Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Well msjena64,

Firstly, you should exactly know about your target market. Businessess? or Personal Customers? Do some research on existing competion. After that, you can consult with Yahoo Business Internet package. They can help you kickstart with low costs coupled with marketing for your new business

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-Piarte-
"Consisteny surely takes over talent"

I have a friend that started out in her home.  She got her name out by going to trade shows, bridal shows, etc.  Then, she opened her own stationery store called, "You`re Invited."  Very cute stuff.

I`ve done some invitations for family and friends but I want to initially start with just getting my name out there to get more clientele.    I`d eventually also want a stationary store, but first things first huh ? 

Question,  If I`m selling from my home and ordering the cards from the manufactorer and then sending to the client, do I have to have a tax id ?

I don`t know anything about this, but I would think you would.  I don`t think getting a tax ID costs much.  Maybe $50 or so.  Plus, you can use that tax ID for other things, like if you wanted to buy t-shirts wholesale, etc. OR you can get into Market.  My mom has a little antique business and we went to the market in Atlanta just to shop.

Plus, the tax ID might really, really inspire you to move full speed ahead with your business!

Go for it!

One thing I would do extensive research is the cost involved with the manufacturing of the cards. Usually you need to print a very large quantity of the same card in order for your final price to make sense.

But I am sure there are some solutions out there - I actually believe I read something in one of the forums of SuN about it...do some digging and you may find some relevant info on that.

Good luck!


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Andre Costa DaCosta Chocolates, LLC www.DaCostaChocolates.com

You don`t need a tax id to sell. But companies that sell to resellers will
require one sometimes. You can register to get a free Tax Id number
directly with the IRS. Go to IRS.gov and print out the form. Hope this helps
and good luck to you!

Just read about a resale license:

A resale License is required if you sell retail or wholesale taxable items.. I have a tax id that I applied for years ago, but I think I might need a resale license.. Hmmm

 

We`re finding that the SuN (Startup Nation) marketplace is getting crawled constantly by the search engines---certainly by Google.

First would be to have a basic Web site...even if it`s just a brochure page. Then place yourself and a product listing here, on the Marketplace.

Your hardest problem will be differentiation...having a unique way of being seen by potential customers. There already are many e-card places, but I don`t know how many "custom invitations" sites already exist. I do know that Vista printing offers almost free printing, and other online locations offer something similar.

So your business can`t be about "custom invitations." That`s been done to death. We can do some brainstorming here, but before we do, what is it about your invitations or your service that would be "different?"

As a musician, I remember first getting started. I thought I`d "go professional" mainly because all the people I knew, my friends and family, they thought I was fannnnntabulous! :-) Great! But they`re not strangers.

It`s a good way to at least start thinking about going professional, to have your close associates tell you that you`ve got a product. But to sell that product to people who initially don`t care whether you do or don`t exist, that`s a different problem.

Will you sell these based on a theme of some sort? Think about people who specialize in calligraphy, and how that`s their unique appearance to the open market. Do you have a knack for clever poetry, or other form of actual content? Will you focus on price, offering something better than "free?"

In other words, "why should I use your company instead of any other company?" :-) Then we can brainstorm in terms of visibility and "getting the word out there."

I