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My Latest Side Hustle Ideas

May 25, 2023 /

I love Google Trends because they give you so many ideas for small businesses and side hustles. Here are a few side hustle ideas I came up with based on some search trends from the last couple of weeks.

Summer Lessons and Teaching Kids

Google is showing that most searched “classes for kids” in the past month are:

  • Art classes
  • Swimming classes
  • Dance classes
  • Cooking classes
  • Coding classes

In my opinion, these could also be offered as private mommy and me or daddy and me classes. Did you know that 56% of all US adults cannot swim well enough to save themselves? If you’re a swim teacher with their own pool, you might want to consider offering private lessons.

If you own a restaurant that is not busy during the day, why not run a cooking class for kids, even if just in the mornings?

If you know how to code, either try to run a coding camp or offer this as tutoring or, again, private lessons.

Sleeping and Dreaming

Both “dream interpretation” and “sleep” are being searched at all-time highs on Google. Therefore, if you have any products or services that will help people improve their sleep, or you have the ability to interpret dreams, these are possible business opportunities.

Wedding Locales

It’s wedding season and Google Trends shows that the most searched wedding venues are below. While you likely do not own botanical gardens or a chateau or a winery, you could consider buying an old barn or farmhouse and turning it into a wedding and event venue.

  • Barn
  • Farmhouse
  • Botanical Gardens
  • Chateau
  • Winery

If you are planning to start a business, be sure to download my Best-Selling How to Start a New Business Planner, that I have on for a special price just for Memorial Day weekend.

Also read: Consider This Billion Dollar Small Business Idea

©2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Latest Side Hustle Ideas

All New Small Business Ideas for 2023

November 9, 2022 /

little business ideasOne of my most popular posts this year was 54 Creative Small Business Ideas for 2022.

Well I just updated it with some new small business ideas for 2023:

Home Grown Flowers – Did you know that flowers were impacted by the supply chain? So, buy yourself an affordable green house on Amazon and grow flowers for people to purchase for weddings, Mother’s Day, even poinsettias for Christmas. This makes a great seasonal side hustle; it does not have to be full-time.

Upsized House Plans (or Homes) for Boomers – Believe it or not, more baby boomers are upsizing their homes rather than downsizing. They want more space in their golden years to accommodate live-in elderly parents as well as out-of-town children and grandchildren who come to visit. As a result, the type of house has changed whereby they require two to three bedrooms with their own ensuite bath, wheel chair accessibility, and single level with a first floor owner’s suite.

Pop-up Store Liaison – A lot of commercial retail property is sitting empty after COVID, so it would help if there was someone who acted as a liaison between small businesses who wanted a short-term popup retail presence (just for a weekend, week or month) and the lessor, owner or realtor for the property. You make your money by getting a piece of the commission.

Spiritual Awakening Trip Planner – People are really investing in their mental health, so they like to seek guidance in far off exotic places that have a tradition of helping with spiritual healing, such as Varanasi, Machu Picchu, Kyoto, Bali, and Jerusalem. A great business idea is to be a travel planner specializing in these types of excursions, especially targeting single people travelling on their own.

Home Energy Expert – With energy costs at a record high, people want to find ways to save on their energy bills as much as possible. A service whereby you can come in and evaluate a home (or actually do the work) and provide ways for the home owner to better insulate and cut costs is invaluable, not to mention it can also qualify the home owner for various government rebates.

Wellness Coach – You’ve heard of a Life Coach, but a Wellness Coach focuses purely on your physical and mental health choices. People know they have to take better care of their health, but rarely make the time. A wellness coach gives you a plan and makes sure you stay on course.

Sleep Expert – It is believed that between 30% and 48% of older adults suffer from insomnia. It is becoming a serious health issue with many people seeking relief, so a sleep expert who could help solve their problem would be a service worth paying for.

Want to start your own business in 2023? Set up a phone consultation and I can advise on some ideas that would be right for you as well as how to get started. You can also download my Starting a New Business Planner.

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. New Small Business Ideas for 2023

101 Super Creative Small Business Promotional Ideas

May 11, 2022 /

Welcome! Time to get inspired!

I love coming up with creative promotional ideas for my clients, so below are 101 of my favorite small business promotional ideas that I’ve come up with in the past for clients, a few of which are included in my top-selling Marketing Plans for Small Businesses.

