offers all-natural products for acne control, weight loss, and muscle building, all of which are fairly popular and lucrative fields these days.
Depending on your clientele, these items might be perfect to go alongside things like vitamins, health-related books, and fitness supplies. Nearly anything could work, really. It’s all in how you set up the area. If you transition it well into the rest of your store, it will look great and open up a new way to service your customers.
On the Subject of Business Automobiles
Thursday, March 6th, 2008If you’re shopping for a vehicle for your business, don’t just get the first affordable vehicle you can find. The vehicle you use says a lot about your business, especially if you intend to use it around clients or put your name on the side. If you’re running a business consulting service, you probably don’t want a sports car with custom decals and rear spoilers. On the other hand, if you’re running an auto parts store, you shouldn’t be driving a used Chevy Cavalier with stock parts. Consistency is important.
What do you think? Do you have a special vehicle for your business?
Don’t Let the Little Things Bring Down Your Business
Thursday, March 6th, 2008No matter how well you run your business, there’s always the possibility that you’re overlooking something small that could ultimately bring down everything you’ve worked for. A few years back, I knew a woman who owned a small florist and gift shop who occasionally allowed one of her employees to make deliveries to customers she didn’t like dealing with. While there’s no law against doing it, she hadn’t given much thought to the issue of car insurance.
Neither had her employee. The girl she was sending on delivery runs was driving a car that didn’t even have the state’s minimum liability coverage. When she had an accident, she was able to blame it on the business and get a hefty settlement. The business went under, and because it was a sole proprietership, she ended up losing much of what she had spent her life saving for. Truly a sad story, but it just goes to show you that you have to make sure all your bases are covered. Don’t ignore things like insurance, permits, or nagging details of your local laws. It could definitely come back to haunt you.
Emoticon Plush Toys
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 
:B
If that looks like gibberish to you, it’s official - you’re out of touch with young people and modern technology. Kimochi certainly isn’t, though, and they’ve created a whole line of emoticon plush toys. An emoticon is what you see above, a combination of plain old typewriter characters that are used to create the appearance of a facial expression when you look at it sideways.
If you’re interested in carrying these dolls in your store, give them a call at (415) 454-4600. Or, if that’s not your speed, you could try something like Orovo supplements.
Success Comes to Those Who Innovate
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008In an increasingly competitive small business world, you have to do something differently to carve out your niche beside stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Linens and Things, and every other massive store that has a price advantage. Whether you start a wine club for your customers, aim to provide a high level of knowledge and assistance (which you’d never get from a minimum wage 16-year-old in the big box competitors), or create a children’s play area so moms can shop in peace, you have to do something unique.
A few more ideas:
-Keep the very newest items in stock. It can take big retailers months or even years to get an item into the stores (assuming that it’s not part of their distribution network as with movies, magazines, and video games). As an independent, you can call the manufacturer and have a product on your shelf in just a week or two. Just be extra cautious with popular items around the holidays, as most manufacturers will send available stock to their big customers before the little guys get anything. If it’s sold out, you’re probably out of luck.
-Snacks! Just make sure that it’s affordable and that it won’t make a mess all over your inventory.
-Clubs - Plenty of pottery stores host clubs and classes to teach those skills to customers and members of the community. If you’re a clothing store, try offering classes in dressing more adventurously or designing your own.
-Guest Appearances - If you sell Thomas Kinkade art, see if you can get him to come in (yes, this is a tough one). It works best with smaller, independent designers, but there’s no harm in trying to get a big name, too. You never know when they’ll be in the area.