So You Think You Can Finance? The Pros and Cons Retail in the US

So You Think You Can Finance? The Pros and Cons Retail in the US

Retail sales in the US top four billion dollars each year, so there’s clearly a piece of the pie out there for burgeoning entrepreneurs. Although many starry-eyed would-be Richard Branson’s forget to ask themselves a simple question before they embark on the road to their billions, and it’s “what am I up against?” Understanding different types of retail and business models is integral to understanding where your business will fit on the spectrum of retail success.

How The Business Operates

Obviously, running a brick-and-mortar business is going to have completely different overhead from a simple website, but understand overhead, cost and associate risks helps you anticipate what you’ll need to get started. Dunn and Bradstreet, a notable firm, conducted a study that revealed that 90 percent of small businesses fail because of “a lack of skills and knowledge of the owner.” Say, for example, you’re an excellent yoga instructor with enough capital to start a small studio, it doesn’t matter how good you are at the “lotus” pose if you don’t understand and master the art of bookkeeping– or hire someone who does. Great customer service, smart inventory or service management, effective staff training, strategic merchandising, long-range planning and disciplined leadership are uncompromising pieces to any business that wants to stay successful for the long-haul.

The Strategy Behind The Success

The best product or service in the world will fail unless it begins with a solid, well researched and creative marketing strategy, which includes understanding of your competition. All sales techniques, networking initiatives, advertising, PR and media campaigns fall under the umbrella of marketing. According to Marketing Made Simple, this begins with understanding your customer, and understanding you may not be the best proxy for your customer. Do your research and get into the mind of the demographic you are looking to penetrate, and design your mission statement and value proposition around them. Then, write a marketing plan that’s built to evolve with the changing marketplace. You’re marketing plan could be simple or have hundreds of moving pieces; The American Marketing Association offers excellent, and in-depth tips on creating the best plan for your business.

Ensure Legal Compliance

Some of the biggest and best brands have been brought down by skirting, or simply failing to understand all of the legal risks involved. Most of us have a general understanding that discrimination, tax evasion and embezzlement are a bad idea, but they may not know the intricacies or risk factors involved with the subtle rules of workers compensation or the ins and outs of what at-will termination really means. Protecting your personal assets is also an essential part of successful business operation. There are unique and complex legal hoops for just about every industry, as the law is never a “one size fits all” entity. Food labeling is much different than food preparation for example; every genre of product has its own legal book of rules to follow, so it’s essential to find a knowledgeable attorney, no matter what industry you seek to make a mark in.

The True Impact of Startups on Cities

The True Impact of Startups on Cities

Take a problem, add a dose of passion, a pinch of innovation and a dash of gumption and you have a startup. Merriam-Webster defines a startup as “the act or an instance of setting in operation or motion” or “fledging business enterprise.” This level of ingenuity and entrepreneurship has led to some of the most successful startups—Facebook, Microsoft, and Google, just to name a few.

Big cities are logical hubs for startups. With the allure of an easy commute, access to all the business essentials, and opportunities at every corner it is easy to see why startups flock to these meccas. The increase of population also has increased greenhouse gas emissions. In short, more people means more pollution. The solution while it may be simple it is not as easy to accomplish—diminish the carbon footprint all the while continuing to grow and expand: enter smart city.

What is smart city? In simple terms it is a city in which technology and local government come together in effort to diminish the effects of pollution and yet promote technological growth. How is this possible? It is actually quite simple, more startups. The Knight Foundation reports that after eighteen months spent researching startups and the city issues they aim to solve they found “a rapid increase in founders and investors who want to solve city problems and believe startups are poised to solve many of our biggest city challenges.” Smart City Summit aims to bridge the gap between city and startup through collaboration and innovation, starting with their annual summits. These summits open the door between city and startup to share knowledge, and hopefully be the catalyst in a lasting relationship.

Not only are startups helping cities become “smarter” by reducing their carbon footprint, but more importantly, they are promoting growth through employment opportunities. Startups provide jobs that would simply not exist without our country’s brave innovators. Some startups are so unique that people will relocate just to be part of something new and exciting. Many want in at the ground floor and being in at the ground floor has historically paid off in a big way. A great example of this is Apple, Inc. Yourstory reports that in 1980 when Apple, Inc. went public, 300 millionaires were created almost instantaneously.

Fun & Profitable Small Business Ideas

Fun & Profitable Small Business Ideas

Everyone has thought about starting up and running their own business at some point. Think of it. You can be your own boss, you can do what you love, you can have fun and make money. Starting up a business is a lot of work, but if you do it right and well, there’s a lot of reward. Don’t dismiss that business dream you had that one summer, decades ago, your ideas might more profitable than you think.

Need some ideas for starting your own profitable (and even fun) business? Consider a few of these.

Toy Business

Toys? Yes, toys. When you were a kid, you probably came up with some pretty cool ideas about how you could make your existing toys better. Sure, the children’s toy market is competitive, but if you’ve got a fresh idea and a test group of kids, you might have a pretty good chance. Remember, kids are the best (and most honest critics), they will let you know if you’ve got a winner. If you add an educational element, you’ll have bonus points with parents.

As you would with any business, it’s important to remember that all toys, games, and other products targeted to children is safe. Children are a vulnerable demographic, make sure your product is safe. Never try to sell or make a defective toy. Many successful toy makers started out small, just don’t forget the “kid in you” and always stand behind your product.

Event Planner

If you are an organized person with an eye for style and can stretch a dollar, you might make the perfect event planner. Today, with people’s busy schedules and lack of desire to plan their own events, event planners are in high demand. While it can be a competitive field, there’s no lack of need for event planning from small cocktail parties to corporate holiday gatherings to high brow galas.

The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor & Statistics reports event planning as a fast growing occupation (about 33% faster than average) and with no sign of slowing down anytime in the near future. The pay can be great, but you will work hard to earn every cent. One big plus with event planning is seeing the finished product: A magical evening.

Errand Services

Errand services could very well be grown up code for “chores”, but such a service is in high demand. Decades ago, people who wanted to run their own errand services had to rely on word of mouth, flyers, or the classifieds, but now the internet (as well as smartphone apps) has made errand services a thriving business idea.

If you don’t mind people calling you up and asking you to pick up their dry cleaning, go grocery shopping, organize the pantry, or even scoop the litter box, you’ll be successful. Some major pluses of starting an errand service is the ability to being your own boss, setting your own rules (like what you will or won’t do), and making good money. You can even vamp up your services my adding pet sitting, dog walking, and general cleaning (all things that are always in requested).

Be your own boss. Have fun, be safe, and make a profit.