hello sir,i love your thread,thanks for bring this thread,i ve learnt alot from it,pls sir am abt to open a baby shop,where i will be selling almost everything considering babies and children,i was thinking of adding maternity too,what advice do you have for me,and i was also thinking of opening an online shop too,thanks

One of the best threads I've come across in this section

AjanleKoko: One of the best threads I've come across in this section

Thankyou very much Sir.I feel very priviledged to have you comment on my thread.I'm one of your ardent followers in the career section.

childrensisland: hello sir,i love your thread,thanks for bring this thread,i ve learnt alot from it,pls sir am abt to open a baby shop,where i will be selling almost everything considering babies and children,i was thinking of adding maternity too,what advice do you have for me,and i was also thinking of opening an online shop too,thanks

Expanding your product range into maternity is a good idea since your primary target remain the same.I'll suggest you look for a store close to a maternity home or alternatively,a densely populated residential area.Make use of sliding doors and display your wares properly,both inside and outside your store.This will generate impulse sales.In choosing a name,consider short and catchy names that are easy to remember and related to your product line."Babies & Mummies" is a typical example.SUCCESS and don't forget to share your success story here.

Hosting of a Grand Opening Event: If you are not working on a tight budget,you may consider marking the establishment of your business with a grand opening ceremony in which prospective targets will be invited to grace the occasion.This will give your target an avenue to learn about your products and business and will give you the opportunity to showcase samples and demonstrate how they help your targets to solve problems.At the event,you should create a register to collect the names,contact information and other important details of participants for the purpose of reaching them with periodic reminders about your products.You should also provide them with promotional materials.The only reason they'll not patronize you subsequently,is if your product does not add value to them.Have a splendid weekend.

Interesting...

obowunmi: Interesting...

Thanks

[/quote]@pattybf: I am planning to set-up exactly the same kind of business by His grace B4 December this yr(2012). Let me first apprecaite what Oga Businesstools is doing.Reading through oga Businesstools response to your post, Let me share my ideas on how to take this business "a step further"[/b]

pattybf: hello sir, i have been following your thread and i must commend you for such a noble gesture! it is very educative and i give a thump up, u rock!

however, i have a request as this thread is coming very handy to me right now but i have difficulty narrowing it to suit my kind of business.actually, its a business i'm about starting.

its a fry centre business, where akara, yam, plantain, potato,etc are fried and sold.
i came up with this biz after having tried so many things that didn't work and having being almost idle for so long, a friend offered a shop to me, since in your write up location is very important, this biz is the only thing i think i can do within the area.

now, i need your help concerning marketing and strategy as regard this kind of business line,the usual thing is to fry and sell at the spot,can i take a step further in this? i know its a common business but i want to stand out.

what can i do to achieve this and possibly make a name doing this business.

pls narrow your response to this biz cos i don't know how i can devise and add marketing to this business.

thanks!

@pattybf: I am planning to set-up exactly the same kind of business by His grace B4 December this yr(2012). Let me first apprecaite what Oga Businesstools is doing.Reading through oga Businesstools response to your post, Let me share my ideas on how to take this business "a step further"
1.Quality:-

Put effort at making you stuff particularly the Akra special (it’s not all about beans and pepper add enough onions and other good spice). Sincerely I am still working on this. But people tend to prefer akra made by middle-belters and igbo to that of the western(I stand to be corrected). Also don't make the paste too watery.

2.Timing:-
Personally I have observed that people patronise our "fryies" in the morning hours (6:30 AM TO 8:30 AM) and in the evening hours (6:30 PM TO 9:00 PM)

3.Size:-
For a start make your "cuts" a bit big than the your competitors

4. Hygiene :-
You know this already I won’t dwell on this. It’s a No No to house flies perching around you business area

5.Adopt Oga Businesstools tips on customer relations.

NB: Please I am still learning. If you also have any idea to share with me. Please send me a mail. Makyy4u@yahoo.com.

