John:
I'd like your advice on my situation:
My wife inherited an import business from her father 6 months ago. We hired
someone who was unemployed to help run it and now he no longer desires to
continue. (He prefers a 9-5 job than being an entrepenuer)
The business imports restaurant goods from Asia, warehouses them and sells &
distributes them throughout CA. Small player in a field of three domninant
players. We do have an established customer and supplier list. At its prime,
the business grossed over $360k a year (net $60k), but my father in law was
stricken with cancer a couple years ago and now the business gross around $8k a
month (down to 5 major customers from 20).
Our original thought was to try to build the business back and then some, while
we both continued our own professions. My wife and I are not sure what to do
with this business at this point.
1) liquidate the inventory?
2) sell the business outright?
3) hire someone else to run it?
What are your thoughts in this situation?
Thanks,
Kevin
Saturday, November 22, 2003
Advice on situation
Friday, November 21, 2003
Best trade shows to attend
Re: Best trade shows to attend
Have you tried www.tsnn.com? Although it might be more for
international tradeshows. But I'm sure if you search on the web you'll
find lots of resources. Good luck.
Postal rates
Hi All,
I'm ready to ship a package of samples to Asia...I was wondering if
anyone knows which shipper is the cheapest? So far I think US postal
office is the cheapest but I'm not sure about their tracking and
reliablity. Is there a website that will compare postal rates from
various shippers? Please give me some advise - thanks in advance :)
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
NTDB Raw Data
RE: [spiers] NTDB Raw Data
Leigh,
http://dataweb.usitc.gov
This is the link to the USITC (US International Trade Commission) and the
Trade Dataweb. Using the report writer on the web site, you can query the
database for your HTS classification for a variety of data, including value
and units. You can copy the data into your own worksheet or download a
file. The report writer is user friendly.
Mary Kay
-----Original Message-----
From: Kismetzz [mailto:kismetzz@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2003 10:20 AM
To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [spiers] NTDB Raw Data
Hi John and everybody!
I suppose you didn't get my last email about getting the raw NTDB
data huh? Well, I asked if you have any good tips on getting around
the website. I couldn't recognize the tutorial you talked about in
the book and after spending about 2 hours in the public library, I
still couldn't locate where the best places to make my product are.
It was a big maze, please help. Thanks.
I wish you all a good Sunday!
LEigh
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Best trade shows to attend
Re: [spiers] Best trade shows to attend
Does anyone have a list of the best trade shows to attend for gifts, arts &
crafts, and housewares? The ones that most buyers will attend? Tradeshow
contact information?
***Google search will turn up such a list, but it misses the question which is
the show YOUR customers go to for merchandise, something you cannot find out
until you ask them those who will be buying from you. The shows your customers
find best mean other birds of that feather will be there... probably one of the
most attended shows for gift and housewares is the November show in New York,
but almost nobody places any orders, since it is considered a "pre-show" and
just ideas about what is coming up next year.
Talking to possible customers and visiting trade shows takes too much in time
and money if every trade show attended, every customer spoken to does not pay
off with orders, now, directly. Since it is possible to gain orders from every
customer spoken to at every trade show, then any alternative is a deliberate
waste of resources.
But some will object: "you 'gain orders from every customer spoken to at every
trade show?'" and I reply "yes, via independent sales reps." With reps, a
professional shows my product only to the customers who should see my product
(this is something i would not know). That custoemr either places an order now,
OR tells the rep with what changes my product would undergo that would cause the
beuyer to place an order. In effect, this is a future order, since I will be
changing everything to please customers.
Sure, we all need some entertainment sometimes, and going to a gift show before
you have custooemrs would be like going to a movie. Fun and divertiing, but it
will not do anything to advance your business.
Of course, once we have the very best reps, they will naturally have us in the
very best shows. And of course, the names of the very best reps come from the
very retailers who told us our product ideas were good and so far do not
exist.***
Do these trade shows sell the buyers attendance list and contact info?
***You bet they do! ***
John
NTDB Raw Data
Hi John and everybody!
I suppose you didn't get my last email about getting the raw NTDB
data huh? Well, I asked if you have any good tips on getting around
the website. I couldn't recognize the tutorial you talked about in
the book and after spending about 2 hours in the public library, I
still couldn't locate where the best places to make my product are.
It was a big maze, please help. Thanks.
I wish you all a good Sunday!
LEigh
Sales Commission
Re: [spiers] Sales Commission
As another data point, you could consult Agency Sales Magazine, the mag for
Manufacturing Agents National Association. I recently found a survey of
commissions in their Oct 2003 issue. The commish is between 5 and 11.1
percent ( "average" numbers), dependent on which part of the food and
beverage industry you are selling to, and whether you sell to end users,
OEMs, or distributors.
At 06:11 PM 11/3/2003 EST, you wrote:
>Rowena,
>
>The research phase where you dive into the trade journals, etc, ought to
give
>you that info...if not, I always fouond it useful, as a student, since I was
>a student, to call around as a student and ask people who should know, so I
>might have the info for a study I am doing. Now as a "teacher" people are
>still willing to share... but ask around, and see what kind of concensus
you arive
>at...
