Category: Market

The Market Scene

One of the best places to attract customers to your business is markets. Markets are found in all suburbs and regional areas of Australia, so there should be no problem in finding one that suits you.

Remember, markets are hard work. There are no shortcuts to running a successful market stall. There are early starts and long days, but done correctly you can be very successful.

Having been both a stall holder and a Market Manager of 3 markets I have seen both the good and bad of stalls. How your display looks at the market can make the difference between going home with much less stock and money in your pocket or going home miserable.

Here are some tips on running a successful market stall. The most important thing to realize is that you have plenty of competition and they are not only other candle makers. Anyone who is vying for a customers’ money, is your competition. So what can you do?

Here are some ideas on how to get their attention.

1/ Have your signage professionally done. Hand written signs don’t look professional. If you want to save money, print them yourself on your home printer and laminate them.

2/ It’s not hard to make your stand attractive with so many candles. You have the colors, the jars, the fragrances. Everything you need to make it appealing. If you are able to make a good first impression, then customers will always remember you. Remember most customers choose the candle they want by the fragrance.

3/ Make sure you have the right attitude. No one wants to approach a person who is hiding behind their newspaper or looks absolutely miserable. Customers go to a market because they see it as a day out, to enjoy themselves.

4/ Keep your stall tidy. Keep all boxes and packaging out of site.

5/ Try not to eat or drink at your stall. I know everyone gets hungry, but have the courtesy to at least stop eating. Stall holders are generally very obliging people, so most would be happy to look after your stall for a few minutes to give you a break. Remember, that it is your stall not theirs so have the courtesy of not being be too long. If they get a customer at their own stall whose do your think will take preference?

6/ Be aware of your customers. Don’t ignore them. If you are already in discussions with one customer, then acknowledge other customers by telling them you will be with them in a minute. Ignoring them is a great way to lose customers.

The person who may buy is the person listening rather than the one you were directly talking to.

7/ If you have a uniform or T-shirt that has your logo, wear it. It shows that you are proud of your business and you are instantly identifiable and it’s a great way to promote your business.

8/ Some customers are reluctant to approach you if you seem too aggressive. It’s a good idea to try your approach on family and friends first to see what they think.

9/ If they are reluctant to talk, offer them your brochure or business card. Let them know how to contact you and how to place an order. Allow them time to browse through your information and let them know that you are available to answer any questions they have.

10/ It seems silly to have to say this, but be friendly and make them feel welcome. Wearing a name tag makes a big difference. It makes a customers feel more at ease if they know who they are dealing with. Once a customer either makes a purchase or seems interested enough ask them if they would like to be added to your data base. Make sure that there is some benefit to this, such as special offers and discounts.

11/ Make sure that you can answer any questions.

12/ Follow through if you get inquiries. If customers give you their email address, make the most of it. Keep in touch with your customers. Send them a postcard!

13/ Presentation is so important to a successful money making business. Whether you are doing a market, a candle making demonstration, a class or a corporate presentation, wedding fair, or an exhibition, you should invest in the correct presentation materials.

Markets can be a great start to any business, so take the time to do your research and make the most of your opportunities.

If you are a shoe lover as much as I am, you probably have over a dozen stunning high shoes in your cupboard. However, when is it really appropriate for you to wear a pair of high heel shoes?

I’ve seen women wear high heels on many occasions while they sacrifice the comfort of their feet. I find that there are only certain occasions and events to which you should wear your sexy high heel shoes. There are certain places you shouldn’t wear them to. Here is my list of places which are either appropriate or inappropriate.

Appropriate occasions for wearing high heel shoes.

