Search

Rss Posts

Rss Comments

Login

 

Posts from July, 2009

Liquor Stores: MaximizingYour Profit

Jul 18

In my extensive experience with helping people from all walks of life buy businesses, I have repeatedly noticed an interesting trait in people who are selling their liquor stores. They’re almost always suffering from severe burnout!

If you check out a variety of liquor stores that are up for sale, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. The places are usually poorly taken care of, and there are bottles on the shelves that could have easily been laying around for years. The lighting needs to be replaced, the walls need a couple coats of new paint, and boxes of ancient stock are piled up in storage areas. I have even come across injection-molded plastic signs on the walls for brands of beer that don’t even exist anymore.

Sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? Well, not really, because all those factors can spell opportunity just for you, a smart buyer.

Here are the crucial steps to turn that underperforming liquor store into a money machine!

Step one: Make sure that you purchase the correct store!

First things first… You have to buy a store with untapped demographic potential. It could be an older “mom and pop” liquor store in a neighborhood that has recently been transformed by the arrival of younger, well-to-do professional consumers. It could be in a section of the district where new office complexes are planned for development. Whatever your choice, it must have significant growth potential.

Avoid buying a liquor store in an area that’s in decline. Occasionally such stores can be pulling in positive cash flow by selling half pints of liquor and flask-style bottles of low cost wine, but let’s be real about this point; a store in a district which is improving will always provide you with more potential for expansion and increased profitability.

Step two: Cater to a more professional type of clientele!

If you’re in an region that’s bringing in an increasing number of professional people, begin building an upscale inventory that will appeal to these customers. Don’t wait for people to ask for more exclusive wines, get those products on your shelves in anticipation of popular demand.

Then we arrive at the issue of customer service. If you’re looking to capture customer group of well-to-do professionals, you’ll need to be able to answer all sorts of questions about a variety of wines – which wines are popular, or which go really well with a certain kinds of food.

One way to provide this service is to hire knowledgeable salespeople. Another way is to hire enthusiastic people and train them, or perhaps become a wine expert yourself. Your choice of strategy depends on your budget, your sales and the size of your establishment.

Step three: Make your upscale store look the part – from day one.

If your store needs renovation or freshening up before it can appeal to your new clients, make sure you budget for this – and always reserve a realistic amount of money for fix-ups. Come to a reasonable figure for how much the entirety will cost, and make this a key factor of your calculations as you negotiate with the Seller for a fair price. Keep in mind that you can’t get any new business from upscale clientele by slapping on a new coat of paint on broken down old shelves. Carefully look at windows, lighting, floor surfaces, wall coverings and every other detail you can think of. Even your cash registers have to be brand new and perfectly clean.

Step four: Expand your product offerings beyond alcoholic beverages.

Over the last decade, upscale liquor stores have begun to offer gourmet cheeses and other food products. It makes sense to expand in this way. Use your intuition, and if people are trying to find a great bottle of wine, or some really good beer to go with a hearty meal, why not offer a selection of cheese, olives, crackers and other tasty appetizers? Don’t forget to check local ordinances and zoning to make sure that you can sell food products at your location.

Step five: Hold in-store events to attract more of your target clients.

Hold wine tastings, cooking classes and cheese seminars in your store. If a well known author has recently published a popular book on wine or cheese, have a book signing at your store.

Events do more than sell products. They give your store the feeling of a community – and a destination.

Step six: Build an Internet presence.

Set up a store Webpage where you recommend wine, liquors and beer. On this Webpage, be sure to build in a sign-up form where customers can subscribe to your state-of-the-art professional email newsletter, in which you send out comprehensive information on your products.

Also, in your newsletter, add in coupons for rebates on wines, beer and a variety of other products, and make an effort to be creative with discovering new ways of making it as simple as possible for your customers to recommend new subscribers to you.

Always present your Website visitors with the opportunity to order products strait from your Website store. You can provide local delivery if you have a car, or inexpensive shipping to a wider region. Be aware, however, that you may be prevented by law from shipping alcoholic beverages to other states, and make sure to check this out before you buy your store, so you can get a realistic idea of the business’s true overall profit potential.

Richard Parker is the President and founder of the prestigious Diomo Corporation – The Business Buyer Resource Center. His celebrated materials, seminars and consulting have encouraged thousands of aspiring business buyers from around the World to pursue their dream of buying a business.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Reliable Work From Home – How To Start An Online Reliable Work From Home

Jul 17

Nowadays, it has become possible for anyone to work from home, but only if he/she ensures that it is reliable.

If you are looking to make some extra money by starting a reliable work from home then marketing on the Internet can be an ideal model for the work in for. It is easy to start and I do not need any products or services for sale on the spot. Affiliate marketing in promoting other peoples products or trade for them, in exchange for a commission.

A seller on the Internet, and in some cases can be very lucrative commissions if you know what your doing. If you have been before or in the work just begun, the chances are that you are heard saying “find a market for them and feed the hungry, what they need.” To become successful in this work or any work offline and online, you will have to be good to find your “target market”.

The reason why there has been a growing need for sources that help people work from home can be attributed to the economic downturn around the world, which has resulted in the failure of traditional approaches to earning money. For the same reason, there has been a boom in the number of options to capitalize on, and similarly increase in scams, as they also realize what people are looking for.

Any online business, whether it sells products or services, or generates income through traffic; need to ensure their source is legitimate and trustworthy. Therefore, you should give adequate time to your search for finding the most reliable source to work from home. This will help you capitalize on all the money making opportunities offered by them. Scammers normally offer you solutions that are out dated or highly ineffective in accordance to your business, and only succeed in wasting your hard earned money.

