I'm planning opening a pasty shop - what are the profit expectations?

fc123

PasturesNew wrote: »

I think it's a Royal - has a horsey look. Probably one of Fergie's as it has that hefty look.

Those of us nowhere near London don't really keep up with the shiny people.

:j 10 out of 10. I think there are 'shiny, glossy' people everywhere...even Aberdeen.:D

fc123

carolt wrote: »

Wow, fc, was just rading the freebie London papers, and there was no 3 looking down at me!

And nos 1 and 2... (well, actually have to admit I have no idea who no 2 is -am I showing my age?). Still, wow.

Not bad...feel rather chuffed you posh designer lady chooses to hang out with us....

But that's the point really...I am not posh designer lady at all:o...just make a bit of stuff and sell it to whoever wants to buy it.

I am chuffed with no 3 though as
A; I actually sat at the machine and made them myself last week...all 24 of them so far, as we do that to trial a range before going into volume production (by volume, I mean dockets of 100+) to see if it sells.
The back is the best bit as it is open plunge and has criss cross bondage straps on it and over the bum..... she wore a jacket over it.

and B, she chose it herself (on Monday I think) and paid money for it. when she could get all sorts of yummy PR freebies.

PasturesNew

fc123 wrote: »

...I actually sat at the machine and made them myself last week...

You work at Underworld in Coronation Street and I claim my £5!

fc123

PasturesNew wrote: »

You work at Underworld in Coronation Street and I claim my £5!

OK I confess I haven't watched Coronation St for about 35 years but there did used to be a clothing factory in it then.....is it called Underworld now?

Worse...I make short runs in my derelict sunlounge and when it gets a bit much, I skive and gaze out to sea. Sometimes the cat will sit on my lap whilst I am sewing.

PasturesNew

fc123 wrote: »

OK I confess I haven't watched Coronation St for about 35 years but there did used to be a clothing factory in it then.....is it called Underworld now?

It might be undieworld, but here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaGtVhGMkzs

fc123 wrote: »

Worse...I make short runs in my derelict sunlounge and when it gets a bit much, I skive and gaze out to sea. Sometimes the cat will sit on my lap whilst I am sewing.

mmmm sea. Brilliant.
I should visit, make sure the cat's stroked and nobody steals the sea. No other function except sea/cat, I don't do sewing, never been on a machine.

Conrad

Something I pick up, is it's hard to generalise.

Take the example of a sports shop.

One of my wealthiest clients has run his own very small back street sports shop for 30 years. He owns an £850k home with small mortgage, and several other properties with zero borrowing. Very nice holls, car etc.

Now you would'nt think it possible that such a tiny little shop could provide such a lifesytyle.

As a broker, I've known 1 man band brokers that make anythig from £10k pa to £300K PA profit.

I value all input but in the end the 'rules' of any business arena, vary depending on who you talk to.

I always recall everyone saying the net would kill off small high street insurance brokers, yet there are plenty still going and a couple of owners I know are pretty comfortable.

ANOTHER IDEA OF MINE - high quality indian takeaway, offering CONSISTENT meals every time (I get cross when the standard from any given indian or chineese takeaway seems to vary week to week). If done scientifically - with the exact measurements of spice, plenty of preplanning and preparation, consistency should be achievable. Also make it very very clean. Most takeaways I know are not all that clean and don't offer organic chicken for example.

My fave curry by far is chicken tika dansak - the king of curries for sure (awaits hail iof abuse)

Really2

Conrad wrote: »

My fave curry by far is chicken tika dansak - the king of curries for sure (awaits hail iof abuse)

Chicken Jafolng. If done by a good chef it is King (if you have never had one try one. Hard to find, only usually done at Bengal inspired places)

carolt

Conrad wrote: »

Something I pick up, is it's hard to generalise.

Take the example of a sports shop.

One of my wealthiest clients has run his own very small back street sports shop for 30 years. He owns an £850k home with small mortgage, and several other properties with zero borrowing. Very nice holls, car etc.