1. A Dinner Date: If you are going out on a date with a gentleman, especially if it’s the first date, you can put on your sexy shoes. You will appear to him as a confident lady. This is a quality many men admire in a woman. Better yet, you’ll be seated most of the time so your feet won’t get hurt.
2. A Wedding: Receiving an invitation to a wedding is an honour. With wedding costs skyrocketing, couples are compelled to invite selected guests only. If you are the lucky recipient of a wedding invitation, you need to look the part. Weddings are occasions usually celebrated in style where guests are required to be dressed formally. When you choose your elegant evening dress you can certainly put on a pair of sophisticated high heel evening shoes to complement your dress.
3. Year End Functions: If you are going to a year-end function or any corporate function for that matter you need to look powerful and professional. A woman wearing a beautiful pair of high heels indicates to her colleagues that she is confident, strong and determined. Furthermore, while you are mingling and moving around, you’ll find that the shoes are actually quite comfortable and manageable.

Inappropriate occasions for wearing high heel shoes.

1. The Shopping Mall: We all love to get attention but getting attention at a shopping mall is not good. Shoppers tend to gawk and criticise ladies who wear high shoes in malls. Furthermore, high heels are not made for walking long distances and you could easily walk 5km in a mall. I don’t know about you but I’m not going to walk 5km in my heels. Why should I put myself through that pain?
2. Travelling: When you are travelling by plane or train, you’ll have lots of luggage that you’ll need to lug around. Yes, I know there are trolleys but there are some areas that you can’t use them and you still have to lift your bags. The extra weight of the bags could hurt your ankles. So consider your feet the next time you travel.

I hope I have given you some insight in the world of fashion shoes. High heels are a girl’s best friend but only when you wear them at the right time.

“If money can’t buy happiness, why does it sometimes feel so good to buy stuff?” asks Kristin Bianco in his personal finance column at Fox News Network. Well, there is an answer for Kristin’s question if you search for it at the right place. That place is consumer psychology. Professor Kit Yarrow, professor of psychology and marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, writing in Psychology Today names the good feeling that Kristin experience when buying stuff “retail therapy”. She says a recent study has found that more than half of Americans admit to engaging in “retail therapy.”

So, when your customers feel down, they go shopping to feel better…

Finding the joy of shopping

According to the emotional view of consumer decision-making, each of us is likely to associate deep feelings or emotions, such as joy, fear, love, hope, sexuality, fantasy and even a little ‘magic’, with certain purchases. Also, scientists have found that shopping does make some people feel good. It’s been reported that when a person shops, the brain releases the chemical dopamine. Dopamine is linked to feelings of satisfaction and pleasure and is released when you face new, exciting experiences. So, what do your customers pay for when they want to have “retail therapy”?

Recent survey results indicate that engagement in retail therapy is often driven by factors such as boredom and seasonal changes. As many as 66% of adults and 75% of teens indicate that shopping is a great cure for boredom, while 45% of adults revealed that the seasonal changes are the biggest motivator to go shopping.

If your customers really want to feel happy, they will go on a ‘shopping spree’. WiseGeek describes a shopping spree as “a playful” and “devil may care” attitude in a single shopping trip where lots of money is spent. A shopping spree is the action you take to start your ‘retail therapy’. But what do your customers say about the joy of shopping?

Customer insights about the joy of shopping

Here are some commentary and comments from customer’s experiences about the joy of shopping.

“I think the clothes I buy will make me happier. The storage bins, the throw pillows, perhaps a bottle of nail polish. And while it’s true for a day, it doesn’t bring me real, lasting happiness. It gives me a bit of a happy high: “I love this new dressssss! How cute and stylish am I!?” but then the excitement wears off and I want to buy something else… ” writes Ashley in her blog “Our Little Apartment”. The comment of Ashley supports the findings of the survey done by Ebates.

Customers, sometimes, are feeling guilty after a shopping spree. Here are some of the comments on Ashley’s blog:

Ashile says: “It is so true that in the moment we think buying some new it will make us happier. But truly, it is only momentary happiness”.

Marta says “We all have wasted money and resources and time on unneeded shopping. You know how I do now? I ask myself “do I REALLY need it?” “Would I come back tomorrow again to buy it?” “Is it likely that I’ll never find such a wonderful cloth again in the world? Ever?” then, I usually realize that I’m not going to buy anything, and I feel sort of liberated.”

Customers are feeling both positive and negative emotions at the same time before, during and after shopping. But what will the customer feels when she visits your shop?