First, Some FREEBIES!

As a thank you for reading my post, here are a couple of my free downloads:

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101 Small Business Marketing Ideas

  1. Google “new businesses” along with the name of your city to find any local  newspapers, magazines or blogs that like to feature brand new businesses for free and hit them up for a mention.
  2. Post a compliment on social media for another local business that is non-competitive but has the same target audience, and they will likely repost exposing your business to their followers.
  3. Email your customers the night before daylight savings time as a reminder to turn clocks back or ahead, as an easy way to get in front of your customers without seeming pushy.
  4. Make hats or t-shirts with your business name and url on it, and give them to family members to wear everywhere, especially to public events like concerts, racing events, etc. 
  5. Hire a student to help you with the small marketing stuff like commenting on blogs, posting to social media, sending out promotional emails. Many teens looking to get into marketing will value the experience, and they likely know social media a lot better than you do.
  6. Comment on at least 25 blogs or social media profiles every day that your customers read making sure that your user name is your business name, for free exposure. 
  7. Email your customers the day before Thanksgiving with tips on how long to cook a turkey, again, as an easy way to get in front of your customers without seeming pushy.etsy success tips
  8. Whenever possible, use people you know in your company photos as they will likely repost the photo of themselves to their own social media site, putting you in front of all of their followers. 
  9. Offer neighborhood or street discounts on your products or services, telling people for every neighbor they get to sign up, you will take another 5% off the price, to a maximum of 40% off. 
  10. In early September, run localized ads on LinkedIn targeting either HR Managers or Sales Managers who wish to buy your products or services in bulk as gifts for employees or clients.
  11. Every month, email your customers the events happening in your city this month. Always mention a sale or event that you are having at the very end. 
  12. Try a weekly Instagram post called “Follow Friday” where you recommend other Instagram accounts to follow, and they might return the favor, giving you exposure to their followers.
  13. If you own a fitness studio, offer free workout classes on the day after Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras (from my Marketing Plan for Personal Trainers).
  14. If you own a beauty salon, offer Shamrock nail art designs /manicures for St. Patrick’s Day.
  15. If you’re a realtor, offer a free seminar on how to “green” your new home in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd (from my Marketing Plan for Realtors).
  16. If you own a barbecue shop, have a free BBQ of bratwurst and sausages for customers during Oktoberfest, or give away a free package of sausages with every purchase.
  17. If you own a photography studio, offer a free newborn portrait to the first baby born in the new year in your city.
  18. If you own a lighting store, use red and pink light bulbs in all of your light fixtures in your store windows on Valentine’s Day.
  19. If you own a dog food company, create Thanksgiving promotional dog treats that taste like pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and so forth.
  20. If you own a garden center, create a large bunny topiary and position it outside your gates the weeks prior to Easter to attract attention and as a great for photo opp for kids.
  21. If you own a makeup company, create an advent calendar with a different mini nail polish for each day (from my Marketing Plan for Beauty Products).how to start a business planner
  22. If you own a spa, offer a chocolate facial on National Chocolate Day (July 3rd).
  23. If you own a sports store, either put winter gear on a one-day sale or spring gear on a one-day sale on February 2nd, depending on what the Ground Hog sees.
  24. If you own a greeting card company, make cards for the most obscure holidays like National Cat Day or National Hat Day (from my Marketing Plan for Greeting Cards).
  25. If you own a fashion accessories store, display your scarves in various nautical knots in your store window during Fleet week (early October).
  26. If you own a pets product business, post various reels of happy dogs jumping for joy, wishing everyone a Happy First Day of Spring on March 21st on TikTok and Instagram.
  27. If you own a donut shop, and it’s an Olympic year, create a pack of five donuts iced in the Olympic Ring colors.
  28. If you own a shoe store, displays colorful rain boots filled with tulips in your store window to celebrate spring.
  29. If you own a pet store, offer Santa Claus photos for pets.
  30. If you own a  bar, hand out scratch-off cards at lunch hour on St. Patrick’s Day, with the discovery of a four leaf clover meaning a free green beer.
