Curtains
Everybody needs curtains, window blinds, or a bit of newspaper to block the view into at least one of their rooms. These window dressings need changing from time to time and invariably are bought new when people buy a new home. In other words there is a strong and constant demand for the product. In addition margins are good and although some people make their own for most of us that is too much trouble.
Aim to provide a quality service at an affordable price. If you can pull this off you will soon have more work than you know how to handle, just through word of mouth referrals. This is a business that is often started as a home based enterprise and never grows much further, you may know someone who does it, or who has done it for a living. The problem with this is that generally the business is not set up to be scalable, and so becomes a job as opposed to a business.
If you can find a way to take most of the manual work out of this, and focus on distribution then you can create a business that is scalable, you simply need to train people to measure up accurately, and sell and then have the curtains made at high quality, as cheaply as possible. Most home run versions of this business rely on the owner to sell, measure up, and manufacture the curtains and thus never grow to their full potential.
If you outsource the manufacturing to China or a similar ,market and are able to train people to sell and measure up then you are free to keep an eye on quality and deal with customer complaints, even if initially you find yourself being the main person marketing and generating sales.
Your marketing methods might include the following: -
Network
Direct Response
Ebay/Internet
Shop
Networking is the usual way that this product is marketed, start by fitting out your own home with samples that you can show to family and friends. Tell them all what you are doing and ask them to come and have a look. If you can get some orders then word will soon spread, providing you do a good job. By fitting your own home first you should overcome any teething problems that are likely to upset your customers, and you show that you believe in the product.
Direct Response essentially means driving the customer to come to you. Initially at least you will be a local business and thus your advertising can take the form of cheaper local methods such as advertising in the local newspaper, and Yellow pages. You may also want to do leaflet drops, and circulate discount coupons to real estate agents. Include your phone number and address and website details if you have one.
Ebay may be useful if you want to sell standard sized curtains or perhaps a system where the length can be adjusted with attachable Velcro strips. A website is more versatile as it lets potential customers see the kind of fabrics you have, read testimonials and it assists with building a more professional image.
If you get big enough then you will not want to run this business from home, the paperwork and stock will soon irritate you. You do not need to move to a prime city centre location however. You will need to be easy to find and ideally this should be more than just an office, display mock up curtains and photographs of homes you have fitted and try to create an environment where customers who come to you are encouraged to ask questions.
You can find curtain manufacturers using www.alibaba.com, www.globalsources.com and www.tukishsellers.com. You will want to initiate discussions with a number fo suppliers to find out whether they will do customised work, what their charges are, how shipping works and whether they are used to dealing with import/export issues.
Customisation is the key, and will be more expensive than buying standard width curtains. Once you find a supplier that you think you are happy with, ask them to send you swatches of material so that you have them to show your clients. If you are comfortable with the materials available then go ahead and order your samples. You may want to do this one window at a time so that you can test delivery from a number of suppliers.
Check prices at your local retailers and get a quote from a local supplier so that you know where to pitch your pricing.
Focus on quality and accountability more than price when you speak to your customers.
Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals and/or to photograph jobs that you are pleased with.