Thanks.

hi all, thanks for ur contributions/advice. i wanted to update this thread on my progres in the biz but i found out i have no time at all since i started to go online, coupled with the challenges and the fat that i have to cater for my son.

besides, nairaland banned me from signing in through my mobile, so i can't do anything except i use my modem on my desktop which is what i'm doing now.

i started on monday, the 3rd of September, so its almost two weeks into the biz., by tomorrow or next when i will have enough time, i promise to update my progress so far, the challenges/success.

see u then.

hi businesstools,i stumbled on this thread today, i must commend you for doing a great job in business education.however if you permit, i will like to have your e-mail for some discussions with you off this forum
thank you.

sureboy1: hi businesstools,i stumbled on this thread today, i must commend you for doing a great job in business education.however if you permit, i will like to have your e-mail for some discussions with you off this forum
thank you.

Check my signature.

pattybf: hi all, thanks for ur contributions/advice. i wanted to update this thread on my progres in the biz but i found out i have no time at all since i started to go online, coupled with the challenges and the fat that i have to cater for my son.

besides, nairaland banned me from signing in through my mobile, so i can't do anything except i use my modem on my desktop which is what i'm doing now.

i started on monday, the 3rd of September, so its almost two weeks into the biz., by tomorrow or next when i will have enough time, i promise to update my progress so far, the challenges/success.

see u then.

@pattybf:- I am so happy for you. Please update us. Can't wait to here from you.
Good luck! Congrats once again.

Hello can u send a quotation of your product with the pix?

Hello can u send a quotation of your product with the pix? thru c.zhedogafirstname@yahoo.com

Zhedoga: Hello can u send a quotation of your product with the pix? thru c.zhedogafirstname@yahoo.com

What product are you talking about?

@BusinessTools great work! I also believe when people are keen on learning and open their mind to new information they grow their business and career,one very good way to kick start this is to Increase One's reading speed -Leverage!

I AM AN INVENTOR,PARTICULARLY ON WASTE MANAGEMENT, I ALSO HAVE PASSION FOR FABRICATION OF METALLIC TOOLS EG DRUMS ETC. COUPLED WITH THAT I CAN RESEARCH, I HAVE CREATED UP TO TWENTY NEW EQUIPMENT DOING VARIOUS THINGS EG USING YOUR TELEPHONE TO CONTROL YOUR OFFICE OR HOUSE APPLIANCES FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. THE PROBLEM IS HOW TO MONETIZE MY WORK OR DO ANY OTHER RELATED BUSINESS TO ENSURE SURVIVAL. I ONCE VISITED A GOVERNMENT OFFICE TO LOOK FOR CONTRACT, I WAS TOLD THAT I MUST KNOW A POLITICIAN. I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS. PLEASE ADVICE ME

Hi guys, thanks for being there!

the challenges in this biz is way beyond what i anticipated, others may have found it easy but that is not in my case at all. ok, here is the story so far

before i started, i realised i couldn't do it alone, so i got someone who only agreed to help based on partnership which i agreed, we contributed 30k to start off, meanwhile the owner of the shop has charged 1k per week. so we set off with 30k, we bought all we could managed with N25,100. on our first biz day we made N3,040 and at the end of the week, we realised a profit of N4,900. Within this week, we had a problem coping with the owner of the shop. Initially, she wanted us to use part of the shop and only help her look after the shop, then two days before we took off, she called and said she would want us to pay and we still agreed and she set the price without even giving us the chance to negotiate.

so, after two days she came around to watch the progress, at the end of the day, she told me she's not comfortable with what is going on, that it has been her plan to have people start this biz for her since she can't do it herself. That was want she wanted with us but that we confused her, and she didn't know when she agreed to this. so she wanted us to rearrange everything. so she concluded by saying she someone else will be coming to sell fish, I told her we were going to sell fish as well but she said no. the following week, there was rain, the weather was bad, the charcoal was disappointing, by Wednesday of that week, we have resolved to using gas (considering that we spent N2000 on charcoal alone in the first week)so i thought gas would be cheaper with less stress. by Thursday, we brought gas cos i already had one i wasn't using at home, we filled the cylinder with 3k and took it there but the wind didn't allow us to make proper use of it, so we have to make a box for it since we must use it outside.
by now we were worried of our fate in the shop, knowing that we may be given an option that we cannot accept. a friend i told advice we started looking out for a space ,that we didn't really need a shop but i needed a place where my son could sleep or play. so we were still waiting for our fate until on friday, she came and told us her mind. She wanted us to work for her, give her account and get paid. she gave us the weekend to think about it. As God would have it, that same friday, we looked around and we got a space at the entrance to that street. we paid 5k for it, we had a welder made a box for us, big enof to contain our things. but we didn't have enof money for all these extra cost, but my sis who was around the first day she made that comment offered to help, so she loaned us 50k,the box cost us 20k.