  31. If you own a make up company, post photos to social media of beautiful landscapes accompanied by eye shadow shades that match the colors in the photo.
  32. If you own a watch company, post a graphic to social media with one of your watches showing the clock turning back to remind people when its daylight savings time.
  33. If you own a jewelry store, post a photo to social media spelling out “Happy Mother’s Day“, using letter initial necklaces on your social media pages.
  34. If you own an online store, post an animated gif to social media of a piñata breaking and exposing a Cinco De Mayo sale of 25% off today only.
  35. If you own a vintage store, post regular updates to social media of period TV shows, such as The Crown and Stranger Things (from my Marketing Plan for Vintage shops).
  36. If you sell iPhone cases, post to social media your favorite free iPhone apps and ask followers theirs.
  37. If you own a sandals company, post to social media pictures of cool pedicures or toe nail art.
  38. If you’re an insurance broker, post to social media the craziest but true insurance claim stories.
  39. If you own a green cleaning products company, clean up a run-down local park and post to social media a time-lapsed reel of the cleanup on TikTok for Earth Day on April 22nd (from my Marketing Plan for Eco-Products).
  40. If you own a local clothing store, offer to take 25% off the price of any item if the customer takes a photo of the item and posts it to Instagram right there in the store (from my Marketing Plan for Retail Stores).
  41. If you own a kid’s clothing company, post to social media a carousel of back-to-school-outfits for Monday through Friday, during the first week of August on your social media pages (from my Marketing Plan for Kids Products).
  42. If you’re a wedding gown designer, post to social media an infographic of the most famous wedding gowns of the 20th century.
  43. If you’re a book author, post to social media book club food suggestions.
  44. If you own a dance school, post to social media your reviews of the previous night’s Dancing with the Stars routines.
  45. If you have an online shop, ask your most loyal customers to pick their 5 favorite items in the shop and post to social media for 25% off their next order.
  46. If you’re an accounting firm, post the most outrageous tax breaks given in other countries. Get more creative social media posting ideas in my best-selling 365 Social Media Post Ideas download.
  47. If you own a lingerie company, re-create one of those pens that when turned upside down the clothes come off the photo of a woman (but instead of being naked she is wearing lingerie) as a fun promo item.
  48. If you’re a motorcycle lawyer, create a 12-month pictorial calendar of unique bike detailing or cool tattoos.
  49. If you own a baby skin care company, create a baby shower game printable as a free download on your website.
  50. If you own a pizza delivery or local restaurant, include with each order to local college dorms a door hanger sign-up sheet for the next food order i.e. “Who Wants to Order Pizza Tonight?”
  51. If you’re a wedding gown designer, offer a free fashion sketch of the bride in her dress (from my Marketing Plan for Wedding Shops).
  52. If you run a local art museum, promote your latest exhibit by giving free drink coasters featuring the artist’s works to surrounding bars and restaurants.
  53. If you have a dental office, put your label on dental floss containers and leaving them in a basket in the rest room at a local steak house.
  54. If you own a children’s clothing company, give a free car window baby sun shade to customers, complete with your logo on it (free advertising on every car).
  55. If you’re a wedding invitation designer, offer to design, for free, an email reminder that goes out to brides about their dress fittings for local bridal shops (i.e. this reminder was sponsored by...)
  56. If you own a ceramics company, donate handmade salt and pepper shakers to a local restaurant, embossed with your shop name.
  57. If you’re a food products business, offer free downloadable printables such as, “Spices That Go With Every Type of Food” (based on top Google searches).
  58. If you’re a children’s book author, have coloring pages made of pages from your book and give them to local family restaurants to hand out for kids to color.
  59. If you own a teen clothing or jewelry shop, give a free locker mirror with purchase (your shop url is on it and all her friends see it).
  60. If you own a salon, make your business card a nail file.
  61. If you own a wine company, make your wine label a peel-off, so customers can keep to remember the name of the wine!
  62. If you own a clothing store, offer to do a home showing of prom dresses and accessories for groups of 8 or more (from my Marketing Plan for Fashion Brands).
  63. If you own a makeup company, offer free 5-minute touch-ups to working women at lunch hour from a mobile unit.
  64. If you own a coffee shop, hold a contest for customers to submit their best original coffee cake recipe and then create a recipe ebook as a free giveaway.
