How to start a small business: options and ideas in a small town
In a small city, you can organize a profitable business no worse than in a large one. Many people think that it cannot be profitable in a small town. Anyone who thinks so, immediately set themselves up for failure and do not consider the positive aspects of this issue.
Differences between small and large cities
There are many advantages of living in small towns. Here is some of them.
- There life flows slowly and measuredly. The population is more conscious about the choice of goods and services.
- People here are more conservative and less influenced by fashion. They prefer to spend more time looking for the right product at affordable prices.
- Everything is nearby, objects are close to each other.
- Much better ecology.
- Residents of tiny towns are less prone to stressful situations.
- The population does not spend money on public transport, and this significantly saves money.
- Small towns have almost everything the big ones do. If there is a need to travel to a large city, you can go there by private car or by public transport.
- A big difference between mentality and lifestyle.
- The population of small towns has its own established system of values, which determines their way of life.
- In small towns, the risk of crisis and globalization is reduced.
- The degree of protection against the risk of ruin due to reduced demand is slightly higher than in a large city.
Small-town business ideas
Residents of such settlements should not rush to choose the specifics of their future business. It is necessary to carefully weigh the pros and cons and only then make the only correct decision. Only in this case the work will bring you good profit. The ceiling for sales in small towns may be limited by population size and purchasing power.
From the very beginning, you must “soberly” assess the market of your locality. Find out what services or goods residents want, what they need and what they expect. Clarify the number of your future competitors, their strengths and weaknesses.
It would be great to start your own franchise business. have hundreds, if not thousands of items. In this case, the entrepreneur can count on a loan and comprehensive assistance from the franchisee. This can help get things going well. It is much easier to work under a well-known brand.
For the little ones, organize a Leisure and Development Center, where they will learn and explore the world.
A demanded business in a small town - private with a set of the following services: haircut, hair dyeing, hairstyles for the holiday, manicure, pedicure. This type of business will never burn out. Women always strive to be beautiful and attractive.
Let's take a closer look at what the pitfalls of our business are, what benefits can be found and how to organize everything.
Pros and cons of small business in a small town
Before starting your own business, you need to really assess the situation and think it over well. The pros of running your own business in a small town are as follows:
- Absence of competitors (or a small number of them). If you have carefully chosen the field of activity for yourself, then you may face the fact that no one else is doing this in your city.
- Ensuring no future competitors. This option is possible if you decide to start selling the products of a well-known company, which does not yet have a representative office in your city. You should sign an exclusive supply agreement, and then you will be protected from the appearance of competitors.
- Rental prices. Whatever you decide to do, in any case in a small town it will cost you much cheaper than in a metropolis. This includes the price of renting premises, salaries of employees and even advertising your business. It will be enough for you to fulfill one or two orders with high quality, and people will know about you. If you are engaged in trade, then you should trade in high-quality and not very expensive goods - then customers will advise their friends and acquaintances to visit your store.
Disadvantages of starting a similar business:
- Fewer clients. Since the population of your town is small, there will be fewer people who need your services.
- Small income level of the population. In smaller cities, salaries are much lower, which means that people are ready to spend less money.
- Lack of qualified personnel. A situation may arise that there are no specialists in the city who are guided by your chosen niche. Or else your competitors have already got them.
- Word of mouth can work not only in your favor, but also against you. If you are punctured once (you sold a poor-quality product, did not complete the order well or did not meet its deadlines), word of this can quickly spread throughout the city. Then you will get a bad reputation, which you absolutely don't need.
Other nuances of starting a business
Before starting your own business, you need to think carefully about its details and take into account the following nuances:
- your business should not require recruiting first-class specialists, as this may cause problems;
- make sure that your business will be in some demand in your area. Otherwise, there is no point in opening it;
- creating your own business, you must be 100% confident in your abilities. If later you can change your mind and close the business because of the difficulties that have arisen, then in a small town it will become public. And then it will be much more difficult for you to open another business - people will not be able to trust you.
What to start from when choosing a field of activity
When choosing what you will do, you need to consider the following factors: