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Getting your product into a chain store is no easy task. Not only do you need to prove your product fills a gap or is better than existing products on the market, you need to make sure you can meet the production demands of those chain stores. And that costs money.

Before leaping head first into the realm of chain store mania, start with smaller, local stores. Get a feel for what the public wants. Fine-tune your product based upon consumer and retailer feedback. And build up enough reserve capital to carry you when you finally do make the big leap to chain store heaven.

Once you’ve perfected your product and sales are steady and reliable, it’s time to hit the chain stores. Continue reading ‘5 Quick Tips For Getting Into Chain Stores’ »

Establishing a new business is in most cases a financially draining and time consuming task, but can of course ultimately be hugely rewarding. As such, it is no surprise that in the face of an apparently turbulent financial environment, thousands of people still opt to set up their own companies.

There are myriad resources available which provide advice upon all aspects of business start-ups, guiding entrepreneurs from their initial concept through to the formal registration of their company. Given the nature of business today however, once registered there are still some serious decisions to be made which can have a major impact on the success, Continue reading ‘Computer Leasing For New Businesses’ »

Main Street businesses are still facing the realities of this recession. Lower consumer and business spending is killing P&L statements. Many business owners, facing lower revenue, still remain straddled with high labor cots and other overhead.

Most business owners have decided to reduce their overall costs by laying-off employees. However, doing so can have additional adverse effect on the business. Added burdens to retained employees, reduced or canceled customer support or even reduced productivity as job stability fear rise – all of which can lead to further declines in revenue. Continue reading ‘Pay-For-Performance’ »

Credit card processing charges are one of the greatest expenses that a business has. Consumer related businesses are especially affected by processing charges. That’s why it’s so important to have a low cost processing solution, and why it’s so unusual that many people shop for and compare costs with a backwards approach.

Many people shop for a new credit card processor by using their existing service provider as a benchmark from which to compare new providers. Instead of asking prospective providers how much their processing services will cost, they ask what the savings will be over their existing merchant account rates and fees. Continue reading ‘Credit Card Processing – The Key to Savings is Starting From Zero’ »

How many times have you walked down the aisle of the supermarket and saw something that made you say something like “Finally, a package that I can use in my car! I can’t believe it took them so long to figure that out.” I know I have. But the irony is, the underlying reason it often takes big companies so long to launch new products is the exact process that entrepreneurs mock, yet desperately need.

Don’t think for a second that these lumbering giants don’t understand the benefits of being first to market, innovative and creative. Many big companies have talented, entrepreneurial managers who dream of how they will launch the next great household item, in record time, galvanizing the organization behind them. (I know, I was once one of them). However, the reality in the world of the Fortune 500 (and beyond) is that they have a need to minimize risk. Continue reading ‘Small Business Planning – How to Reduce Risk Without Building Bureaucracy’ »

Attending a fair or festival as a vendor is a unique experience and one that certainly helps to reinforce the fact that small businesses are the backbone of the nation. However, staying at the fair for too long can certainly induce some traumatic, though amusing, side effects. How do you know if you’ve stayed too long at that fair or festival? Here are some of the top ways to determine if you’ve overstayed at the fair!

You’re on a first name basis with almost every vendor at the festival.

The grass under your trailer has died, withered away and turned to dust.

You start repainting your booth while still at the fair. Continue reading ‘You Know You've Been at the Show Too Long When’ »