  65. If you’re an artist or photographer, give free prints to a local designer to use in their displays at a home show (from my Marketing Plan for Art Shops).
  66. If you own a paint company, go around to local neighborhood homes and hand out free paint swatch color suggestions for the exterior of people’s homes.
  67. If you’re a realtor, hold your open houses at night and using a strobe light to attract attention.
  68. If you own a comic book store, offer a free in-store viewing party for the premiere of a popular fantasy TV series.
  69. If you own a travel agency, features a free, walk-in open-house “destination of the month” party in your offices, complete with music and food from that destination (from my Marketing Plan for Travel Agents).
  70. If you own a pet shampoo company, conduct free dog washes at a local dog park on a muddy day.
  71. If you own a salon, offer a special day where customers can bring their dogs into be groomed while the customer is getting their hair done.
  72. If you’re a fashion designer, hold a contest to make a custom prom dress for one lucky girl.
  73. If you own a yoga clothing store, have a yoga expert in the window of your shop doing and holding a different yoga pose every 2 minutes during noon hour.
  74. If you own a bakery, have a bicycle cart that sells cookies at the local park during the morning kid rush.
  75. If you sell make-up, co-market with a purse vendor by including free samples in each of their bags for a limited time offer (good for both of you).travel agency marketing plan strategy
  76. If you own a bakery or cupcake shop, offer cupcakes in the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as a special one-week homage (from my Marketing Plan for Online Bakeries).
  77. If you own a garden store, offer a free seminar on how to make a terrarium.
  78. If you own a local beer company, hand out free samples at tail gate parties during football season.
  79. If you own a salon, do free manicures for patients at a local hospital once a month.
  80. If you are an artist or photographer, offer a free info session for interior designers on how to hang art.
  81. If you own a karate school, hold a school safety tips session at a local school or day camp.
  82. If you’re a personal trainer, offer easy fitness tips at a local weight watchers meeting.
  83. If you own a veterinarian clinic, offer free nail clippings at a local dog park.
  84. If you own a retail shop, paint a back wall in chalkboard paint to keep kids busy while parents shop.
  85. If you own a toy store, position a bubble blowing machine out front to attract the attention of kids.
  86. If you own a limousine company, offer to decorate the limo with the name of the bride or prom attendee i.e. Sarah’s Ride (use car/window letter clings).
  87. If you own a coffee shop, let small businesses post one of their business cards on your “small business wall” whenever they buy a coffee.
  88. If you have a storefront, keep a large bird cage filled with exotic birds outside your shop doors to attract the attention of passer-bys.
  89. If you own a coffee house, host a book club for seniors in the afternoon.
  90. If you’re a realtor, include the blue print of the home as well as a legend of the distance from the house to schools, community centers, and grocery stores in the online description.
  91. If you have an online store, add an audio voice that says, “Welcome!” that announces the sale of the day when people land on your home page. There are audio apps that do this for Shopify stores.
  92. If you own a car rental business, set aside part of your lot for cars that are ideal for very tall drivers, or new drivers, or large families.
  93. If you’re an artist, donate your artwork to be hung in the hallway of schools and libraries (will be seen by parents).
  94. If you own a furniture store, offer to help realtors stage homes in return for free promotion to new home buyers. Just a sign on the couch saying “you canmarketing strategy plan template buy this couch at…” (from my Marketing Plan for Home Goods).
  95. If you own a landscaping company, donate a few uniquely sculpted shrubs (with a sign for their company on the planter pot) to anchor the doors of the most popular local restaurants or retail stores.
  96. If you own a toy store, announce your sales in chalk on the sidewalk outside your store.
  97. If you own a vintage store, sell your books in unique collections i.e. Nobel Prize Winners, World War II Novels, etc.
  98. If you are an optometrist, make your business card an eye chart that actually spells out your name and address.
  99. If you own a food truck, raise a large colorful flag on top of your truck that says “Food Truck” once it parks so it can be seen from far distances.
  100. If you own a jewelry store, re-create the engagement rings of famous people and display them in your store window alongside their photo.
  101. If you own a coffee shop, have a penned in play area for young children in the middle of the shop and tables for parents situated around the pen.