If you have difficulty in finding this program to the status of your own, then it is likely a good sign that you have the choice of clothes torn. In such a case is transferred to your account at other outlets, and do the same search on Google for them. This is the platform you will need to start a reliable work from home to promote your product or service. It is a slap in the face of a very temping links everywhere, saying, and “Click here!” And “buy”, so much so that your links with the blue.

Instead of dealing with him like a review on the subject or niche you’ve chosen. In a bid to as much information as possible without giving all the information, so as not to write the whole manual so to speak.
The best source to find Reliable Work From Home is Profit Lance Review.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

The Expansion of ISO 14001

Jul 16

Implementing a Successful Total Quality Management System

Total Quality Management implementation is an initiative many organizations wanted to try out. Assuming that you are a leader of this organization, a common question you probably asked would be: “How do I know whether my organization is successful in implementing Total Quality Management?”

There is no doubt that measuring Total Quality Management implementation success rate is of interest to all if not most leaders. Otherwise, how would you as a leader know the effort put into implementing Total Quality Management is really worthwhile, more so when a lot of resources such as money, manpower etc are deployed to support the initiative that is Total Quality Management implementation.

A way to evaluate the Total Quality Management success is to adopt a holistic approach of assessing your organization. One of the examples of such a holistic approach is the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award assessment approach. This is a national level award system in the United States to recognize organizations for achieving excellence in their respective field of interest.

The Expansion of ISO 14001

The ISO 14001 Standard has demonstrated an expansion in registrations over the past 8 years, and is now considered well beyond the critical mass needed to sustain it as the primary Environmental Management System model for the next decade. When working with this Standard as we have, one of the great features one recognizes is its flexibility to fit a wide variety of organizations. The same system model that is used by a global manufacturer of electronics components can also work for a local municipality or the U.S. Army. The proposed changes to the Standard due to be enforced won’t be a big departure from the elements we know today, but are simply the next small step in the evolution of a global standard. There are many different forces coming into play that drive this evolution, so stay tuned, maybe the next 8 years will be an interesting ride.

What are your Obligations towards Temporary Holiday Staff?

Employers have the same duty of care obligations towards temporary holiday staff as their permanent employees – which is to ensure their health and safety.

Some temporary holiday staff, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors, are young people who are recognized as especially vulnerable to workplace accidents during the festive season. It is the busiest time of year for some employers, who sometimes neglect to properly train recruits about safety procedures, particularly if they are only temporary holiday staff.

Inexperience, lack of knowledge and an unwillingness to ask questions or query employer requests also contributes to the injury rate of young and new workers.

To prevent this, employers should be planning now for the influx of new and young workers to their organizations and the consequent occupational health and safety implications during the holiday period.

Developing an appropriate, targeted induction program which encourages them to ask questions and providing extra supervision for the workers over the Christmas period are both recommended.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

If You’re Looking to Buy a Business, a Resale Franchise that’s Already Successful is a Solid Investment

Jul 15

When buying a business, there are many business for sale opportunities available, including buying a successful resale franchise. When you purchase a business that’s been continuously profitable over a long period of time, you acquire several advantages over purchasing a new franchise that doesn’t yet have a track record in a new area.

There are all sorts reasons why franchise owners decide to sell their businesses. It may be due to retirement, health issues, moving, or various other lifestyle alterations where they can’t – for whatever reason, continue to own a business. A profitable resale franchise is perfect for individuals intending to purchase a business. It combines the desire to own a business, run it, and realize an immediate profit.

A franchise resale business which is up for sale should be dealt with just like any other potential purchase business opportunity. Conduct all the necessary research to obtain background information before buying a business. Analyze the franchise and learn all you can about it. Analyze the franchise and learn all you can about it. Also ask the franchise seller about any other additional pertinent details with respect to the location you’re considering. Your buy business analysis will help you decide whether a resale franchise is right for you.

A buy business deal that involves a resale franchise comes with numerous benefits. For instance, the business valuation is easier to conduct and analyze. You can value a business by checking out the historical information dealing with the franchise in question, determine the value a business franchise holds and make key decisions with respect to its likely future profit potential. With an on target business valuation, your buy business decision becomes truly uncomplicated.

A resale franchise business for sale also comes with established products or services. It has a recognized brand and a loyal customer base. With a new franchise, your purchase business decision would be based primarily on the average performance of the other active franchises, so there isn’t any assurance that it will perform as well in your specific region.

In buying a business that is a resale franchise, your purchase business portfolio includes an existing infrastructure that works. The business valuation will show the existence of suppliers, equipment, operating systems and employees. The value a business retains, such as a resale franchise, is essential since you can allocate more time to developing the business instead of beginning from square one with a new franchise.

With a resale franchise, there is greater opportunity to negotiate in all areas. Based on the value a business holds, you can negotiate with the seller on price, financing, lease term and other factors. With a new franchise, negotiations with the franchise company are rarely welcomed.

If you’re looking to buy a business that offers a turnkey operation where you can purchase business one day and start working in it the next, then a resale franchise is a good option. Often times, you can own a business like a resale franchise for less money than a start up. The buy business price with a resale franchise can be negotiated because you have the business valuation to back it up. With a new franchise, the price to own a business can be much more as unexpected expenses arise.

Considering that 96% of start up businesses fail in the first five years, a resale franchise that is already successful is a solid investment when looking to buy a business. When buying a business, that’s an important consideration to factor into your purchase business decision.

Richard Parker is the President and founder of the prestigious Diomo Corporation – The Business Buyer Resource Center. His celebrated materials, seminars and consulting have encouraged thousands of aspiring business buyers from around the World to pursue their dream of buying a business.

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]