Posts Tagged ‘how to’
How I Did It: Add a Wholesale Line to a Retail Business
Monday, November 24th, 2008
For nearly 40 years, the Schurman family business in Cold Spring, Minn. consisted of just one retail location stocked with cakes, cookies, and other pastries.
But with its second-generation ownership came a wholesale line now bringing in more than half of its current business, in addition to Modern Baking’s 2004 “Bakery of the Year” title.
Founded in 1946, the Cold Spring Bakery began offering a wholesale line in the late 1980s. At the time, the economy seemed to favor small family-owned businesses, giving owners Dale and Lynn Schurman reason to plan an expansion.
Between adding more retail locations and a wholesale line, “it just seemed to make more sense to do wholesale,” Lynn Schurman said, “so that we could still continue doing production, but then we didn’t have to worry about renting spaces, filling them with employees, and all the other hassles of dealing with multiple locations.”
Between local restaurants, sandwich shops, and 17 grocery stores, the bakery now takes in 40 to 50 wholesale and retail orders a day. While a few of these clients – including one grocery store just down the street – bought wholesale before operations began, the rest simply came to the bakery via word-of-mouth in the town of 3,733.
The bakery added production space in 2000, though that construction has not been its biggest overhaul. Lynn Schurman admits that increasing production “was the easy part of adding the wholesale business,” in comparison to installing invoicing software and standardizing the ordering process.
And as their wholesale line continued to develop, the Cold Spring Bakery also had to adopt a new type of cost efficiency. To businesses thinking of going wholesale, Lynn Schurman recommends that they consider all possible costs attached to every step of the ordering process.
“You can pick up a lot of small orders, but it doesn’t pay to drop off a $5 order at some place, then another because of the cost of processing,” she said. “That drop, stop, and going in may not cover it.”
But even with the extra considerations in mind, Lynn Schurman appreciates the financial stability that a wholesale line can offer a growing business.
“The nice thing about the wholesale business is that it is [sic] more steady year-round, while retail has its ups and downs,” she said.
Cold Spring Bakery, 308 Main St., Cold Spring, MN 56320. Call 310-685-8651 or visit www.coldspringbakery.com .
Tags: christina lee, Cold Spring Bakery, how to, Lynn Schurman, retail
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Q&A: How to Become an Apparel Buyer
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Q: How does one become an apparel buyer for a retail store or company?
A: While they may shop for a living, apparel buyers do so under the scrutiny of perhaps an entire merchandising department, certainly for an entire consumer base. The fashion sense buyer positions require is not entirely inherent. In fact, many of them require a bachelor’s degree, with completion of business, economics or finance courses.
An aspiring buyer could even earn at the Fashion Institute of Technology a Bachelor of Science degree in fashion merchandising management. Required courses in buying and planning specialization include FM 322 (Fashion Inventory Management) and FM 325 (Financial Assortment and Planning).
But while such a degree is not entirely necessary, retail experience is. Students attending the Fashion Institute of Technology often take trips to buying offices in addition to retail stores, specialty shops and showrooms. According to a job listing posted October 21, New York and Company requires that applicants for its assistant buyer position have spent at least a year in fashion retail.
Through all of these experiences, aspiring buyers should have also gained a sense of how business for the retail store or company can be conducted efficiently. Buyers are constantly tracking orders and analyzing figures, all to keep merchandise flowing and sales rising. A BCBG Max Azria junior buyer also evaluates seasonal performances of stores and departments, in addition to writing up weekly business recaps.
Finally, aspiring buyers must be able to work as team players. A BCBG Max Azria job listing for a junior buyer rattles off eight individuals and departments to whom he or she must report. Perhaps most important, apparel buyers must be able to maintain relationships with suppliers, ideally so that both are catering a store or company’s customer.
Tags: apparel, BCBG Max Azria, christina lee, Fashion Institute of Technology, how to, New York and Company
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How To: Import Products From Japan
Monday, September 29th, 2008
When it comes to business and the market, many Americans operate under the illusion that the same rules apply to imports from other countries as apply within America itself; namely, grow your business and realize the American dream.
However, all business owners, and particularly those who are importing, have to remember that while the aspirations of the individual are important (if not central in an oblique way) to the well being of the United States, they do not come before the well being of the nation as a whole.
The Pearl of the Orient
So why is this important in an article that discusses imports in Japan? Well, when it comes to the important products being sold today, Japan has us beat in many areas.
Not only that, but the United States and Japan have always had a tense relationship when it comes to trade, largely due to protectionist feelings on the side of the States and isolationist feelings on the side of the Japanese.
