New Retail Unit Not Doing Too Well

[Bob700]

Thanks for all the good advice

[Charlie_]

Thanks for all the good advice

sorry to hear things no going so well Bob.

There are a lot of good ideas above all worth a go.

One thing to remember is to have your own USP. Don't follow the flow branch off the flow and be different.

[Twedd]

Heya Bob, I recently started a company up for my wife as we had spare space in the back of our shop so she is kind of lucky as she has no rent to pay and she gets a part of my window display which is on a busy high street... I would say she has been operating about 2 month and she is only now starting to get regular people through the door but it wouldnt be enough to keep a shop running if it was on her own and I would also say that quite a bulk of her work is from the internet and mainly through social media... she has 3 small business she works with now and its starting to get steady but she has done an awful lot of advertising through the internet spending hours creating adverts and sending them out..

I think its a case of keeping your eye on whats trending and how you can make that work for you we got lucky again as we are close friends with James Arthur and we have been given permission by him to use his images on t-shirts and we have been producing all the t-shirts for his friends and family who go to see him at the x-factor live finals and we have also had our t-shirts on our local news channel but this is just pure luck that we knew somebody whos doing well on a show lol

just keep going and hopefully you will get that bit of luck we all need in business.

All the best

Alan

[logobear]

I just passed my 25 years of being an image shop keeper.
In that time I have opened and closed a few shops, and have bought new kit and added heaps of different products/services.
I observe that it seems to take about 6 months for my next 'new' thing to get noticed and work start coming in. This is not always the case, - but is a repeated generalisation.
I support previous comments about not expecting any real profit/return in the first year.
Snowballs start small. but the more you roll them, the bigger they get.
I suggest you look at your cash-flow projections, and if required, source the extra funding now to keep you going through your first year. Most businesses that fail are profitable, but just run out of working capital/cash.
Depending on your product mix will create your own business peaks and troughs; the stag and hen 'season' is our best time of year, but that doesn't start until april......
A previous comment said that their shop only accounted for a small part of their trade, suplimented by web sales. I have found the complete opposite.
The web is a crowded place and there are many similar suppliers, but on your high street, YOU are unique! - play on your strengths, and do not compete head on with businesses that are better than you.
Be flexible, act and change fast, be unique!

[Charlie_]

I just passed my 25 years of being an image shop keeper.
In that time I have opened and closed a few shops, and have bought new kit and added heaps of different products/services.
I observe that it seems to take about 6 months for my next 'new' thing to get noticed and work start coming in. This is not always the case, - but is a repeated generalisation.
I support previous comments about not expecting any real profit/return in the first year.
Snowballs start small. but the more you roll them, the bigger they get.
I suggest you look at your cash-flow projections, and if required, source the extra funding now to keep you going through your first year. Most businesses that fail are profitable, but just run out of working capital/cash.
Depending on your product mix will create your own business peaks and troughs; the stag and hen 'season' is our best time of year, but that doesn't start until april......
A previous comment said that their shop only accounted for a small part of their trade, suplimented by web sales. I have found the complete opposite.
The web is a crowded place and there are many similar suppliers, but on your high street, YOU are unique! - play on your strengths, and do not compete head on with businesses that are better than you.
Be flexible, act and change fast, be unique!

I second what logobear has said above but find your own USP everyone and anyone can copy! Find your own USP