Creating the right environment for joyful shopping

Previous studies have shown that consumers are influenced by their shopping environments which in turn influence consumers’ emotional states and purchases. The negative emotions consumers experience before the shopping process are soon forgotten when consumers immerse themselves in the shopping process and start visiting stores and examining the merchandise.

It is unlikely that a random purchase at any venue will have therapeutically value for people feeling down. Their shopping experience needs to reward them. Emotional customers seeking ‘retail therapy’ should visit your shop to reward themselves. There are some obvious things a retailer needs to do to create lasting shopping experiences for their customers.

• Keep a wide range and a variety of products;
• Keep products that are in ‘season’;
• Make sure that there are always some items on promotion;
• Try to create an atmosphere in your shop that will make the customers feel happy;
• Provide the customers with excellent, friendly service and make the transactions hassle free;
• Allow your customers to see, touch, rub, wear, taste and smell the products;
• Keep your shop clean and tidy at all times;
• Make sure that your shop is well well-lit and that there are enough cashiers at the pay points;
• Play music that put customers in a good mood and give them stylish shopping bags when they check out

Lastly, “What are customers doing when they are feeling bored? They surf the internet and do some online shopping…

Concluding

It seems difficult to draw a line between ‘the joy of shopping’ and ‘compulsive buying’. Compulsive buying is described as a ‘addictive disorder’ whilst the joy of shopping is keeping our shops open. The question that we as retailers need to ask is what to do if we recognize some of our customers as compulsive buyers? Do we have a moral duty to warn them about it? Or to suggest help?

Is it possible to find a lucrative niche in the marketplace in the middle of one of the biggest pandemics in world history?

Can it be done when people are holding onto their money like a life raft in the middle of the Atlantic ocean? When food bank lines go back miles in every town and city? When millions of people are out of work, not knowing when or if they’ll ever go back.?

My answer is yes. Yes, you can find a lucrative niche in the marketplace. In fact, this is one of the best times to find a lucrative marketplace. Why? Because so many people are in need of solutions to problems. When you have that scenario, money opportunities abound. If you take certain actions, which I’ll reveal to you.

The Advantage of Knowing This in an Economic Downturn

For example did you know more millionaires were created during the Great Depression than any other time in history. The same could be said from each recession, and economic downturn since then. So, stop and let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing. A wealth transfer has already started.

The one’s who ride it will follow the tips in this article in one way or another, those who won’t could be the ones who end up in food lines, with overdue bills or left wondering if they can find work. Which will you be?

Here’s why. Economic downturns are the best times to buy low, take advantage of bargains and help people who are too scared or cautious to take risks. Plus, there’s a ton of people desperate to unload whatever they have for deep discounts or even free.

Those who are prepared with either cash, sales skills, negotiation savvy or financial knowledge can benefit enormously in economic downturns.

How To Find Your Lucrative Niche In Economic Downturn

The best way to find your niche is to first inventory your skills, experience and passions. This is often an area many people don’t examine as thoroughly as they should.

When counseling people who fall into this category, the default response is “I don’t have any skills, experience or passion that important”. My answer is always WRONG! Everyone does if your over the age of 12.

After filling out my questionnaire, most people are shocked at how much they know, how much experience they have at doing specific things and most people discover a hidden passion they never realized they had.

List Your Skills, Experience and Passions

It’s extremely important to know your skills, experience and passion as step 1 before searching for a lucrative niche. Because they determine what type of niche market you’re looking for and will tip the scales in your favor.

The first rule when doing this is not to discount any of your experiences, skills or passion. List everything and I mean everything you like to do, can do better than most people as well as any skills you may have.

For example I’ve encouraged people to list watching television, online surfing, listening to the radio, driving, shopping, cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast, etc.

You must admit, all the previous items mentioned are pretty mundane or average at best. But people get paid all over the world for doing those simple things.

But just using those examples, you could carve incredibly lucrative niche businesses, services or even products. And hundreds, thousands or maybe even millions of people would beg you to buy.