This means that import issues and regulations for products from Japan are convoluted in the extreme, and most often have to be looked at on an item by item basis.
So what exactly are the main items that are imported from Japan to the United States? Well, a top three list yields up cars, electronics, and pharmaceuticals in that order.
Other important imports - ones that businesses are built around - include semi-conductors and petro chemicals.
For the individual American businessperson, it is the first three that are likely going to be the targets of your business, so let’s take a quick look as best we can into some of the procedures and customs you are likely to encounter when you are looking to import from Japan.
• Always be polite. One of the biggest mistakes that American entrepreneurs make when dealing with business partners, particularly those in the Far East, is neglecting manners.
Japanese business means you don’t let your feelings show - and that is the most important rule there is.
• Be prepared to pay. Unfortunately for the individual entrepreneur, those cheap prices on all manner of great Japanese products don’t stay so cheap once they are in your hand.
The reason? Those tense trade relations we were talking about. The top three imports from Japan are all areas in which the States would like to take a lead, so in order to combat a flooding of the US market with Japanese goods there are some pretty high tariffs.
You can expect that price to skyrocket once you get it into the States, and you will have to build around that in the retail value.
• Approach business like business! A really big mistake that a lot of foreign importers make with Japanese companies is not treating them like American companies.
It’s hard not to get wrapped up in our perception of Japanese culture, but you have to remember that business is business all over the world - and you can’t take honesty for granted from anyone!
It is also important that, if you are importing anything from Japan, that you keep in touch with current events on the US/Japan trade front.
There are almost continuous court cases being brought up between governments and businesses in regards to Japan/American trade, any one of which could affect you and your business.
Most people find it much easier to go through a middle company, one which can act as a broker; again, this is really only feasible if you are planning on retailing high end goods.
Tags: customs, Doing Business Internationally, how to, import, importing products, international business, japan, products, tips
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Keeping the Green Movement Going: How to Avoid Eco-Fatigue
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Unless you’ve been hiding under a non-carbon based rock for the last five years, you are probably aware that there is a massive environmental movement under way. This movement is centered around the dangers posed to the planet by global warming, as caused by the actions of human beings.
Governments, businesses, and individuals are all on the green train, but there is a new worry on the horizon: will people eventually tire of being told what to do in order to save the planet?
There is a curve when it comes to marketing of any product or idea. First, the idea starts small, then gains momentum. Eventually the idea has the support of thousands of people, but then a funny thing happens: all of a sudden, everyone gets tired of hearing the same old message.
It Ain’t Easy Being Green
This has happened time and again in marketing, but the problem with consumers and so- called eco-fatigue is that the very life of the planet depends on people continuing to live greener - and supporting businesses that conduct business in a greener manner.
In other words, no one can become eco-fatigued enough that they actually fall asleep, or the result may be a permanent coma.
So how does a business go about helping others, and the business itself, to avoid eco- fatigue? Well, first of all businesses need to be leaders in the area of green living. Businesses need to show people, through example, that their impact on the environment is important to them.
They can do so by using recycled and recyclable packaging with the recycle symbol on it. Refusing to use too many supplies - and making sure those supplies are eco-friendly - will also send the message that your business cares about the environment.
Use A Light Touch
And that is really what avoiding eco-fatigue is about; staying away from the point where people begin to feel as though they are being bullied into inconvenient behaviors in order to circumvent a catastrophe at some point in the distant future.
The campaign surrounding green living has traditionally centered around fear and guilt, and people just can’t take that kind of treatment for long (just look at how effective it is on your teenager!).
Sooner or later they rebel, and it usually happens in a big way; while they may have done little things before to help out, now they do nothing because they are just tired of being pushed into it.
The way to avoid this problem lies in the way we state what green living is all about. It is surprising how little of the ‘living green’ campaign focuses on how smart green living actually is; it is not just about the environment, it is about the bottom line.
Turning off lights, using less water and driving less means a far less outlay of cash. It is just more convenient to do paperless paper work; much easier to send messages wirelessly, and much easier to keep records.
In order to avoid eco-fatigue, then, it is important both to lead and to emphasize the positive. Doing so will be good for your business - and good for the planet.
Tags: consumers, eco friendly, eco-fatigue, environment, environmental movement, going green, Green, green business, green movement, how to, Leeia Ladipoh, Marketing
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How To: Establish Trust With an Online Buyer
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Without a doubt, the number one obstacle to running a successful online business is getting potential buyers to trust your website enough that they are willing to make a purchase.