More Small Business Downloads at my Shopify Store and Etsy Store

©2024 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 

 

Green Business Ideas for the Eco-Conscious Entrepreneur

April 21, 2022 /
green business ideas

Green Business Ideas

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to write about “green” business ideas, especially since demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products and services has more than DOUBLED in the last five years.

Most in Demand Eco Products

In terms of products, the most demand, according to Google Trends, is for eco-friendly packaging, gifts, cleaning products, personal care products, cars, homes, furniture, clothing and phone cases, along with things like balloons, backpacks, mattresses, and yoga mats.

Make sure that you are clearly stating and showing your eco-friendly products in all of your marketing materials, along with any eco-friendly packaging and manufacturing practices if you wish to use this “green” marketing opportunity.

Most in Demand Eco Services

In terms of services, searches for eco-friendly tourism jumped 5,000% in the last couple of years, along with eco-friendly event planning companies, beauty salons, cleaning services, grocery stores, hotels, transportation companies, landscaping companies and wedding planners.

Again, if customers have a choice between a non eco-friendly service and an eco-friendly service, they will likely go for the latter. It is a competitive advantage.

Eco-Business Idea I Love

One eco-business I love is Inhabitr, where you can rent furniture and home décor items nationwide with the goal of keeping used home items out of landfills. Depending on the piece, customers can either rent it monthly or buy new, used, or later, after their rental period has started. Inhabitr even offers delivery, installation, pickup, cleaning and repair. It’s an ideal option for anyone who needs to furnish temporary housing, student housing, businesses, or rental properties, even house staging.

The Opportunity for You

This is a also great idea you can do locally if looking for a business idea. A few years back when visiting my niece who was graduating from college in Boston, and all of the graduating students just left their unneeded furniture on the sidewalk, presumedly to be picked up by the garage truck. The majority of the furniture was in perfectly good condition, they just didn’t want to haul it back to their home town. We are talking streets full of furniture. I remember thinking, someone could easily resell all of this, if they just had a truck. Maybe that’s you!

You might also like: 4 Eco Products Marketplaces and Free Business Card Templates.

Be Sure to Also Check Out:

©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Green Business Ideas

Your Business Success Checklist for 2016

October 14, 2015 /

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

As we are in the final months of 2015, it is a good time to look at your business and decide how successful your year has been so far and what changes you need to make to have continued success in 2016.

business success checklist 2016

1. Are Your Sales Increasing?

It is critical that you compare your sales from year to year, as well as month over year (for example, are your August 2015 sales stronger than your August 2014 sales). This really helps you see overall annual growth as well as if you have any seasonal highs and lows.

I highly recommend you set up a spreadsheet where you enter your sales for each month of the year (in a column) with sales for the previous year’s months in the column to the left. Then in the column to the right of your current sales determine your sales growth, by month and by year, by entering the calculations:

[sales for Month X 2015 – sales for Month X 2014] / sales for Month X 2014

[sales for 2015 – sales for 2014] / sales for 2014

This will arrive at a percentage. Overall sales should never be down from the previous year. If this is the case, then you need to rethink your business in terms of your offerings, your pricing, your costs and whether you need to invest more in marketing.

2. Are Your Costs Increasing?

It is also important to look at your profit, which is Revenue – Costs. Is your profit up over last year and month over year? Again, if profits are down you need to consider raising your prices and/or lowering your costs, especially if your revenues increased. It doesn’t have to be a huge price increase. If profits are down 10%, then you can easily raise your prices 10% and it should have little negative impact on your business. If your costs have increased, then you need to analyze each cost center (be it supplies, fees, shipping) and see which ones increased in price and find alternatives.

3. What Were Your Revenue Leaders?

Look at which products and/or services performed the best for you in 2015 and consider expanding further in this area, slowly eliminating or reinventing products and services that did not sell as well.

4. What is Working For Your Competitors?

Take a look at your competitors and see what they are selling, what their customers are saying in their reviews and on their social media sites. Try to garner what is working for them in terms of their business offerings and marketing efforts and see which ideas you can steal.

5. Are You Listening to Your Feedback?

Listen to your customers. Read your reviews, comments, feedback, even ask your customers questions. If they feel your prices are too high, consider lowering them if that makes business sense. If they didn’t like the quality of a product, improve upon it. If there is a product or service you don’t have that they want, consider offering it.