Think Product Or Service Others Don’t Provide To Solve Problems

This is the light-bulb moment when it comes to finding a niche in economic downturns. Match what you love to do, your skill or experience with problems you see people experiencing. Then create, find or improve a product or service to help them solve their problem. Or be a go between to match people with a specific problem to others who can provide a solution. For more specific plans o how to do this click the link in th resource box below

In economic downturns there are problems everywhere, start looking at them as opportunities where you can make money as well as solve someones problem. This is how businesses are started in economic downturns and in some cases millionaires are made. Try it.

But what has the market done and what was the average return from the beginning of the stock market. Well, let us investigate the truth, believe it will be a real eye-opener.

We have had a bear market about every seven years, except for the current run of the bulls. It’s just math folks, your broker or financial advisor can manipulate the numbers, but they will never tell you the real truth because the truth will upset their rice bowl and expose their high commission and hidden fees.

Let us look at the S&P over another time frame:

In January 2000, the S&P 500 was at 1,469, January 2013, the S&P was at 1,469, that is a zero return for 13 years. Yet your broker or financial advisor tells you nothing out does the market; it always comes back. While history does confirm the rise and fall of the market, the question is the timing. Will the market be down at a time you may need your funds?

Here is another truth. Starting in January 2000, the S&P 500 was at 1,496 as of January 2019 the S&P was at 3,110. The fact is that over 19 years and the market returned 3.9%. Yet, your broker and financial genius, on all the business networks, only give you half-truths because that is what sells.

Suppose you are approaching retirement or are already retired, should your hard-earned money be exposed to that kind of market risk.

Most people do not have the luxury of waiting for a market reversal, and they cannot afford those losses and nor do you have the time for the market to come back. It could take 5-7 years to get you back to even, and that is only if the market will allow you to get back to even. Get out of the Wall Street casino, the Wall Street boys are sharks, and they will eat you alive.

Let us look at this myth of average returns and the truth of actual returns. Let’s say the market, in one year, had a 50% decline and the next year it had a 50% incline. What would you hear from your financial advisor? You would hear, “Folks we have some great news, the market is up 50%!”, yet the truth is in that one year, the returned was 0%. We should be more practical than to put a bet down with the Wall Street casino because the truth is playing in the market is legalized gambling.

Back to the bet, we put $100,000 down, and the market goes down 50%, we now have $50,000. Next year the market return goes up 50%; most folks say great we are back even. The truth is you a sitting at the casino table, and you made only $25,000 on top of your $50,000 you have $75,000 the fact is you are still down $25,000. Again, you cannot absorb these losses in retirement, and it is time to get out of the Wall Street casino.

You say, “Okay, but where can I put my money and have it safe from market risk, never losing my principal and still get a decent return?” Let us minimize the damage of the bear market and consider a Fixed Index Annuity.

You ask, “What is a Fixed Indexed Annuity?” A Fixed Indexed Annuity is how to keep your money safe, get consistent guaranteed growth and income that you will never outlive.

A Fixed Indexed Annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company. The Fixed Indexed Annuity offers you the opportunity for tax-deferred growth based in part on changes in a market index. However, you are not taking risks within the market. The insurance company offers you a return based on an index, sheltering the risk. Additionally, they offer you the option to convert your annuity into a steady, guaranteed lifetime income stream, all while protecting your hard-earned principal from the uncertainty of market volatility.

Many Fixed Index Annuities have zero fees unless you choose a specific rider that may make sense for your goals. With a Fixed Indexed Annuity, you can never lose your principal. You will see growth with the market increases, based on the Fixed Indexed Annuity you choose from the Insurance Company, and if the market goes down, you never lose a dime. You can only go up or sideways, never down.

If you are thinking about a beach vacation in sunny southern California then you should consider Huntington Beach. It is quite possible one of the best vacation spots in the world. There are so many activities that you will have a vacation full of fun. You can easily go surfing, golfing, play tennis, skateboard, or do beach volleyball. There is truly something for every sport enthusiast out there.

