Entrepreneur Ideas: When Business Doesn't Come To You, Take Your Business To Them!!!

I often talk about this to many new people entering business... if you don't have a market create the market- but in this case- it makes perfect sense to pack your business up and literally take it on the ROAD... your customers will appreciate as so will you bank account!!!

In a small enclosed mall near my home in Seattle, there used to be a little gourmet ice cream shop. The two women owners were very dedicated and worked long hours. But business was terrible because there wasn't much foot traffic at the mall.

Today, though, business is great, and so is their lifestyle. The pair closed their store and bought an ice cream cart. Now, they sell their homemade ice cream treats at every busy, community event in town, from school dances to 4th of July parades. The foot traffic is incredible, they make tons of sales, and then they're off work for a week or two. The profit is all theirs, with no big retail rent to pay.

When you've got something to sell, being stuck in one place isn't always a winning idea. Fortunately, there is an alternative.

If customers don't come to your store, one thing you can do is bring your store to them. Restaurants have already jumped whole-hog into this area with traveling food trucks.

Julia Hutton decided to do this in her own retail business, and now she's developed a way to help other retailers sell on the road, too. Hutton's bike-accessory shop was stymied by slow sales. So she created a retail-friendly trailer, the Extreme ReTrailer, she could use to pack up her merchandise and take it to major bike rallies around the country to sell. Her sales at the events blew the doors off what she could ring up at her traditional shop -- Hutton says she made more in a weekend than her store pulled in in a week.

Now, she is marketing the trailers and helping other retailers take their shops on the road, too. As Hutton found out, hitting events can be a great strategy, as niche events can deliver a concentrated audience of exactly the people who want your products.

The ReTrailer reminds me a bit of the reusable, temporary Starbucks store unveiled in Seattle recently. Like the ReTrailer, its stackable, modular containers allow the java giant to test out locations and quickly move to hot spots.

Another option is to put on home "trunk shows," where you bring select merchandise out to shoppers. A lot of companies have hit it big with the home-party format, so that's another option to try.

Retail trends change fast, as do the "hot" retail locations in any particular town. Even so, it's easier to take advantage of the latest trend if you're not locked into a long-term lease.

How have you used unconventional methods to find more customers? Leave a comment and share your ideas

[Article Source]

Food On Wheels: The Complete Guide To Starting A Food Truck, Food Cart, Or Other Mobile Food Business [Paperback]

Start Your Own Food Truck Business: Cart, Trailer, Kiosk, Standard and Gourmet Trucks, Mobile Catering and Bustaurant [Paperback]
Entrepreneur Press (Author), Rich Mintzer (Author)

Are you a business owner? OK that means you can see this- your Black Business and/or Events needs to be @ http://bit.ly/bfhsnetworkjoinus Come introduce your business to over 22,070 Urban Professionals for less than a cup of coffee! ...and make sure you reserve a spot in our Black Business Directory that's launching soon- http://blackfolkhotspots.com


Did you like what you just read? Do the Author some good, leave a comment or share with your network, as someone you know could benefit from the info above- by hitting one of the share buttons below- Twitter, Facebook, or you can hit the share button, to share through email, myspace and others- thanks! The Author appreciates the fact that you took 5 seconds to share their thoughts. If you would like to write for the BFHS Network, shoot us an email with a couple pieces of your work and your contact info- and thanks for sharing, it's means you care! Join our mailing list for a chance to win a FREE birthday Party and receive exclusive BFHS network deals, if you are a business owner or host events- be sure to join our exclusive business network for extra exposure!