6. What Marketing Efforts Are Working?

You need to study your website analytics, even though it will not tell you which traffic sources converted into sales, it is still a way to decide which efforts you should be spending time on and which you should maybe discontinue. For example, if two-thirds of your traffic is coming from Pinterest and very little from Twitter, then stop wasting time on Twitter and dedicate even more time to Pinterest. If your Google ads are not bringing in a lot of traffic, contact a Google Adwords rep and ask how your ads can be improved. If you have been avoiding social media altogether, then maybe now’s the time to give it a chance. Remember, it is futile to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.

7. Are You Maximizing Your Customer Base?

How many new customers did you get last year? Guess what, they are still potential customers in 2016! Find ways to tap into your already established customer base – either through special offers on your social media sites or a Mail Chimp email campaign – to get additional business from them (as well as referral business) in 2016.

Just 3 More Things to Do…

Thanks so much for your support!

Gail

© 2015 Gail Oliver, Attention Getting Marketing. All rights reserved.

Should You Rent Products Instead of Selling Them?

January 22, 2015 /

Should You Rent Products Instead of Selling Them?

There has been a growing movement towards consumers renting and not buying certain types of merchandise. Renting houses and cars has long been a common occurrence, but new types of products are now making an impact in the rental market.

The success of the online shop, Rent the Runway has encouraged the renting of pricey, trendy clothing that tends to go out of style faster than people can afford. It makes sense that with technology and styles constantly changing, and or limited space to house items, consumers may not want to invest in items that don’t have a long life.

should you rent your products instead of selling them

Wedding, Kids & Tech Items All Have Rental Potential

Men have long rented tuxedos for weddings, so it would only make sense that a bride could rent her wedding dress. For most women, it means getting the couture dress of their dreams, for a fraction of the price (you really do only wear it once).

Think of all the money that goes in purchasing items for a new baby, from a crib to a high chair to a stroller, these are all fairly high ticket items that only have a life span of a few years (depending how many kids you have).

What about the cost of cell phones? How often have you paid $800 for the latest phone only to find out a new version will be out within the year. If the average life span of a cell phone for an early adopter (the person who always has to have the latest and greatest the second it comes out) is only a year, even if you rented your cell phone for $50 a month, you would still be saving money ($600 for a year rental versus an $800 flat fee).

Ideal Rental Products
  • Apartment furniture
  • Dorm/college furniture
  • Wedding jewelry
  • Wedding dresses
  • Flower girl dresses
  • Prom dresses
  • Kids bikes
  • Baby/kids clothing
  • Baby equipment
  • Boats/snow mobiles / ATVs
  • Lawn tractors/snow blowers
  • Big screen TVs / gaming systems
  • Laptops / tablets
  • Smart phones
  • Trampolines

So think of what you sell and if there is any way it can lend itself to the rental market, providing that it is still profitable for you. It does haven’t to be your main business, but a side aspect to the business for those who want it.

My Quick Tip of the Week: Do you sell products online that are suited for a couple’s wedding registry? Zola.com is the leading online wedding registry (projecting sales of $40 million for 2015) and they allow couples to add products to their Zola wedding registry from any online site.  So, you can encourage customers to add your products to their Zola wedding registry, simply by using the “Add to Zola” button available at their website.  You can also apply to sell on Zola, just email vendors@zola.com.

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About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express, Yahoo Finance, Go Banking Rates, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Read more about my services, products and marketing plans.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective. I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few. More about my Publicity Pitch service.

© 2012-2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Should You Rent Products Instead of Selling Them

If Your Small Business is Failing, It Isn’t Always Your Marketing

October 20, 2014 /

by Gail Oliver, Small Business Consultant

Do you know about the four Ps of marketing – Product, Price, Place, Promotion? They are in that order for a reason.

Screen shot 2014-10-20 at 1.26.22 PM

The problem most small businesses and entrepreneurs make is that they do not spend enough time on the first P – the Product. They get anxious and excited and jump right ahead to the next three. Then, when the business starts to fail, they automatically think the problem must be their price, where they are selling, and/or their marketing efforts.

But more than likely the reason the business is failing is because they didn’t make sure that the product/service they were offering was:

  • Better than the competition
  • Different than the competition
  • Answered a need in the marketplace that competitors were not

Particularly if you are a late entrant into an over crowded market, your business has to have at least one of the above to have any kind of success.