If you are not into any of the above sports and want a little more relaxing vacation or if you need a break from the great surf then why not try out some of the activities and locations below.

Within Huntington Beach

Within the city or very close to Huntington Beach there are tons of great sports to visit. There is the Huntington Beach art center and the International Surfing Museum as well as a Surfing Hall of fame. These are both fun activities that can take up an afternoon. You might also want to check out the great shopping in the downtown area where you are sure to find some cool new flip flops or a new bathing suit. There are also some great restaurants in the downtown area of Main Street.

If you are a really Shopaholic then you might want to try either Fashion Island Shopping Center or South Coast Plaza. These two malls house some of the best shopping in the world. South Coast Plaza in particular has a ton of great high end fashion and clothing stores and a great book store to boot. If you get hungry and need a break from shopping there are some great eateries around the mall and even in the mall. Why not try something different at California Pizza Kitchen or at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant.

With Kids

Bring your children along with you on the vacation as there are many activities in and around the area that they can have lots of fun doing. For example there is the Huntington Beach Central Park which is the largest park in Southern California. You can easily burn off some that that childhood energy at this park. They will have lots of open space to run and scream and be kids. There are restaurants, picnic tables, and even an Adventure Playground that ar4e sure to pique even the adults.

Nearby Destinations

If you still can’t find anything to do you can always adventure a little beyond Huntington Beach where you will quickly find a bunch of great activities. For example Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Wild Rivers and Aquarium of the Pacific are all within a 30 minute drive and can offer a lot of fun activities to do. Then after a full day of having fun on the rides or looking at the beautiful fish return to the nice peaceful resort style living of Huntington Beach.

As you can see this is nearly the most perfect vacation spot on earth. In fact once you stay a week on vacation you will never want to leave. It has year round perfect temperatures, great surf, great shopping and great food what more can you ask for.

My Shopping Addiction Almost Cost Me More Then Money

“How did this happen again?” I whispered. There I stood with unopened credit card bills that had been hidden under my bed so my husband, wouldn’t find them. I felt like I was going to throw up just standing there with the bills laid out in front of me. As I opened them I was speechless. How had I spent another $2000 this month? Sure, I love to shop, but only once or twice a week, my husband knew it. What could I have spent that kind of money on? My husband would flip if he ever knew how out of control my spending was. He thought the only money I was spending was written in the checkbook but the reality of it all was that I only used the checkbook for what I “thought” he wouldn’t rant and rave about. I felt I had no choice, I couldn’t tell him because when he got upset ranting and raving could go on for hours or even days and he could spend days without even speaking to me. I have no idea what I am going to do. I’m drowning and I see no way out.

Owing $28,000 on credit cards is never they way to get out of debt.

As I looked at the balances of the 4 credit cards in front of me I was astonished to see that I actually owed $28,000. I had the bills coming to my office address so he wouldn’t know the truth. This was the fourth time I had gotten into situations like this, he said if I ever did anything like this again he would leave me. What he didn’t know was last time I didn’t tell him about the other two cards I still had. I just couldn’t, he would have gotten even angrier and I was afraid that would be the last straw so I repeatedly assured him there were no other cards. I knew lying to him was wrong but I was so scared of what he might do. Looking back now, I see how screwed up my life was then and I think the purpose of these shopping binges was because I had no control over my life or anything else. To say I was afraid of him physically hurting me would be an overstatement but at this time he had so much control over me with verbal abuse he didn’t have to be physical.

I was at the point that I had convinced myself that it didn’t make a difference because I was making a payment every month, I had convinced myself I would be able to get out of the hole I had dug for myself. My thought was that as soon as I got more money I would pay them off.

Swapping money around

I was a little concerned each time I had to get a cash advance however, each time I had come close to maxing out the card I was using for cash advances another card would arrive in the mail. Then I would convince myself that this was the one that I would use to get me in the clear. Before I knew it I would go shopping and get a few things I knew my husband would think I didn’t need so I just pulled out the newest card. My theory was I worked hard every day and if he could buy things like hunting equipment then I could buy things I wanted. Years of this cycle went on and on until one day I realized I owed almost $28,000.

