White Boards / Cork Boards
It doesn't matter what your lifestyle, having somewhere to stick the pieces of paper you want to keep handy, tickets, notes to yourself or your family is just incredibly useful. I have a huge whiteboard in my office that is about 6 feet wide and 4 feet high and couldn't live without it. Anything I want to remember gets noted up in the corner and it is always in front of me. Brilliant.
You can get combination corkboards and whiteboards, shaped ones, some come with pictures next to the functional board. There is a surprising variety out there. Once you have one you will wonder how you ever managed without and so will you family, and your customers.
This is not a "big money" idea, it sits squarely in the extra cash end of our range of ideas, you won't be setting up a shop on your local high-street that specialises in whiteboards and/or chalk boards, and it is unlikely that you can source them for the supermarkets and Ikeas of this world any cheaper than they can source them themselves. You can still however make a few quid (as we say in the UK) by following some of all of the following ideas: -
Network with friends, colleagues and familyAdvertise in gift catalogues, or on gift websites
Talk to clubs and companies about branding their white boards
Pitch for business from schools, and training companies
Work with shop and office fitters
Networking your "natural market" as we call it in the Insurance business means talking to everyone you know about what you are doing, showing them your products and asking whether they would be interested in buying. It is the clear indicator when you get going as to whether you have the right product range, and whether you can get comfortable asking people for money. Naturally in this instance you would put up notice boards at home or in your office maybe with pictures of your family and/or your to do list at work, and things that you need to do around the house, or reminders for the family on the one at home.
There are plenty of gift catalogues that do the rounds, more so at Christmas but you tend to see them all year with the Sunday newspapers or just in with your junk mail. Pick up a few of these and write, email or call the contact details to find out how you either get hold of purchasing, or advertise. This will depend on the magazine's business model but either way they should be happy to talk to you as there is potentially money in it for them. You can do exactly the same thing with online gift sites, and it is easy to send out a standard email once you have identified a bunch of sites. You may need to "drop ship" in order to be attractive which basically means that you take care of delivery but if you can do this and provide them with a sensible margin then you are in with a good chance. You may need to look further down the search engine rankings for smaller outfits if you get blown off by the bigger guys but I am willing to bet that you will find people willing to stock your product.
Many clubs and companies use Whiteboards or Corkboards to display important notices to their members or workforce. If you can find a way to offer them boards which carry their company logo they may well be interested. If they are not in the market right now do not just walk away. Ask whether they have any renovations planned, or any expansions coming up as you might want to pitch for the business when they are looking. If you can get a likely date from them then remember to call them about a month before and re-pitch. Keep a diary with dates and company names, contact numbers and contact names in it and check it every week to make sure you don't miss out on any potential sales.
Schools and training companies use white boards all the time as part of their training (and blackboards) but they also all tend to have corkboards to hold student notices, and sometimes even student adverts. You are unlikely to walk in and find an organisation that needs something now but again you should be able to find out when replacements will be required and who to follow up with. If you are lucky a training company may be expanding or moving location which is usually a trigger for buying new equipment. Once you have the right contacts you may also get to bid for marker pens, or even other fittings such as desks and chairs. Once you have established your sourcing for the boards this should be cinch to accommodate.
Most shops and offices will have at a minimum a staff notice board, and it is quite likely that they will also have at least one whiteboard for staff training. If you can get in with the shop and office fitting company you may be able to pitch for this business. Usually the fitters will get certain items for their clients and charge a flat rate, if you can get them cheaper than the current supplier then that means more money for every job. It might only be a few dollars here and there but over a year it adds can add up to a sizeable chun of change.
I would definitely look abroad for this, China or India being the most likely places to find the cheapest stock. www.alibaba.com remains my favourite sourcing site for beginners because it simply offers so much choice and if you are prepared to do the leg work you will find suppliers who are willing to do all sorts of extra things to get your business, whether it be help with exporting paperwork, or more generous credit terms than their competitors.
We have other links on our website at www.ideas2earn.com/res_links.htm or you can get on your favourite search engine and look for suppliers in the country of your choice.
A number of people have asked me why I keep promoting Google and Alibaba but the simple answer is that 50% of people globally search using Google and Alibaba is by far the easiest way to source from China, although not necessarily the best.
Once you have decided on your business you will be able to refine things like suppliers however, but the important thing is to have a business up and running that you can refine rather than not having a clue where to look.
This idea is unlikely to make you rich, but it is unusual enough that you will stand out in your local market and will probably pick up orders from a number of sources.
Don't stock large "industrial sized" boards but make sure you know where to special order them and what the delivery times are.
Do stock retail "home type" boards as buyers in this market will want to see what they are getting and take it home with them if they decide to buy.
Try to get some different shapes, colours etc. as more unusual items often sell well for home use and you can get out of the competing with Ikea and Walmart mindset.