How to start up business

Flyonthewall

kittiej wrote: »

Without knowing what your product will be what about party plan?

All sorts of stuff has been sold this way and you need advertising more than premises for that. Try to get more orders for parties by giving an incentive to the next potential host/ess. You don't need glossy brochures like big businesses to start with.

Have you actually got any stock?

Edit I see you don't have any stock so do you have a supplier? I would do a Del-Boy fill a case, see if the council offers street pitches cheap or a market stall and do party plan as well. Shout it from the rooftops how good your products are and how they will enrich the lives of those who buy them and become the envy of all their friends.

OK so a bit OTT but if it worked for Sir Alan and Chris Dawson ......

http://www.therange.co.uk/fcp/content/chris_dawson/content

Thanks. I suppose it could work, but I'm not sure I really want to go down the party route.

imoneyop

Flyonthewall wrote: »

In most cases, yes a lot of units do need to be sold. But that doesn't bother me and it's not the case with all items. Whatever I do I'll start it off with testing products and see how well each one sells.

So you're going to buy/rent a shop with money you don't have and then you are going to buy a few items to test the market.

1. How will you buy the products you are going to sell if you don't have the money for the shop.
2. Won't your shop look a bit bare with just a few sample products?
3. What will you do with the bulk of products that you're left with that don't sell?

Flyonthewall

imoneyop wrote: »

So you're going to buy/rent a shop with money you don't have and then you are going to buy a few items to test the market.

1. How will you buy the products you are going to sell if you don't have the money for the shop.
2. Won't your shop look a bit bare with just a few sample products?
3. What will you do with the bulk of products that you're left with that don't sell?

No, I said about considering a market stall, Gumtree and figuring out postage problems. So I'd test that way.

Also, I was hoping that I could get funding for a shop and use money I already have for products. Products don't cost as much as a shop does.

And I'd just keep trying to sell products that don't sell or, for just one type of product, keep it.

kittiej

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Thought about it, but although I can do exactly the type of site I want for my own sites, other people will want things that I can not do. For example, amazing graphics or something in a coding language I don't know. So sadly it isn't really an option.

I think you might underestimate yourself there tbh OP. Say I was starting a business up and needed a website - say vintage clothing - would you be able to do this?

Not everyone wants an all singing all dancing website

Flyonthewall

kittiej wrote: »

I think you might underestimate yourself there tbh OP. Say I was starting a business up and needed a website - say vintage clothing - would you be able to do this?

Not everyone wants an all singing all dancing website

I wouldn't generally say an all singing all dancing website is good. Works for one or two but overall it's the worst thing you can do. It's not user friendly at all and it achieves nothing. If they wanted that and it didn't work for their business I'd say no and give them another layout/design idea.

Based on that I'd have to ask, do you have a logo or would you want one designing? Would you be selling clothes online? If so, how much would you be selling? Do you have photos of products and would you want clothing related graphics? Would you need it marketing/SEO?

Might be a few more questions or things I'd have to ask once I knew them things, but that's off the top of my head and they all make a big difference to whether or not I could create it.

kittiej

But you see you have the insight and knowledge for this

There's no reason why you can't have 2 businesses or earn money with one to fund the setting up of the other. It might just be the funding source you need to help you get to where you really want to be.

Another business for you to look over - some of these look like Pok!mon to me but it could be something similar (loosely)

http://uk.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A7x9QfjprtlROWwAEGZLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTE1ZTFma3RjBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2lyZAR2dGlkA01TWVVLMDJfNzU-/SIG=11irj1g6l/EXP=1373249385/**http%3a//www.merrythought.co.uk/

Flyonthewall

kittiej wrote: »

But you see you have the insight and knowledge for this

There's no reason why you can't have 2 businesses or earn money with one to fund the setting up of the other. It might just be the funding source you need to help you get to where you really want to be.

Another business for you to look over - some of these look like Pok!mon to me but it could be something similar (loosely)

http://uk.search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A7x9QfjprtlROWwAEGZLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTE1ZTFma3RjBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2lyZAR2dGlkA01TWVVLMDJfNzU-/SIG=11irj1g6l/EXP=1373249385/**http%3a//www.merrythought.co.uk/

Knowledge doesn't mean skill. Especially where graphics are concerned and just knowing what type of coding language to use doesn't mean you can code in it.

Finest handmade teddy bears? Some of them look well odd. Weird shaped heads. The cheeky baby elephant one looks stupid. And them prices are just for one? Wow...how is that business still going?

kittiej

Merrythought did almost close for good but they have a big collector following in Japan which came about quite unexpectedly!

Flyonthewall

kittiej wrote: »

Merrythought did almost close for good but they have a big collector following in Japan which came about quite unexpectedly!

Ah. Lucky them lol.

googler

OP, have you ever watched Dragon's Den?

If you were pitching to them to provide the finance for your shop the way you're pitching here, how many dragons do you think would be willing to back you?

I think they'd all be out long ago.