How to Open a Chocolate Store Business 1-2-3
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. Register your 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. Give your customers a professional first impression of your business
when they initially contact you. If you have internet service, you can use a virtual phone and fax service with
voicemail and lots of other features included for less than $10 a month. Month after month, this can add
up to a substantial cost savings.
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. 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.
10. 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 universally popular item
- 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
How to Open Your Own 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 one-page
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.
Advertise with Signs
Use a car magnet to advertise your business while you are on the road, a yard sign to announce a sale or a
banner to promote your store's grand opening. You can design and create your own signs cheaply online using
SignsBannersDecals.com.
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.
More and more people are looking for local businesses online (instead of the traditional yellow pages) - and
there is a simple way you can get seen by them. 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.
Want to reach local customers with a special offer? Post your deal on SignPost.
There are no up front marketing costs, and you can advertise discounts, sales and other offers to attract local
and mobile shoppers to your business.
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!
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 need 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. Free Business Insurance Quotes
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.