>
>john
>In a message dated 11/3/03 2:10:25 PM, rowena@irieusa.com writes:
>
><
>sales representative to sell my natural and organic products and pay
>them commission only.
>What advice can you give me and how can I find out what is the going
>rate of commissions in the food and beverage industry.
>Thanks
>Rowena Mills
Best trade shows to attend
Re: [spiers] Best trade shows to attend
Try the Holiday Sample Sale San Francisco Concourse Nov. 29-30
Best trade shows to attend
RE: [spiers] Best trade shows to attend
Don,
I'm importing some crafts from Brazil and I was told that the best place to
find those info is subscribing Sunshine Artist Magazine. It gives you info
on several trade shows that will happen all over the US in advanced, some
you'll have to make the registration at least 6 months before the event. I
haven't received the first one yet to give you more details.
I hope it helps.
Luiz Simoes (Dedel)
-----Original Message-----
From: DL [mailto:polobear888@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2003 11:31 PM
To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [spiers] Best trade shows to attend
Hi,
Does anyone have a list of the best trade shows to attend for gifts, arts &
crafts, and housewares? The ones that most buyers will attend? Tradeshow
contact information?
Can someone also share their experience in these tradeshows?
Do these trade shows sell the buyers attendance list and contact info?
Thanks,
-don
Best trade shows to attend
Re: [spiers] Best trade shows to attend
The San Francisco International gift mart has two big shows a year and they
are quite extensive. It takes more than a day to see the whole thing. As
far as selling the attendance list I do not believe they do, however most of
the reps will want your business card befor they will give you a catalog. I
have not been contacted by anyone that I did not give my card to. There is
also a trade show in Los Angeles, Houston, New York and Atlanta all of these
are pretty much the same vendors with some exceptions. I have been told
that there is also a big wholesale craft shgow in San Francisco but I have
not gotten the info on it as of yet.
Cheryl
-------Original Message-------
From: spiers@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, November 16, 2003 08:13:42
To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [spiers] Best trade shows to attend
Hi,
Does anyone have a list of the best trade shows to attend for gifts, arts &
crafts, and housewares? The ones that most buyers will attend? Tradeshow
contact information?
Can someone also share their experience in these tradeshows?
Do these trade shows sell the buyers attendance list and contact info?
Thanks,
-don
We are buying a business!
Hi John!
Thanks for your earlier advice on buying a business. We are coming
closer now to getting a good deal on the business we have much
passion for. I must say you have been instrumental and
inspirational! Thanks again.
Here are a few things we are still trying to figure out:
1. We are definitely thinking about moving all the inventories to a
pick and pack service (they have their own warehouse now).
Currently, the product are made in 2 European countries and a
country in Latin America, so we are thinking about finding a P&P
service in the east coast. However, these countries are not the best
places to have our product made because our competitors are going to
China and other asian countries. We would eventually go to Asia too
but then, do we relocate our P&P back to west coast from the east
coast since it's closer to Asia then or should we simply locate
ourselves in the west coast from the very beginning?
2. The P&P services also provide customer services like a telephone
line and a customer service representative to answer phone calls and
take orders and so on. What do you think about the quality of these
services? Are they worth outsourcing if we just want to devote more
time in product development and marketing, without having to worry
about the sales and logistics departments?
Hope to hear from you soon! :)
Leigh
Puchasing Agent
Re: [spiers] Puchasing Agent
I spoked with people... and found
out that some of my ideas all ready existed in the market. Some of the ideas
are not feasible.
***Aren't you glad you found out while it was still just an idea, and not after
you had a garage full?***
The best idea I had was putting dust filters on the fans
inside pc computer to collect dust. I believe my friend said they do exist
on some types of computer, but I have never seen them on any fans on pc
computer. Also, I thought about designing a dust filter that you could
attached to the inside wall of the pc computer that would collect dust. My
netwoking friend believe these are great ideas.
***Your networking friend is not a big enough market to tell you anything
useful... you must go to people who will place purchase orders. There are
upscale computer stores, oones you can visit and ask if yours is a good idea and
does it exist... as I always advise... BUT... in hi-tech machinery.. isn't the
process usually something is BIG and new an expensive and then it comes down to
small and inexpensive? I am just wondering aloud... in my house I have a
filter that somehow electronic catches dust and pastes it to a metal
filter..something with ionic charges or something... but anyway, we just pop
this out every month or so and throw it in the dishwasher... all clean. maybe
your clean computer comes by means of somethiing bigger that gets smaller... but
what do I know. ***
My next step is to take my idea to a purchasing agent. I wanted to know how
would you contact a puchasing ageagent directly. The stores I thought about
were Micro Center, Circuit City, Office Max, Office Depot and Best Buy here
in Chicago.
***Extremely unlikely. they want what everyone walks into the store for... a
well-known brand and product... they also want relaible suppliers.. if your
product WAS a hit, it is unlikely you would have the economies of scale and
logistics in place to supply the demand. the manufacturing and supply chain
does not wait still in hopes someday we are successful. So it is extremely
unlikely anyone will speak to you at that level.
Now, as i said, there are plenty of smaller stores specializing and high price.
often they sell only Apple computers, but they also sell planty of azccessory
items. Plenty of companies make losts of money selling to Apple users what
Apple will not make.***
John