Let’s be really honest; there are plenty of steps involved with the purchase and receipt of any online product from the release of a credit card number to final delivery - and potential customers will worry about every single one of these areas when it comes to making a purchase from a business they have not used in the past.
About Branding
There is a lot of competition in online sales out there, and some of it is from well-recognized companies that have their own names to create the kind of trust you need from your visitors.
So that is your first step to establishing that trust with customers on your site; build yourself an identity. This step is more popularly known today as branding, and it extends to everything your business does, from the site layout to slogans to a nice looking logo.
Everything you put out needs to look professional and great, or your first impression on a visitor might be the last.
Guard Your Reputation
Next, you have to make sure that you know what is being said about you. Business can be dirty business sometimes, and with the amount of online competition there is no guarantee that yours will play fair.
It is easy enough to go into consumer forums and make false posts about businesses, so make sure that you are doing your own search engine inquiries about your business to have a look at what’s being said.
If you do encounter negative feedback, defend your business honestly and don’t jump to conclusions; try to track down the source of the complaint on your end and remedy the situation, and then post that you have done so.
Social Media Concerns
In the Web 2.0 World, you also have to be very careful about the way you present yourself when on a message board, posting a video to YouTube, on Facebook, and so on.
Most of us are using social media to extend awareness of our businesses, but people can get the wrong impression according to how you conduct yourself. If they don’t like how they see you as a person, odds are that you won’t have their trust, and you even run the risk of them discouraging others from using your business.
Finally, the best way to establish trust with your online customers is to provide them with honest, prompt service and delivery. No customer should ever have to contact you about the delivery of a product.
Instead, be proactive and contact them to inquire about whether or not they have received what they bought, the condition it was in, and so on. This is a great way not only to gain repeat business but to gain testimonials, which are another important tool when it comes to gaining the trust of online customers.
Tags: branding, customer service, E-Commerce and E-Business, establish trust, how to, Leeia Ladipoh, online shopping, online transactions, reputation, Sales, social media, web 2.0
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How To: Work with Family–Accentuate the Positive
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
I’m willing to bet that when you left home, working with members of your family was one of the very last things on your mind.
You were probably thankful just to get out and look forward to the special occasions where you could see each other for a limited amount of time, before the tension started to build (and of course, I write this from my own perspective; I know there are those of you who would happily live in a huge house with all your relatives forever. I am jealous).
Whether you couldn’t wait to leave or just wanted to stay, working with your family calls for special boundaries that you would not have to worry about were you to conduct business with people who did not share your genes.
In this article we will look at some ways in which you can make a working relationship with members of your family, whether as partners in business or in a hierarchy, a successful one.
The Greatest Strength of Working with Family Is Also the Greatest Weakness
Namely, that weakness is familiarity. When you start a business with a family member, or hire a family member to do a job within your own business, you generally know what to expect.
You can count on them in certain situations, to work hard, to support you in dealing with others, and so on.
Unfortunately, this familiarity also means that both you and your family member are aware of your general weaknesses. It is probably best to get this out in the open right away, before you make any agreement to work together on a business venture or to have an employer/employee relationship.
Set Some Boundaries
Make it clear, on both ends, that there will be no dialogue which contains the words "you are always like this…". There is no purpose to this kind of conversation except to lay guilt on the other party; and even though it may be true, it does present an unfair burden when it comes to business disagreements.
One of the best ways to deal with family and work is to establish some ground rules from the get-go, with the above example leading the way. Perhaps more importantly, both you and your family members should clearly define the lines of work and of your relationship outside of work; you don’t want that line crossed in either situation or it could wreck your relationship with both.
Remember that both you and your family member are likely to react differently to the same problem depending on your environment. The house can be a real pressure cooker, with facts contributing to scenarios that just don’t come into play at work.
Even if you do know, right down to the syllable, how your wife or your father might react to a situation at home does not necessarily mean they will act that way at work; give them the benefit of the doubt.
In other words, the best way to work with family is to start out with a clean slate, except of course on the positive side. Try not to hold prior experiences against them, unless of course those experiences directly impact on the work situation (theft, deception, back stabbing, and so on).
If you do have those types of problems when it comes to a certain family member, it is best not to get involved in a work relationship with them. Otherwise, be fair and wait to see if what you find annoying or weak in a family environment actually works well in the business.
Tags: family and business, family business, hiring family, how to, Leeia Ladipoh, working with family
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How To Make Your Webpages Interactive
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007
What do your visitors do when they reach your website?
