Many home-based businesses are built online, anyway, so it really doesn’t matter where you are; but there are particular benefits to being based in a specific area, just as there are specific benefits in living anywhere else. For example, if you live in a state than has a major tourist focus on gambling, there are more niches to promote other than just that one industry.Catering to the Tourist CrowdWhile focusing on highly publicized tourist industries in building a home-based business, remember that those industries are already pretty saturated, and the goods or services that you can offer are quite limited since there are already many businesses that focus on these. Tourist revenue can also sometimes be seasonal, and long-term customer relationships can be quite hard to maintain since your customers will be transients.Your business’ survival will depend mostly on referrals from satisfied customers. You are at an advantage if you are living in an area that relies on tourists when you build your home-based business; but remember to also make a point to set trends rather than just following them.Tapping the Local MarketThis route may present more of a challenge, but it will be a welcome home-based business. If the market for tourism is substantial in your locale and there are few that are delivering the products and services that they need, you have a great place to start. Again, if you are native to the area, you would know what the local population will need better than anyone else outside of the state. You will also know the local culture better and be able to communicate in local time.Another advantage of having a home-based business that caters to tourist industries already in place in your locale is that the delivery time will be cut a lot shorter and it will be less expensive. They can even opt for pick-ups should you wish to offer the option, which means that you can offer products that are bigger in bulk or heavier. They will save on the shipping cost, and you will be saved from the bother of having to ship it out.Use Your Location to Your AdvantageNo matter which option you choose, your best bet to make your business work is to keep an eye on the local trends. This would not be such a hard thing to do since you will have all you need right where you are. Watch local TV newscasts; visit a few famous local hotspots; listen to local radio broadcasts. This will help you fefine and create your own brand of a home-based business right in your own backyard.
Building a Home Based Business For Locals and Tourists Alike
How to Find Great Live Auctions for Resale Items
Hi, my name is Walt. I’m an auctioneer with 25 years of experience in the auction business and licensed in the state of MA. I own Quick Auction Service, a company that specializes in building and running custom auctions, I’m also the webmaster of my own site and have been on eBay for 8 years. Besides eBay, the types of auctions I run most frequently are antiques and on-site estate auctions, although I’ve run everything from business overstock auctions to charity & special event auctions.
I enjoy sharing my knowledge and stories of the auction business. My goal for article is to help folks get the absolute most out of their auction experience.
Whether your fresh out of the package or a seasoned dealer I think I can offer something in this article to help you with your auciton adventures.
There may be as many reasons to attend auctions as there are types of auctions to attend. Maybe you want to attend an auction to buy items for re-sale on eBay, or some other market. Maybe you want to furnish your home with wonderful antiques, or you want to furnish your home as inexpensively without sacrificing quality.Some folks are just looking for a fun night out. With a little perseverance all these things are possible.
There are antiques and estate auctions, auto auctions, overstock auctions, absolute and no reserve auctions, real estate auctions, specialty auctions where only one genre of items are sold, tailgate auctions, live auctions, online auctions, sealed bid auctions, silent auctions, charity and fund raising auctions and many more.
Can you really buy for pennies on the dollar at an auction? You bet! Many times I’ve seen folks buy and re-sell at the same auction on the same night for a good profit, although be advised, this should only be done after the auction is over.
There are a lot of ways to find an auction, but here are some tips on how to find and attend the best ones.
Visit the genre of shops in the area that apply to the type of auction you want to attend. IE: If your looking for a good antique auction to attend, stop in the local antiques shops and ask for what there are for good auctions in the area. Sounds obvious right? But listen to what they don’t say as well as what they do say. Oftentimes when a dealer speaks poorly about an auction he or she attends, it may be likely that they are trying to keep a good thing secret. Think for a moment, why would a dealer keep attending a lousy auction?
Newspaper ads: I personally like to find ads in the classified ad section rather than flashy display ads. Flashy ads are usually indicative of an auction that will be high priced, may have reserves, (a set price on an item), and usually an enormous crowd. While any auction can be profitable to attend, it is usually best to steer clear of the glitzy ones, at least for the beginner.
Here’s the minimum you want to find out before you go. If there is a phone number in the ad, call and ask for the terms of the sale. What forms of payment do they accept? Is it an absolute auction? An absolute auction is one that has no minimum or reserve bids on items. These are the best auctions to attend! Is there a buyers premium? A buyers premium is like a tax that everyone who makes purchases at that auction must pay above the winning bid price. Most auctions these days do charge a buyers premium, 10% is not unreasonable but I feel much more than that is greedy, and the auctioneer that charges over 10% is counting on most bidders not doing the extra math as the bids quicken in pace.
