Business Form Sales and Service
Start-up Cost:$20,000-$40,000
Potential Earnings:$35,000-$60,000
Typical Fees:$25-$30 per form; more it's a complex custom design
Advertising:Yellow Pages, classified ads, direct mail
Qualifications:None
Equipment Needed:Printing equipment (or sub-contractor lined up), extensive color catalog of your goods, inventory
Potential Home Business:Yes
Staff Required:No
Handicapped opportunity:Yes
Hidden Costs:Cold-calling can get expensive
Lowdown:
This type of business is so standardized and easy for others to learn that it is among the top franchise businesses on the market today. All you need to do is find out what potential customers are using for business forms (such as inventory records, receipts, invoices, and other important documents). Then, you sell them on your customized service, quick turnaround, and easy terms. Remember, though, that you will be competing heavily against some fairly large organizations (Office Depot and Office Max plus other independents like yourself); you will need super sales skills to stay on top of it all and make your regular goals. Cold-calling is your primary way of finding new business, and it is extremely uncertain in the beginning (not to mention costly). Still, the income potential is great for those who can stomach the competition-and if you capitalize on your strong points, you should be able to come up with forms that make every customer happy (and, ultimately, result in your own profitability).
Start-up:
You'll need between $20,000-$40,000, particularly if you buy into a franchise operation. This investment will cover your catalogs, inventory, and training materials, and may also cover printing equipment (typically including specialized software). You'll charge $25-$30 per type of form; more if it's a complex custom design. In the end, you'll wind up making between $35,000-$65,000 per year-but that's only if you're working at this full-time and full-throttle.
Bottomline:
There is probably no more straightforward, easy business to learn than this-but do recognize that you're going to need to be well-connected to get regular, dependable business. Network with anyone who's anyone, and make the daily fifty of so phone calls it may take to get one fresh lead. After all, you're competing against major office store chains, and you need to tell people just what's different about your business (in this case, it's the customized service).
