This came across my screen this morning. I’m sharing because it is an important message if you’re wondering how to balance work with a business startup. Check it out!
http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2009/03/10/starting-a-business-while-still-employed/
There is still time to get a written business plan completed before you head to the fields for the summer. Research continues to indicate that businesses that set goals and put their plans down on paper are more likely to achieve success than those that just “wing it”.
No time or money to take a class? Not a problem! There is a website that offers interactive planning assistance.
Informal and Formal Business Planning at INVenture. INVenture helps you think through the business planning process in the course of six interactive stages.
There is an upcoming webinar on using INVenture on Wednesday, March 11 at 2:00pm (Eastern). Maria Marshall, Small Business Specialist, Purdue University will introduce the interactive online business planning tool, INVenture. This planning tool is available free to the public at INVenture. If you are considering starting a business, have a business that needs a plan or if you work with entrepreneurs you will want to join us for this session. To join the webinar go to http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ecop/ about 10 minutes prior to the start of the webinar. For more information go to http://www.extension.org/pages/Entrepreneurs_and_Their_Communities_Webinar_Series.
March is a great month to set aside a little time to review your market display materials and make some improvements for the coming season. Check over your signage. Is it faded, creased, weather beaten or hard to read? Then take the time to make some new signs. Make them easy-to-read and colorful. Get out some photographs from last season and use them to add color to your display. Check everything out from the customer’s perspective — place signs on a table or counter and then stand back as if you were a customer and see how they look.
Check out your awnings, umbrellas, table covers and basket liners. If they look tired and worn either replace them or rehab them so they look clean and fresh.
Look over your boxes, baskets and containers. Make sure there are no splinters, nails, screws or other sharp objects sticking out that can poke holes in your produce (or your customers!).
Check your supply of packaging materials and bags. You don’t want to run short on the first busy market day.
Recalculate your prices and make new price tags. If you make them now for the whole season you’ll save yourself valuable time later. If you aren’t certain about the prices then make the signs so that the price can be added or changed later.
Pull together some recipes that you can hand out during the season and get them printed onto card stock with your farm name and logo.
If you will have employees helping out on market days, set up your display now and take a picture. Paste the picture in a notebook along with notes about the set-up and take-down. Make sure the notebook is in a handy place on market day so that anyone can refer to it as needed.
See more tips on farmers’ market displays
This material is funded in partnership by USDA, Risk Management Agency, under award number RM18RMEPP522C030
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