A fair auction will have ample time to inspect the merchandise, usually at least 2 or 3 hours. Find out when inspection starts and make sure to attend! Never attend an auction if you can’t make the inspection, not unless your prepared to gamble. Most auctioneers sell at a rate of about 100 items per hour, which is why they sell “as is”. They simply don’t have the time to give a detailed description of all the items. Since almost all items at auction are sold AS IS, there are sure to be some damaged, refinished, fake and incomplete items at any given auction. Beware of any auctions that offer very little or no inspection time.
Good auctions will usually have 150 to 400 lots. A lot may be one item or a group of items. The exception to this are specialty auctions, auto auctions, real estate auctions etc.
When you attend your first sale, take note of the 1/2 dozen or so dealers that buy the most often. See if you can find out about other area auctions they attend.
When you do find an excellent auction, attend it as often as possible. By frequenting good sales, you help increase the bottom line of that business. It’s difficult for many auctioneers to keep the quality of merchandise consistent, so good attendance certainly helps. And when an auctioneer gets to know you as a buyer, he/she will go out of the way to accommodate you, to keep you coming back.
Five Steps to an Easy Home Based Business
Having an easy home based business is not the same as having a home based job. If you are trying to discover how to create a new job in your home then do not read this article. This article is about how to create an easy home based business. With that in mind let me cover the steps to create an easy home based business. First, you need a viable market. Second, you need a business system. Third, you need a product or service that can be provided from your home or can be outsourced. Fourth, you’ll want to make sure you can outsource most(if not all) of your business. Fifth, you’ll want high end products in addition to an entry level product or service.
Making sure you have a viable market should be your first concern. Before you spend a dime on anything else you need to do market research on what it is that you intend to sell. Market research is not done by most home based businesses. This will save you a lot of money, time, and headaches. Having a great idea doesn’t mean that it will work. If your goal is easy then you should start in a market that already exists. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to start a new business before you know if there is anyone who will buy it. One of the great things about marketing that you will discover is that going into a highly competitive market makes it easier to sell, not harder. A good example of this is the diet industry. Think about all of the weight loss plans that are available. Jenny Craig, NutraSystem, WeightWatchers and eDiets are all weight loss programs that have millions in revenue every year. That is just programs, there are also weight loss pills, drinks, books, gyms, etc. Each of these have multiple entities that bring in revenue. The point is don’t try to reinvent the wheel find a product or service that already has a market.
Having a business system will enable you to create a company that can be duplicated. It also acts as the silent boss. Having a plan and following the plan ensures that you will stay on the tasks that bring revenue into your business. It allows you the flexibility to train others to do particular parts of your business. Being flexible will enable you to start replacing the time you put into your business with systems that can be outsourced. This is what successful franchises do. When you buy a franchise, like McDonalds, you can follow the plan that they have to create a successful business every time. This is what you want to aim for when designing and implementing your business system.
You should choose a product or service that can easily be done from home or can be outsourced. Drop shipping would be ideal. Drop shipping is the outsourced manufacture and delivery of product to your customers. In this case you have a product that is delivered by a third party in your name directly to your customer. Your customer pays you, then you pay the manufacturer and/or distributor. The important thing to remember is that if you want the business to be easy have an eye to the future. See your business producing your product without you in the equation. This will eventually lead to a business where your personal effort will not determine the business’s success.
As your business grows you will want to make outsourcing your friend. Regardless of which business you choose you will have sales involved. Marketing, customer service, accounting, fulfillment can all be outsourced or even automated. In fact there is no aspect of your business that can’t eventually be outsourced. This should be the goal you have to achieve a business that is free of you. In this way you free yourself to take care of only the most important aspects of your business leaving you the time to pursue whatever you want.
Having entry level and high end products will increase the per customer revenue. This is the key to being able to outsource. Ultimately you want to create a revenue machine with your business so that each and every month you create profit that can be spent by you. This allows you the freedom of time and space. It doesn’t get any easier than this.
Building a business that implements all of these elements is fun. It is easy. So don’t create a home based job. Create a home based business by using automation and outsourcing. Learn how to focus on the activities that make a real difference to your bottom line. Develop systems instead of tasks. Make it easy to fill your shoes. Then you can move into the realm of business owner instead of being a business operator.