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View Full Version : Hello. May I interview you? (if you started a business on your own)



MasterrEugene
10-13-2010, 02:18 PM
Hello I am a college student and am currently taking a college class called business 82 Introduction to Business. I was hoping you could answer a couple of these questions for me concerning small businesses if you are a small business owner. Thanks

1.Your name, title, company name, company address and phone number.

2.Why did you go into business for yourself? How long have you been in Business?

3.Why did you choose this particular kind of business?

4.Which type of ownership is the business operating under (sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation?)

5.What problems did you encounter in starting your business?

6.To what extent is your business affected by general economic conditions, such as recession?

7.How much competition is there in your type of business and what do you do to compete with the others? (examples:better service, lower prices, advertising, longer hours, etc)

8. What advice would you give to someone wanting to go into a business today?

That's all the questions. this is actually an assignment for my school but i would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to help me out and share with me your experience.

Thanks again - Eugene

MasterrEugene
10-14-2010, 05:09 PM
Hello this is semi urgent. I am not asking for a personal interview but just an online one. if you could please answer these questions that would be greatly appreciated. the final deadline for this assingment is nearby. thank you.

greenoak
10-14-2010, 08:34 PM
ok...heres mine...
1.Green Oak Antiques--Located in Rochester Indiana. Privately Owned Antique Shop. Online Sales (http://www.greenoakantiques.com) im partner with my dh...
2. another business we owned was floundering...and working for someone else wasnt very appealing...i started this one while he finished up the other one and worked on the side for a bout a year...a good bridge...32 yrs...now fully supporting 2 families....and several employees..
3.out of real interest PLUS serendipity....
4. corporation...
5.not enough inventory to make a real living for quite a while...we really started small... no loans or financing...but it was on our prroperty...
6.we have had to adapt to the conditions..by lowering our prices, changing our style, and broadening our appeal...and just working harder to stay relevant and needed...we are in year 32
7.we are kind of unique....but lots of our different products can be found elsewhere... we try hard to be a destination and have a product mix and space that no one seems to want to try and match..
8. pick something you are really good at and like....be open minded and curious.... dont think because you like a certain idea . everyone else will..listen to your customers....
...its not just about marketing..dont let the marketers tell you that anything is possible with good marketing.......you really have to have something worthy that people will give you money for......its all about the customer... be realistic....look at the target buyer and whats out there for him.... learn learn learn...
..the amish have a very high rating for making it in business...mainly becasue they start with good skills in what they offer... i think our key is reasonable prices and good, interesting stuff....we dont offer lots of the things most stores offer...like credit, lay away, delivery, etc..... . i think our business is very old fashioned...all about suply and demand...and not hooked into any government programs or contracrts.... retail is pretty hard ..
hope this helps...
there is a lot of real life business info on here.... many different delimmas...

MasterrEugene
10-14-2010, 09:24 PM
Thank you very much! That's all i need. My mother would love your shop if she knew where it was haha :) she loves antiques.

huggytree
12-19-2010, 07:04 PM
1/ Waukesha Plumbing,llc - Mukwonago, WI
2. in business for 4 years - went into business to be my own boss and for a better life for my family
3. its what i knew
4. LLS file as S-corp
5. finding customers- took 8 months to get rolling
6. business has been building steady- 2010 was alittle challenging- been burried since mid 2011
7. over 200 companies to compete with...very few offer quality/service...the recession is making it more rare and that is why im doing better
8. dont until the recession is over....most fail during good times, why risk it when times are bad...many small business people arent smarter than anyone else, just willing to accept risk....you need to have something better than average about you to succeed....being a risk taker isnt enough