Real Business Case Study

I had a client a few years back wanting to open a cupcake business. The problem was, the cupcake business was already thriving and full of competitors doing a great job. But she was determined and jumped ahead and started designing the website, logo, marketing materials, etc. I had to reign her back in and have her focus on the cupcakes before committing to anything else. If she was going to compete in this already crowded market, the only way she was going to have success was to offer cupcakes that were better, different and/or answered a need in the market that no other business was addressing.

Research the Competition

Your first step in developing a successful business is to research your competition in terms of what they offer. I researched her competition, noting:

  • The look of her competitors’ cupcakes – were they regular size, oversized, mini, mile high icing, round, square, in shapes, decorated, etc.
  • The taste of her competitors’ cupcakes – were they moist, decadent, rich, not too sweet, something I couldn’t make at home, etc.
  • The special types of cupcakes her competitors offered – peanut-free, gluten-free, flavors tailored to men (beer cupcakes), specialty cupcakes for sports teams, companies, weddings, etc.

If her cupcakes didn’t taste better than anyone else’s, look better than anyone else’s, and/or address niches the other companies were not, there was not much point going forward.

How to Make Sure You are Better Than the Competition

My key advice to every business is always this: match your competitors feature for feature, and then go beyond that.

Make a list of every feature your competitors offer, and then compare to make sure you are matching them feature for feature. Now, how do you go beyond? Find out what they don’t have that customers want or features where they are weak and customers have complained about.

One easy way to do this is to read reviews of your competitors – a great place to get this information. You can also reviews of similar products on Amazon, again, focusing on the negative reviews to see where a product and/or service is lacking and you can take advantage.

Making sure that your product and/or service offering is better than the competition and/or offers something different from the competition and/or covers sought-after niches in the marketplace, is the first and most important step in ensuring the success of your business. Do not proceed with any of the other Ps, until you have that perfected.

Need a Product Consultation?

If you don’t think your products are up to the competition, I can help with
my Product Consultation.

© 2012-2014 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

Case Study – How One Successful Small Business Only Needs to Have a Storefront Two Months a Year

September 15, 2014 /

 

In the city where I live, every year, for just seven weekends from early October to mid November, a local couple hosts a major shopping event called The Third World Bazaar.

They reside on a few acres of farm land where they turn one of their large barns into a holiday retail space. The owners spend 5 months of the year travelling the globe buying products for the sale from artisans in countries such as Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Cuba and Vietnam. Everything from jewelry to furniture to textiles to home accessories to toys to Christmas ornaments to other unique finds. In the 10 years it has been operating, the bazaar has become incredibly popular and proves you don’t need to have a storefront year round, if fact, it might work better if you don’t.

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Why Does This Business Work?
  • The owners capitalize on the key holiday buying time of the year, October and November.
  • Buyers know that the bazaar is only open during these seven weekends (Friday to Sunday), so they make the effort to get there, and they BUY, because they know that they are not coming back again for another year.
  • As they own the property and the barn, there is no rent being paid on a retail space.
  • The bazaar barely has to advertise because of strong word of mouth and customer loyalty. People know when it is coming because it is always the same time every year.
  • They have food trucks on the site, and also sell pumpkins and apple cider, making this an all-day fall event.

As I’ve said before, when something is only being offered for a limited time, it forces people to act. If buyers know a store will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, there is no urgency.

Ways to Have a Storefront for a Limited Time

Depending on what you sell, there are certain times of the year when it may benefit your online store to have a physical store presence. If you sell swimwear, maybe that is May/June. If you sell skis, that would be December. If you selling wedding goods, January is usually prime time. Or maybe you also want to take advantage of the holiday buying season. So what options do you have?

  • Approach a popular local store about the idea of them hosting a pop-up store of your products for just a few Saturdays during your prime selling season.
  • Consider taking out a shopping kiosk in a mall. Malls are hurting right now, so they may be open to the possibility of just a two month rental.
  • See if there is any retail space in your area that has been sitting empty for a long time. Approach the leasing agent about renting the space for just a one month period.
  • Ask your local church or community center if they would be willing to let you use their facilities in exchange for a donation.
  • A lot of hotels and resorts will host local vendors on their premises at certain times of the year.
  • Some business parks will also allow vendors to set up temporary one-day events on their premises, if it is something that will benefit their employees.
  • If you can’t afford some of these options, form an alliance with other local, but non competitive vendors, about going in together.

