Monday, May 10, 2010

Open A Vitamin Business

Vitamins come in many different forms, brands and concentrations.


Vitamins and minerals keep people in optimal health, and vitamin businesses can be very profitable. Determine whether you want to open a brick-and-mortar vitamin store or an online vitamin store. This will affect how you set up your business. You can create a business selling your own vitamin products, or you can become a licensed retailer for vitamin products offered by other manufacturers.


Instructions


Planning


1. Plan the basic concept behind your business. The best foundation to begin with is a business plan, which requires that you gather the necessary information and funding for your company before you start anything.








2. Decide whether you will sell your own products or licensed products from other manufacturers. If you are just getting started in the vitamin industry, the easiest path will be to sell FDA-approved vitamin and mineral products from well-known manufacturers.


3. Choose the format for your vitamin business. Will your business operate in a brick-and-mortar building, online, or as a combination of the two?


Doing Business Online


4. Obtain the right licenses for your vitamin business. You must have a local business permit from your city, along with any other permits or licenses that your state requires of you. Check with your local chamber of commerce to find out what licenses you must obtain.


5. Create a website for your business. Your business website must have a catalog, shopping cart and a method of checking out and collecting payments from customers. Collect testimonials about your products from nutritionists, body builders, personal trainers and other experts in the industry to show the effectiveness of your products online.


6. Populate your website with products, whether they are your own or another company's. Add product descriptions and photographs so that customers can see and understand each product that you are selling.


Brick-and-Mortar Business


7. Obtain the proper licensing for your business. Brick-and-mortar businesses often have different licensing requirements from online businesses. Check with your chamber of commerce to find out what types of licenses you will need for your company.


8. Choose a location for your business and make sure that it is properly zoned for your type of company. Acquire the right inventory and other materials that you need such as shelving, signs and lighting in preparation for your opening day.


9. Set up your store. Display products prominently with prices and signs, and make sure that your point-of-sale materials are ready to go for the opening day.


10. Advertise your business in the local newspaper and through any other channels that you can think of. The more that you advertise, in general, the better your opening week will be. Advertise in the right places for your vitamin business. Visit nutritionists, personal trainers, health clubs and gyms and talk to people about your products and your new store.


11. Make sure that everything is ready before you open your doors for the first time. The more you plan, the better off you will be when the doors open. Make sure that you have everything ready so that there are no surprises when you start to deal with customers. Give customers a reason to come on opening day: Ask personal fitness trainers and nutritionists to come and talk about your products with customers so they can buy the right vitamins for their needs.

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