by Sunday evening we went to move our things to our new site, and made sure we returned her key and 2k for the two weeks we stayed that same evening since we live on the same street.

Ordinarily, we thought the site would sell better but that was not the case! Sales dropped drastically, we couldn't even finish selling one tuber of yam. This first week was so bad. We were so sad things turned out this way. We became discouraged, by the weekend, there was nothing good to tell about our biz., then my son fell sick. This is the second week, i haven't been there, i have been going to one hospital or the other with my son. My partner has been going with the little girl that stays with me. Thursday and today Friday, she didn't go. so I’m already thinking of what next to do.

Already, we have invested 80k into this biz with N22,370 at hand. Another sis of mine advised me to look for another space preferably in Aguda where i stay, that the biz is more lucrative here rather than in orile where we operate presently. She suggested one junction, i went there and got a space for another 5k but i'm afraid to spend more money like that at this point. My partner is already nursing pooling out cos she came back on wednesday to tell me that some woman came to ask us to sell our box and space to her, i asked her who told the woman we wanted to sell it but she just said she don't know, that she came to ask her if we wanted to sell it.

Now, I’m so confused, I’m thinking whether to sell those things as my partner is suggesting and bade the biz goodbye and accepting to incur some losses, and look for something else I can do with the new space or should I moved the things and continue the biz with or without her having the fear of the unknown in my mind.

Please who have advised should dropped it her for me.it wasn’t easy at all to decide on starting a biz of this nature, so many people look down on me for doing this, I have had so many discouragement already. After having nothing to show for other ventures, I tot I could make a progress this time, even if its just to save money to start something more classy as they say.

Pls advice me on the next step to take from here
thanks

I must commend your effort but you should also be aware that majority of us who started our own businesses from the scratch did not undergo any less challenge than you are presently faced with.Many of us think entrepreneurship is about making profit.That is where we get it wrong.The word entrepreneur is of French origin meaning to undertake.Entrepreneurship is about taking risks.It is a game to be played and enjoyed just like football and basket ball.Sometimes you win,other times you lose.The better you understand the market,the more your chances of winning.It takes a lot of courage to start a business.At least,you are better than those who claim to be business gurus with MBAs and PhDs in Business Management, who do not know how it feels like to be a business owner.Do not give up no matter the circumstances.What you require at this point in time is perseverance.I am optimistic that you will conquer.I wish your son a quick recovery.

Good

I must commend your effort, I pray the Lord be with you and give u the spirit to move on. Keep praying and I'll also pray along with u. Devil is not happy when one is about to get a breakthrough in life. The hand of the will be upon your son and I pray he recover immediately. God bless you.

I must commend your effort, I pray the Lord be with you and give u the spirit to move on. Keep praying and I'll also pray along with u. Devil is not happy when one is about to get a breakthrough in life. The hand of the Lord will be upon your son and I pray he recovers immediately. God bless you.

thank you @Businesstools and @Gloriouspa, i really appreciate your comments and i'm encouraged. my son is doing better now, thanks a lot.

i have decided to move on to the new place i got.right now, we are making arrangements to resume business there soon.

@Businesstools Sir, i have a favour to ask, i just learnt about the you-win grant programme by the government, i was wondering if you could help me prepare a business plan accomodating my line of business.

i will look forward to your response either here or to my email: pattybf@yahoo.com

thanks

welldone boss...am impressed. welldone boss...am impressed.

Good day Broda,
Pls do you have in mind where I can get locally fabricated soap production machines or line.