Now you would'nt think it possible that such a tiny little shop could provide such a lifesytyle.

As a broker, I've known 1 man band brokers that make anythig from £10k pa to £300K PA profit.

I value all input but in the end the 'rules' of any business arena, vary depending on who you talk to.

I always recall everyone saying the net would kill off small high street insurance brokers, yet there are plenty still going and a couple of owners I know are pretty comfortable.

ANOTHER IDEA OF MINE - high quality indian takeaway, offering CONSISTENT meals every time (I get cross when the standard from any given indian or chineese takeaway seems to vary week to week). If done scientifically - with the exact measurements of spice, plenty of preplanning and preparation, consistency should be achievable. Also make it very very clean. Most takeaways I know are not all that clean and don't offer organic chicken for example.

My fave curry by far is chicken tika dansak - the king of curries for sure (awaits hail iof abuse)

No - I veto the Indian, unless you've got a real dearth of them. The best curry I've ever had in my life - the place closed within 6 months.

The memory still lingers on...but of course, the memory won't be making that particular restaurant owner any richer.

There are people out there who (a) probably make meaner curries than you and (b) are probably prepared to work for less.

I liked your pasty idea - because I like pasties and more shops to buy them at seems a Good Thing, speaking as a potential customer (posh pasties are my fave - I'd bother going out of my way for something really good).

Or - although not my area of interest at all - your posh hi-fi shop. Lots of hi-fi nerds who spend serious money on this stuff. My OH can't walk past Richer Sounds without being drawn in by magnetic forces. (Mercifully, he's not drawn to the really high end places in the same way...)

Plus if that's your real passion, I think that shows. And it would make your working day more pleasant.

Smelling of pasties every day would probably get a bit miserable.

dopester

Conrad wrote: »

Take the example of a sports shop.

One of my wealthiest clients has run his own very small back street sports shop for 30 years. He owns an £850k home with small mortgage, and several other properties with zero borrowing. Very nice holls, car etc.

Now you would'nt think it possible that such a tiny little shop could provide such a lifesytyle.

Personally I don't think you have come to grips with all of the credit-crunch consequences still playing out.

Strangely enough I half-know someone who has done well with an independent sports shop over 30 years. Even in the boom it was possible to make mistakes... they did so by overstretching and opening a new store in the wrong location, both for footfall and people in the area being tighter with their money. He survived but took a big hit.

He still has the £850,000 / £1m house and other investments he made has probably been helped in value by 30 years of cold-war inflation from when he first began.

The last sports-store I went into was in Manchester's Arndale, around the corner from that cheap clothes The Officers Club chain, which I understand has now closed down. 1 black-uniformed security guard at the door, another roaming. Rewinding my memory, on general impressions of those in the store that day (chavvy types mostly) I'd expect them to be amongst the hardest hit for disposable income going forward.

A friend was a manager of an Allsports branch during the boom (they went into administration at some point I think). He had to have his wits about him for all sorts of dirty tricks played by chav types - shoplifting, trying to return gear not from them, call-outs at night to smashed windows. Thieves filling the alarm box system with hard-setting liquid concrete and then triggering the alarm.. waiting for police to come check and seeing no sign of break-in... then breaking in when they've gone. Sure times were good in the boom. Staff promotions.. highest turnover in your area win a full-paid luxury trip to USA ect (prizes he won).

This isn't the boom Conrad. Not for every sports-store in every location... but for many the conditions of 30 years ago, even 4 year ago, are so very different now... and the outlook is worse all the time. It is more of an unwinding than you seem to accept and you should be very cautious about diving into some of these sectors imo, with an expectation it will be boom days and big money as it has been for others during the boom. I'm waiting to pick up the pieces from this unwinding. There are few better ways to make really big money than in picking up very distressed assets in out-of-favour assets sectors for pennies in the pound.

treliac

dopester, you write so eloquently. It's almost poetic.