Do you want to start a swap meet company from scratch? Or you need a sample swap meet business plan template? If YES, then i advice you read on. If you looking for a new business to start as an aspiring entrepreneur or you have a paid employment and you want to start a business that won’t interfere with your job, then you need to start your own swap meet business.
Swap meet business is easy to start; it requires minimal capital and low technical skill or serious business plan. The basic things you need to have before launching this type of business a space (garage, or store in from of your house) marketing skills, and the goods you want to sell.
Swap meet business or flea market is a market format that provides great opportunity for customers who enjoy bargaining to meet and socialize while hounding for household stuffs, handmade handcraft, children’s toys and collectibles, amongst others. This is at a giveaway price or an exchange for other stuffs; it is indeed an informal gathering where people bring stuffs in good shape that they no longer want in exchange of stuffs they need.
Setting up a swap meet business is indeed a profitable venture that might not consume the bulk of your time. As a matter of fact, if you are a sociable person and you have enough space in your compound or any empty building or field, you can easily start your own swap meet business.
Now let us consider some of the steps you need to follow to be able to start your own swap meet business from the scratch and build it to a highly profitable venture;
Starting a Swap Meet Company – Sample Business Plan Template
1. Carry out a Market Survey in Your Area
The first thing that is expected of you to do in order to successfully launch your swap meet business is to carry out a market survey in your area. You need to find out if people who live in your community can comfortably patronize a swap meet business .If at all they could, you still might need to find out the type of goods they are willing to buy or exchange their goods for.
2. Secure a Space
If people in your community are game for a swap meet business, then the next thing that is expected of you to do is to secure a space. It could be your garage, a store or an empty building. The bottom line is that the space must be big enough for the display of different goods and also to accommodate the numbers of people that you are expecting per time.
Normally, much more than people coming to purchase stuff at a rock bottom price or in exchange for a good; it is also a place where people in the community come to meet one another and to socialize so you must ensure that you secure a place that will be ideal for it.
3. Source for Goods
There are several means of sourcing for goods for your swap meet business. Part of what you need to do to get goods for your swap meet business is to talk to family members and friends to give you stuffs; children’s toys, craft, electronics, cooking ware, or stuff that they are no longer making use of but still in good shape.
In most cases you likely are going to get these goods for free. You can also invite people in your community who have goods that they no longer make use of and are willing to exchange it (them) for other goods.
4. Create Conducive Atmosphere for Socializing and Easy Bargaining
One of the aims of swap meet business aside from selling stuffs and making cool cash is to create conducive atmosphere where people in your community can socialize. So, once you are able to secure a facility for your swap meet business, then you should work hard to make the place relaxing. Make provision for good music, drinks and other side attraction. The truth is that people are likely going to make more purchase in a very relax and friendly environment.
5. Create Awareness for Your Swap Meet Business
The success of your swap meet business is largely dependent on your ability to create awareness. Since this type of business is not an everyday kind of business, you must make conscious effort to be able to drive the kind of traffic that will make your swap business worth the while.
Part of what you need to do it to print and distribute handbills in your area, you can also send bulk SMS to people in your community and you can go on a road show to create awareness. If you have a local community radio station in your area, you can place an advert. Bottom line is that once you are able to get it right with creating awareness for your swap meet business, then you will make good profit from the business.
6. Open Your Swap Meet Business
Once you are able to get everything set, then the next logical thing to do is to pick a date to open the business to the public. Just ensure that before you open the business, you have everything set including ad hoc employees that will help you ensure that everything go as planned.
7. Evaluate and Re – Strategize
One of the easiest ways of leveraging on success to create more success or learning from failures to create success is to evaluate your processes and then pin point your loopholes and then re – strategize. What you need to do in other to continue to make success out of your swap meet business is to evaluate your first business day and then take note of the goods that were in high demand so that you will stock loads of them in your next swap business outing.
There you have it; the steps to follow to be able to build your swap business from the scratch in your chosen location with less stress.