I will never forget the fall of 2002, it changed my life forever. Along with 4 other moms I attended a weekend Women’s Christian Workshop, one of the speakers spoke on how guilt and how guilt wasn’t from God but from Satan and the toll it could take in our lives. While sitting there God spoke to my heart in such a way I knew I had to talk with my husband and tell him everything as soon as I got home. While eating my lunch that day my husband called. He was furious! He said that Melissa, my secretary told her husband, Stephen that I owed people everywhere and that my credit card bills were coming into the office. Her husband chose to tell everyone at the table they were having lunch with. Garrett was so angry I could hear it in his voice.

I was out of control

“Oh, God, no.” was all I could think. I was at a loss of words and had to run outside to catch my breath.

In a deep, angry, deliberate voice went on. “She just laughed and thought it was so clever that you were hiding these things from me.” He was flipping out, calling me every name in the book, yelling and screaming.

“Please calm down Garrett.”

“You promised me this would never happen again.” He yelled.

Finally he just hung up on me saying that if I cared at all for my children or our marriage I had better get home and get home now. He knew I couldn’t because I had brought the other 4 women with me in my car. After that he refused to answer the phone when I called the remainder of the weekend. I knew it was bad. Then on the last message I left him the day before leaving and coming home was that I actually had $28,000 in credit card debt. I figured he needed to know and since he wouldn’t answer the phone I could allow him to process the true amount.

Honesty

I went home after the weekend workshops and he was waiting for me. We talked for hours and I think for the first time he and I were truthful with one another. He wanted to leave me but agreed to get counseling first and we started the very next week. After being in counseling for about a month I finally started to see that it was actually a way for me to be in control. I have worked and still continue to work on the way I was allowing my husband to treat me and it completely changed my way of thinking and dealing with stress. God has sent us our wonderful counselor and our Pastor who have been so instrumental in assisting us in healing our relationship.

This all was about 17 years ago. We have really grown as Christians as well as parents. Today he is my best friend but it didn’t come easy. We are finally as God wants us to be with one another and I’m so blessed. I learned that even when you think lying is the best route it’s never the right thing to do. Now I get teased for being brutally honest but that’s okay. We are in a wonderful place. It took a lot of work but anything worth having is worth working for.

Book Review of Millionaire Fastlane by M.J. Demarco

This book is one of the best books on Entrepreneurship in which the author lays out five commandments to be on the Millionaire Fastlane. According to the author, until and unless the business complies with the five commandments, they are not destined to be successful. These commandments are:

Commandment of Need, Entry, Control, Scale and Time (NECST).

Commandment of Need:

Millionaires affect lives of millions of people by adding some values to their lives and hence are millionaires. If the marketplace does not care about your product or service then it is not going to add value to the marketplace and it is a failed venture before it takes off. So, every business should first figure out if there is a need for the service or product your business is going to deliver or not.

So, we have seen test products being sold for free to test the water. All they are doing is trying to figure out if there is any demand or not.

People often start business with wrong reasons. They are good at something and very skilled and open a business about it. But if the marketplace does not care about it, it’s going to be a failure because marketplace is a selfish place. It does not care what you want, what you have, how good you are. All it cares about it is what is it for them. If it adds some value to their lives then they will buy it otherwise not. So, it’s a big eye opener for me and could be for so many budding entrepreneurs.

Commandment of Entry:

This is the second commandment to successful business. If the barrier to entry is very easy it means millions will be doing the same thing and you will not have the ability to scale your business but rather will have to decrease the price and compete those millions. Usually war of price harms all the parties. For example if creating a website and writing a blog and generate income is your business then there is not enough barrier to entry unless you try to add something extra value to the marketplace which not anyone else has added yet. An example which the author gives few times is when he thought about starting Limo business. He found it failed both the first and second commandments. There was no need for one more limo business and barrier was very low to enter into this business.

Commandment of Control:

If you have no control over your business and you have given entire authority to another party, you are doomed to failure.

