How to Start a Candy Store Business 1-2-3
Opening a Candy Shop:
Start by choosing a place to open your candy shop (or candy store franchise). A
high-traffic location is also usually convenient for customers and can be an ideal choice.
Is there a competing candy store close by? That may not be a bad thing - because it already attracts candy
shoppers to that area already. Offer some sort of product or service that consumers cannot get at your
competitor so you can increase your chance of success.
Depending on where your business will be located, you'll need to get a business license from your local city or
county office (state-by-state
listings). You may also need signage permits.
File your fictitious business name (store name) with the county clerk. Get a federal tax ID from the IRS website. You can also
get information at the IRS site about business income tax, self-employment tax and paying estimated taxes.
It is important to keep personal and business finances separate, especially come tax time. You can open a
business bank account in an afternoon for minimal
cost. It's a good idea to interview a few banks to compare services like small business financing. There are many other benefits
that a business account can offer, so make sure to ask.
Meet with an insurance agent to discuss your insurance options and requirements. The IIABA (Independent
Insurance Agents & Brokers of America) can help you find a reputable agent in your area. You can also use
insurance network websites to get business insurance quotes for free.
Meet with a local tax accountant to find out how you can take advantage of all the tax benefits available to
businesses. You can also get a better understanding of what tax and accounting tasks need to be done, and if
you'd prefer to do them yourself. If you decide to do your own business bookkeeping, pick up some business accounting software like Quickbooks Pro.
Get business cards and other promotional materials you will need for your business like brochures or
postcards. Hand them out to people you know and include them in all correspondence. Business cards work well as
cheap advertising too. 250 Free Business
Cards. See also: 30-50% off
Postcards, Brochures and more Design your own marketing materials online using professional templates.
Designs provided, printing done for you.
Set up a website. A website can help you sell candy online, advertise any product discounts, gift
ideas, delivery services and any other information that potential customers want. You can save money by
creating your own website with simple online design
programs, or outsource the job to an affordable website designer.
Candy Store Business Plan
Template
Opening a candy shop can seem overwhelming,
but when you have a business plan to follow, the task is much easier to tackle. Suddenly, the long list of
things to do becomes organized and much more manageable.
With the Candy Store Business
Plan, you can get the expert guidance that will help you open your candy shop.
Follow a Step-by-Step Outline from a business expert, so you can put together your business plan
quickly and get a jump-start on your business.
Candy Store Business Plan 
rated by entrepreneurs
Advertise Your Candy Store and Get Customers
Get Free Publicity
When starting a candy store, you can save money by writing a brief press release or "letter" to your local
paper announcing your grand opening. You can also use press releases on an ongoing basis to publicize events,
news and activities within your candy store.
Offer a special discount or free offer for first-time customers, and publications will find this more
newsworthy. This means that they're more likely to publish news about your company. You can write your own
press release - you can find press release samples here: How to Get Free Press.
Groupon
This is a
popular online coupon marketing tool that doesn't cost lots of money. Get a ton of new prospects fast (in 24
hours) through at site called Groupon. No up-front marketing costs!
Postcard
Marketing
Do a postcard mailing to introduce your candy shop to neighborhood shoppers (businesses and/or individuals).
Using low-cost online services makes this an easy marketing task. First, choose a special offer that you want
to announce to potential customers. Second, design your postcards online using professional postcard
templates with VistaPrint (you
can get 50% off here). And third, get targeted leads from a lead generation company like Resource Nation.
More and more people are looking for local businesses online (instead of the traditional yellow pages) - and
you can reach candy shoppers instantly online. Local Search sources
that are affordable and receive substantial traffic include: Google Local, Yelp, Super Pages and more
specialized sites Urban Spoon and Insider Pages.
Candy Store Business Resources:
- Small Business Tax Deductions
Get informed of basic business tax laws, and you can save yourself lots of money starting a candy business.
Find out 20 different ways that tax deductions can increase your business profits, and how to complete your
tax returns for less.
- Do-it-Yourself Small Business Legal
Forms
Instead of hiring a lawyer to draw up general documents, you can buy standardized legal documents that can
accomplish the same thing and save you lots of money. Do you need vendor or supplier contracts? Hiring
forms? Borrowing and lending paperwork? You will find over 60 legal forms WITH Instructions! See also:
Legal Document Finder
Many people overlook the money-saving benefits of Microsoft Office software or Office Professional. With this software
(which you may already have), you can complete many tasks yourself without having to pay someone else,
like:
- Track projects and events on a business calendar (which you can print out) so you don't
miss important deadlines
- Create professional-quality marketing materials (like brochures, newsletters and business cards)
without having to pay a designer
- Design company presentations for clients that help you make more sales,
- Manage customer databases and track inventory so you can run your company at top
efficiency
- And put together contracts, proposals, flyers, budgets, invoices, receipts and all sorts of documents
quickly with 100's of business form templates.
Candy Business Associations
- National Confectioners Association
The National Confectioners Association fosters industry growth by advancing and promoting the interests of
the confectionery industry and its consumers.
