How's trade been for you these past couple of months?

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How's trade been for you these past couple of months?
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Downsizer Forum Index -> Small Business Questions, Ideas and Advice

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joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 10:49 am Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

Interestingly enough, over the last couple of months I've noticed a lot more people wanting to know if we have a shop, whatever that says about the market

I've a feeling it is more of a comment on the quality of your produce than the market but people are becoming far more aware of the importance of eating local well produced meat - It is still very much in the minority when you compare it to the dominance of the supermarkets but there seems to be a real ground swell

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 11:10 am Post subject:

If you are a new vibrant business thats yet to peak then hopefully your business will continue to expand and increase its turnover and profit.
In the country as a whole I think that people have spent and spent on plastic and that we have come to a stage at the present where either they or the banks have said enough is enough.
People are simply upto and way beyond their limit.

People are not confident, we have seen significant job losses and a steady rise in interest rates.
There's some worry about, and people are reining in.

I was talking to the owner of our local 'pound' shop and he was saying that where as last year the plebs would turn their kids loose in his shop with a tenner to spend, this year it was a quid.
I think that this is symptomatic of the whole market place.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 11:15 am Post subject:

bodger wrote:

If you are a new vibrant business thats yet to peak then hopefully your business will continue to expand and increase its turnover and profit.

Any business that is allowed to 'peak' is not nearly vibrant enough, I think.

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 11:30 am Post subject:

We are very much at the beginning here, so I can't put anything into an annual context yet, but we have just brought in the first significant order for training and developing bespoke training courses (staff development training). We've also got two very solid prospects

I know we have a long way to go, but so far so good...

December will be a dead time for us, though, as no-one really plans or does much in this area over that period -- which seems to stretch out for a month now

That said, January and February will be busy as lots of training programmes are being booked then for the next 12 months.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 11:32 am Post subject:
By that Rob. I meant that if your business is on the up and still expanding. Not all businesses have the scope for expansion. This can be due to numerous reasons. All businesses should be trying to improve if not grow, but what I meant was that some are a lot further along the road.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 11:40 am Post subject:
That depends very much upon your mindset- if you view business as a long single track road, that may be true. It depends how responsive/proactive you are to changing what you do, and how you view your business role, most sucessful businesses start out doing something completely different from what they are known for years down the line.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 12:06 pm Post subject:
Started flat, bit slow in the summer, last few months pulled the figures back, trade just gets better and better. Two thirds of a daily take is plastic though!

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 1:20 pm Post subject:
Touch wood, pretty good. I'm now approachiing the point where I'm going to have to do some serious juggling to fit everyone in and keep them happy with the limework, which is no bad thing.

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 3:43 pm Post subject:

I was doing ok but then over the summer lost my internet connection , which then resulted in some problems with ebay

since have been slowing trying to restock my shop but sales have been pretty slow. I have sold a few items this month through another website and had a promising chance with another but they now haven't got back in touch and I'm wondering whether to email them again? I don't want to seem pushy

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 3:50 pm Post subject:
email 'em. The worst that'll happen is nothing (which is what's happening already), with any luck they'll think: "Ooh yes, Twosteps, I'd been meaning to get back in touch with her."

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 4:23 pm Post subject:

Gervase wrote:

... I'm going to have to do some serious juggling to fit everyone in and keep them happy with the limework...

Excluding his wife of course

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 4:24 pm Post subject:
yes, I think I shall. fingers crossed

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 5:09 pm Post subject:

2steps wrote:

I was doing ok but then over the summer lost my internet connection , which then resulted in some problems with ebay

Yep - be pushy! Took my courage in both hands this morning, sure the bloke hadn't got back because he couldn't quite work out how exactly to tell me to bog off, and I was invited in next week to talk in detail about an order. And I got to that point by thinking, in the end, that at least if he told me to bog off I'd strike him from my list and move on and stop wasting time dithering over it.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28231
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Nov 15, 06 5:15 pm Post subject:

hedgewitch wrote:

at least if he told me to bog off I'd strike him from my list and move on and stop wasting time dithering over it.

I think that bit is important, deals that are up in the air drain your time and energy.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28231
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Dec 22, 06 7:00 pm Post subject:
Small xmas update from the online advertising world, December has until now stunk badly 15% or so down on last months revenue from advertising which goes against all logic. Last day or two though, which you would think is past the point of there being any point to advertising, the income has bounced back nicely, can't figure it out at all

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