Water Your Roots: Maximize Your Home Business Location

Trees need roots to grow. When a gardener plants a tree, he does not water the leaves or the branches. Instead, he sticks a hose near the roots and lets them soak up all the moisture they can hold. In the same way, whenever we begin a grass-roots business, whil we have the opportunity to expand, we must remember to maintain our roots: the community in which we live and work.

In the past the success of a home business relied large on its geographical location. Local farmer would sell their produce to local consumers. Basket weavers would weave their wares for the general public in their community. However, the growth of the internet has literally allowed local home businesses to explode into the global market place. As a result, many home businesses have lost touch with what once was the bread and butter of the home business world: the community.

Home businesses owners must recognize the unique customer base they have within their own community. These are the people they can see face to face, and thus the individuals that can recommend the home business products to others locally. Word of mouth is a powerful (and cheap) advertising tool, and thus home business owners must work hard to cater to the literal customer while serving the virtual customer as well.

Secondly, home business owners can use their particular geographic location to their advantage. Let's say you live in the sticks of the Midwestern United States. Your closest neighbor lives over a mile away, and the closest paved road is well over two miles away. You drive 30 miles one way to get groceries, and 60 miles one way to eat out at a restaurant that doesn't consider "hashbrowns" a legitimate side. You get the idea. You need the global customer, the virtual customer, to survive. So how can you take advantage of your geographical location? Two words: graphic design. If you live in a beautiful, unique part of the world, then use those images as a part of your business logo or website.

Finally, participate in the community. When the local school has their homecoming parade, enter a float for your home business. Join the local small business association, and participate in community activities under the auspice of your business. Contact the local school and see if you can contribute to the booster clubs and put your business name on a plaque as a result. Whenever you have the opportunity for advertising your business and building a positive image in the community, do it.

Just because the world has given us the opportunity to go global does not mean we can or should forget our neighbors. The home business began at home and relied solely on the goodness of those in its immediate vicinity. We should remember our roots when we start to grow, and continue to water them as we hope to reach the skies of prosperity.

Choosing a Concession Business Location

When running a concession trailer business, there are several aspects to take into account. Many issues arise that need to be dealt with in order to make a food service business run smoothly. With a mobile concession business, one of the most important things to make a decision on is the location where you plan to set up to sell. There are several different things to keep in mind when you are choosing a location for the operation of your business. First you need to consider the population of the area you plan to sell in. Another important thing to consider is whether or not you are willing to pay to set up. One final thing you need to consider is getting permission to set up.

One of the first things to consider when you are trying to choose a location for your business to operate is the population of the area. In order for your business to run successfully, you need to make sure the location you choose is well trafficked and fairly densely populated. The more populated the location, the more potential customers you have. If you choose a location that only has a few houses and businesses, you might consider a location that has more houses and businesses. Businesses are great to be around because employees who need a quick lunch break can be a great source of income. They can also be a great source of word-of-mouth advertisement, getting friends and even fellow employees to come sample your culinary delights.

Another important thing to remember when choosing a location to sell from is finances. You have to determine how much money, if any, you are willing to pay for a spot on someone’s property. For the most part, to park on the property of another business or a private individual, you must expect to pay for the rental of the space. Prices for renting a spot are usually dependent upon the size and location of the space. Be on the look out for the least expensive place you can find that will still provide you with the customer base that is necessary to be able to make money at your business.

This brings us to another thing that must be kept in mind when choosing location is that you must have permission to set up on private property. You are not allowed to just set up anywhere there is a space. You must first check with your city and county about the laws that concern concession food sales. Once you know these requirements, when you decide to settle in a spot, you must always ask the owner of the property you would like to set up on if that is ok. Many times, the offer of a nice chunk of monthly space rent will convince a person to allow you to be on there property. Either way, written permission must be obtained to make sure that no legal problems arise.

Wherever you decide to set up your concession trailer food business, several details must be seen to before that can happen. Choosing a location for your business must include consideration of population, cost of space rental, and gaining permission of the city, county, and private party who owns the space. This can be a very profitable business. To make your chances of making money better finding a great location can certainly play a part.