According to the law of averages some of them will only stay for a few seconds before going elsewhere. Your job as a website owner is to reduce the percentage of potential customers you lose by as much as you can. The longer people stay on your site, the more chance there is of signing them up to your newsletter, or even selling them something.
The secret to doing this is to make your webpages interactive. Or more precisely your homepage, since this is what people will see first.
You need to draw people in to your website in order to make them stay longer, so you need to ensure the top section of your homepage has a least one interactive feature. The top section is the part that you can look at and read without scrolling down (commonly referred to as "above the fold"). After all, what’s the use of saving your best features for the bottom of your homepage if no one actually sees it?
The best method to use is to give away a free item in exchange for the person’s email address. This way you build a relationship with your customer and your email opt-in list at the same time.
To get the best results, make sure the free item is instantly available. A free download or access to a secret page loaded with information are two good examples of this.
It’s also vital to make sure the free item has a high perceived value. It needs to be something the customer couldn’t get anywhere else - or couldn’t get free anywhere else - and will be of real use to them. If this product is currently very popular you will stand an even better chance of getting their attention. You need to ensure the customer cannot possibly click away from your site until they have this information.
Once you have their email address through the double opt-in method (they will need to confirm via email that they have requested the information) they will be added to your email marketing list. This will not only give you the chance to keep in touch and possibly sell them something in the future, it also keeps your name and your site fresh in their mind.
In the world of internet marketing building relationships with your customers is vital to your success. By having an interactive homepage you will be a lot closer to achieving that success.
Tags: E-Commerce and E-Business, how to, interactive webpages, Rebecca Button, tips, visitor retention, Web Design, website
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How To Run An FBI Check On Your Wholesale Distributor
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
Why is it not easy to establish a trust bond between a new wholesaler and distributor from a potential small business? The main reason of this trust-bond issue rises when you start to get hundreds and thousands of targeted visitors to your sites every single day. You not only get visitors, but one of the greatest benefits of being open to huge amounts of targeted readers is that you get the benefit of joint venture partners.
As you get potential joint venture partners, your e-commerce hosting server can crash and burn from floods of visitors in an initial time frame or you can even downgrade your business for the most economical hosting option, that is depending on how good your joint venture partner is. Pretty much, the more customers you have on a monthly, weekly or daily basis- the more cautious you need to be with whom you conduct business with today and tomorrow.
One of the greatest tools to identify who you are really dealing with is called "Read Notify". You can make a search in any popular search engine like Yahoo, Google or MSN and find the dot com name immediately. Such a tool works as a tracking device when sending email.
The beauty of it is that when you get partners and middlemen trying to post as a real legit distributor- you can know a lot more facts about the company trying to unite with you or conduct business and finally meet initial trust bonds between you and your new trading partner. For instance, have you ever wanted to run an FBI check on your partner or potential new business acquaintance?
While there is nothing better than someone from the FBI telling you everything about a guy’s history, you definitely can do an in-depth investigation on your wholesale list contacts or your new wholesale distributor without even asking the new party!
Here is how this excellent tool works wonders for many of us. When you send an email to a small business operator or the guy and entity with which you want to conduct business- chances are he will open the email to see whatever it is that you have to say to him for both his company and pocket-wise benefits. When he opens such electronic mail- what do you get? You immediately get crucial information from him, the receiver, such as:
The exact location of where the email is being opened, tracked by I.P Address. For instance, if you live in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and you are sending him an email from Sydney, Australia, the system most of the time will give you from 70-100% possibilities of the nearby street number of where he is located. Such a tracking device tells you then of course the city and country and the exact time when the person opened the email, all in real time. Do you need to chase or potentially bribe an FBI agent to get this kind of information?
Of course not - it’s not ethical and not legal; but you can investigate that yourself! So could you imagine what a tool like this could really do for you and your e-commerce negotiations if you received many joint venture offers or are skeptical of the person who wants to conduct business with you?
Getting a liar who tells you he is a wholesale distributor from the USA when the correct location of his whereabouts is in Berlin, Pakistan or other hot places where you should not commercially trade or ship any kind of package, could mean a lot for your business safety- especially if you happen to buy the everyday scandalous wholesale riches scheme story from someone who just does not know what he’s talking about.
About the Author:
Finding a Wholesale Distributor online is one of the business components Joaquin serves as an e-commerce coach. His focus today is providing rich Wholesale List sources.
Tags: advice, distributor, fbi check, how to, Joaquin Reveron, Product Sourcing, source, tips, wholesale, wholesale distributor, wholesale list
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