How to Open a Chocolate Store Business 1-2-3

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There are lots of business opportunities in the field of chocolate. Not only is it a traditionally popular gift item, now it is quickly becoming a highly-sought after health food.

There is a market for both individual and business chocolate buyers. Chocolate can be purchased as an end product - or as an ingredient for another item. Although chocolate is purchased year-round, this food offers the benefit of being especially popular around holidays.

You can start a profitable chocolate business at the retail or wholesale level. Sell online from home, start a mail-order business or open a gourmet chocolate shop.

Get creative and make your own homemade chocolates or become a reseller of chocolate products made by another company.

Steps to Open a Chocolate Store Business

1. First, decide on a location for your chocolate store. A high-traffic area that is convenient for shoppers is ideal. If there is another chocolate or candy store nearby, that can actually be good for your business, since it brings candy shoppers to that destination already. Just make sure your chocolate shop offers more benefits so you can win over customers.
   
   
2. Next, get a business license from your local city or county office (state-by-state listings here). You may also need signage permits fro your shop, depending on where you are located. You can find this out from your city/county office as well.
   
   
3. File your fictitious business name (store name) with the county clerk. Get a federal tax ID from the IRS website. The IRS can also give your information at their site regarding business income tax, self-employment tax and paying estimated taxes.
   
   
4. Next, open a business bank account with a FDIC insured bank. This can be a quick and simple task, and is essential for keeping personal and business financial records separate. It's a good idea to interview a few banks to compare services. There are many other benefits that a business account can offer, so make sure to ask.
   
   
5. Get insured. The IIABA (Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America) can help you find a reputable agent in your area with whom you can discuss your options. You can also get business insurance quotes for free adn compare rates from different insurers.
   
   
6. 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.
   
   
7. Get a phone line. If you want additional services, iTeleCenter gives you a high-end phone system - features like private toll-free number, voice mail, multiple extensions, send/receive faxes online, enhanced call forwarding, and music-on-hold (to name just a few) for a fraction of the cost (starts at just $9.95). Setup is simple: no hardware to buy, nothing to install.
   
   
8. Order business cards and other promotional materials you'll need for your business like brochures or postcards. 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.
   
   
9. Set up a website. A website can help you advertise your chocolate items, any product discounts, gift ideas, delivery services and any other information that potential customers want. You can set up and run a website for under $100 a year - if you figure the cost of advertising that a website can save you, you'll see it's a deal. Just make sure that you include your website address on all of your company literature, business cards, ads, etc. You can save money by creating your own website with simple online design programs, or outsource the job to an affordable website designer.

How to Open a Chocolate Store

Chocolate is a widely popular product - but like any business, involves a changing market. When you start your chocolate business, you want to be on the cutting edge and stay on top of the latest gourmet food trends in order to stay competitive with the market.

Whether you decide to focus on organic chocolates, flavored cocoa mixes, imported truffles, fair trade chocolates, health chocolates or gourmet nuts - you want to follow advice from an expert in the chocolate business field. Getting insider advice can put you a step ahead of other entrepreneurs and help you launch your business faster - and more importantly, successfully!

See what you get >>

• Where to get financing and sample start-up budgets for your chocolate business
• Store location advice, how much space you'll need, interior design tips and equipment and supplies that you'll need
• How to get inventory for your store, manage your shop, how to attract customers and accept payments
• Download here >> Open a Chocolate Store

Advertise Your Chocolate Shop and Get Customers

Get Free Publicity
Besides advertising in your local yellow pages and running ads, you can save money by writing a brief press release or "letter" to your local paper announcing the opening of your chocolate store. You can also use press releases on an ongoing basis to publicize events, news and activities within your shop.

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.

Postcard Marketing
Do a postcard mailing to introduce your chocolates 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.

 

Offer coupons in neighborhood mailers or local newspapers to attract new customers to try out your service. You can use mailing services or design your own coupons using online coupon creators.

Local Search - More and more people are looking for local businesses online (instead of the traditional yellow pages) - and you don't want to miss out on this market. Local Search sources that are affordable and receive substantial traffic include: Google Local, CitySearch, Yelp and Super Pages.

Chocolate Store Business Resources:

• Small Business Tax Deductions
  Get informed of basic business tax laws, and you can save yourself lots of money. Find out 20 different ways that tax deductions can increase your business profits, and how to complete your tax returns for less.
  
  
• How to Incorporate in 3 Easy Steps
  Is it preferable for you to form a C Corporation, an LLC or Partnership business? What are the differences - and how do they affect you? See which is the best business structure for you - another smart way to maximize your income.
  
  
• 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 vendor or supplier contracts? Hiring forms? Borrowing and lending paperwork? You'll find over 60 legal forms WITH Instructions!
  
• Business Insurance Quotes - for Free
  Do you need business insurance? As you may already know, anything can happen in business, and you don't want to find yourself unprotected. Find out exactly what kind of benefits you can get with a free quote before you make a decision.

Get a Business License Register Your Business Name How to Incorporate Your Business Small Business Loans Free Business Insurance Quotes Business Accounting Software Easy Payroll Online

Chocolate University Online Download Business Forms & Templates Business Phone Systems | Online Fax Free Business Cards Design Your Own Logo Find Local Customers Online Merchant Accounts - Accept Credit Cards

Find wholesale merchandise and suppliers through the Go Wholesale Search Engine. Search for any wholesale items and find a variety of companies who have what you want. Compare offers to get the best price. No membership required. Plus, learn about industry trends and the best bargain sources in their wholesale forum. Get Deals on Wholesale Store Supplies & Equipment

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.