Stationary
I love Stationary; I use it as stocking fillers at Xmas and buy all sorts of colourful stationary items to brighten up my otherwise boring office. It is an item that does not take up much space and lends itself perfectly to delivery and online ordering.
Your products will appeal to individuals like me, as well as to small businesses and people who work from home.
Have a look at www.bigboxx.com or www.staples.com both successful businesses that allow online ordering and then delivery. If you don't have time to follow the links they can best be described as an "Amazon" for Office Supplies.
Of course online sales are not the only answer, as usual we detail our full
list of distribution options below: -
Ebay
Website
Yellow pages
Networking
Shop
Ebay has 38,000 items listed under pens, 1600 under stationary and only 14 under paperclips. In other words this is not the most competitive of Ebay businesses. If you can come up with a line of products that are attractive and inexpensive you should be able to make some cash here. Shipping costs are likely to small if you are dealing with small companies and domestic users. Nice quality pens, calculators etc make great birthday gifts and you should be able to find a market. As usual we recommend that you link any ads back to your website for consistency of branding and greater visibility which equals greater credibility.
Setting up a website in competition with the likes of Staples might seem foolish, but remember that a lot of small businesses and retail customers want to be able to meet with the person they are dealing with. Advertising as the local alternative will minimise delivery costs and can increase your chances of building relationships. Let customers know that they can have samples and test the quality of your stock to further boost your credibility.
Building a website that is highly visible is tough and takes time (I know from personal experience), so you may want to do some selling the old fashioned way. Grab a Yellow Pages and start calling some people. You will get a lot of rejections and find it hard to get hold of the right people but if you keep at it you will soon find some people locally who are willing to meet with you and listen to your pitch. Another option is to try and visit business parks and/or down town office districts that have a high density of businesses. The problem with this approach is that you will find it hard to get to see the right person when you are there. If you do get to see them though, you will have a higher chance of closing a deal, as they will get to see your enthusiasm and to know you as a person not just a voice on the phone.
Networking is one of those intangible concepts that people seem to find hard to get their heads around. Join a golf club, or a business men's club or other clubs or societies where you are likely to meet other small businessmen. Whilst you are engaged in club activities it is easy to mention what you do, and what differentiates you from everyone else. You would be amazed at how much business you can pick up like this as well as making new friends. It is not a case of being aggressive, just enthusiastic about what you do. If you can help a couple of other people out as a result it will only help you in the long run to be known as a good guy/girl who helps out your colleagues. If you are operating purely online then you may be able to help in forums or chat rooms by recommending your friends businesses or services, they are likely to do the same for you. Another trick is to get a friend to write up a request for a stationary supplier, then you can write back and a few days later have them thank you for providing them with brilliant service, great prices etc.
Setting up a stationary shop is a big step as you will need to carry a diverse stock and will not want to be in a prime location, although you will want to be visible. Typical locations are on, or near business parks or above ground level (UK 1st floor, US 2nd floor) of high streets. These locations make you easy to find but rely on you marketing your business using whatever means are at your disposal. The non prime locations give you a lower rent and typically a stationary shop does not need a flashy fit out, but you will need to work your contacts, hand out business cards, advertise and build your internet presence in order to drive sales.
Google has 2.2m hits for stationary supplies and over a million just for paperclips. Unless you are looking at getting into very high end stationary items (Mont Blanc pens etc) then I would strongly advise finding an overseas supplier and carrying some stock. You can start with just a few product lines and then trial more as you start to build your customer list.
www.Alibaba.com has 10,000+ lines of pens out of China, but you can also try www.marginup.com and other sites that list overseas manufacturers. Have a look at our links page at www.ideas2earn.com/res_links.htm if you need additional sources.
Because stationary is a low cost item you will need to sell a lot before the income stream becomes meaningful. If you keep pushing your marketing to find buyers, and work your customer list for repeat orders it is surprising how lucrative this can be.