The goal is to maximize your key selling season with both a physical and online presence that will help carry you throughout the year.

Also to Read:

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All right reserved.

Need a Business Idea? Simply Solve a Problem (Like These Companies Did)

August 6, 2014 /

I often see people trying desperately to come up with an idea for a business, but the easiest way is to simply solve a problem that people are having. It could be with a current product or service offering, or an offshoot of a problem with another product.

Hopefully some of these product ideas will inspire you.

Problem Solved: Cell Phone Off the Floor When Charging

small_business_ideas

Now this is not an expensive product, but it solves a definite problem. This cell phone holder ($8) from Solutions simply keeps your phone off the floor when you are charging it (why do they make the charger cords so short?). What would make this product better? If you could fold it up and stick in your purse to take with you.

Problem Solved: Make Brushing Teeth Fun For Kids

product idea for a small business

Anyone with kids knows how hard it is to get them to brush their teeth, so anytime you can take something that a child finds a chore and make it fun, you will have success. Tooth Paste Pete ($5) is just a cap that goes over the  toothpaste tube and makes it instantly makes bedtime a lot easier.

Problem Solved: Small Dogs (and Fat Cats) Can’t Jump

product_ideas_small_business

There are so many issues that small dogs as well as older dogs have, and one of them is getting up onto high beds. This portable pet step from Collections Etc. ($15) offers a simple solution. Making it available in other stylish colors would make it even better.

Problem Solved: Being Seen When Biking at Night

small business ideas products

These LED Spokelit Bicycle Lights ($11) are a great way to increase visibility and security when biking in the dark  (still need a headlight!). Considering that cycling at night is a factor in nearly 50 percent of all cycling fatalities, it offers a solution to a very real problem.

Where to Find Product Inspiration

Look around you. What products are you dissatisfied with and why? Ask your friends, family and colleagues what types of products they are looking for and can’t find. Maybe even try reading the reviews of popular and top-selling products to see where they are missing the mark and you could possibly fill that void. 

© 2012-2014 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 

Why Mobile-Based Small Businesses Are a Hot Trend

July 24, 2014 /

by Gail Oliver, Small Business Marketing Consultant

A lot of businesses struggle with bringing customers to their establishment, either a physical location or online, but have you ever thought about going to them?

mobile based businessesMobile-based businesses are becoming a hot trend, and with the baby boomer generation getting older and less mobile (no pun intended), and the younger generation over taxed time-wise, we might see the return of former ways, such as the door to door salesman, doctors making house calls and the milk man.

One industry that has really proven to be successful as a mobile set-up is the hairdressing industry. Older ladies absolutely have to have their hair done once a week and getting to a salon may not be physically that easy. A hair salon on wheels provides a great alternative. How perfect would this be for the wedding and prom industries as well?

I recently spoke with a company called Ground FX Flooring, that brings their flooring showroom right to you in their mobile trailer. The benefit here is you can bring the samples right into your home to see if they work and you don’t have to drag them back to the store. Customers are more likely to make faster decisions with this type of service.

Even the online marketplace Etsy is jumping on the mobile bandwagon with a traveling airstream trailer touring this summer through various Canadian cities filled with items from local artisans.

Maybe your business don’t need to go to someone’s home, but rather an area, the way a food truck does. There are a lot of rural and remote neighborhoods that do not have access to certain types of goods and services. Going to them gives you a captive audience and no competition.

Mobile-Based Business Ideas

I’m going to throw out some of my own original ideas, so take them for what they are!

  • A mobile spa offering manicures, pedicures and massages at office parks
  • A mobile physiotherapist showing up at sports facilities
  • A mobile pharmacy showing up at retirement villages
  • A mobile beer store that shows up to campgrounds or trailer parks
  • A mobile butcher frequenting a local neighborhood in late afternoon
  • A mobile laptop and smart phone repair service making visits to college campuses

Now obviously there are certain restrictions and special licenses needed for mobile-based businesses, but it offsets the costs of paying rent.

How can you make your business mobile?

Attention-GettingNeed More Advice for Your Small Business?

I offer a variety of affordable services especially for small businesses. Feel free to contact me about how I can help your small business, no obligation, at attentiongetting@gmail.com.

 

© 2012-2014 G.B. OLIVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

 

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