Many entrepreneurs start a company and then hire a CEO or CFO to completely take control of operation or finance. They know nothing about what is going on and that is the recipe to failure. Especially when entrepreneurs do not have any basic financial knowledge like what is loan mortgage, how to calculate simple interest but hire an expert to help them make decisions. Since they themselves cannot take a second look at the decisions made by their advisers, chances are that they might screw up and entrepreneur will have to bear the loss.

One of the examples given in the book about the benefit of controlling the business is given as the following. If you are a doctor working at a private-care facility it’s natural to think that you are on the fastlane because your magnitude (price/unit) is large and that will increase the net profit and hence wealth. But, the control of the private care facility is not held by the doctors but by the owner. So, it’s him who is on the fastlane not the doctor who depends on his intrinsic value to increase the wealth.

Commandment of Scale:

The author gives an example of a burger stall outside a supermarket. No matter how much the owner tries, he cannot scale his business and reach out to customers outside of the supermarket. So, this business violates the commandment of scale. But an e-store that sells some product in the internet has unlimited number of customers and hence has the capacity to scale his business to unlimited level. However, if the entrepreneur can create franchise of any burger store then he has the ability to scale and will be on the fastlane.

The author gives an example of a quote by the billionaire Mark Cuban who said it only one business to be successful. So, it’s important that we undertake projects which can be scaled up. In baseball terms, take swing for home runs not singles. If you do decide to play singles, you have to replicate the effort many more times.

The Fastlane wealth equation is:

Wealth = Net Profit + Asset Value

Net Profit = Units sold * Unit Profit

The leverage is created by the units sold. If you are selling burgers on the supermarket lot, you are limiting the leverage and hence you are on the speed limit of 15 mph road. Also, you cannot increase the price of the burger so the unit profit cannot be controlled as well.

So, either you have to be able to reach millions of people to increase the Units Sold quantity or sell at very high price to extra wealthy clients to increase the unit profit values.

Commandment of time:

Time is the scarcest resource we have. Most people spend money frugally and time freely. That according to the author is exactly the wrong way to the road to wealth. Time is limited and money is abundant. Only difference between successful and unsuccessful people is the way they spend their time. The former value each moment of their life and spend it to increase their self-worth. The latter waste it on fulfilling their immediate desires like watching TV series, indulging in games etc. for long period of time etc.

As per the author, fastlane is not an easy path but sure it should be a fast way to earn wealth.

As a fastlaner, our goal should be to automate the travel. If you have a business which requires you to dedicate each moment of your life all the time and always have to trade time for money, it’s a job masked as a business. It’s a money tree that never grows.

It’s normal to work more than 80 hours per week in the starting phase of a business but it’s not normal to work like that for the rest of the life which is a normal for most of the people working normal life. One of the famous quotes from the book which is often used outside as well is about how most of the people define as normal. Normal is to wake up at 6 am, fight traffic, work 8 hours or slave 8 hours Monday to Friday, save 10% and repeat for 50 years. Normal is to believe that stock market will make us rich and fastest car and bigger house will make us happy. The definition of normal is corrupted by the society and we are conditioned to believe that. In short, the author believes, normal is modern day slavery and that’s why only few have the courage and the intelligence to come out of normalcy and drive on a millionaire’s fastlane.

There is an old metaphor saying, “Money makes money”. This can be literally applied now a days to capital generation through stock market investment. Generally, people have savings in the form of cash or jewelry. But it is going to do nothing if the economy gets hit with inflation or currency value falls. So, what can be a safe investment which is reliable as well as productive? Well the answer is stock market investment. The stock market comprises of a system where partnership or shares of publicly trading companies are bought, issued and sold. But for a few people it is no better than a dark chasm and nebulous casino of savings gambling. Contrary to the common thinking, the stock market is a far better investment option than classical investment areas like fixed deposits and gold bonds.

Basics one should learn before starting stock market investments

It is a great pain to lose money and that’s why nobody wants to lose their savings collected by hard work. Moreover, some people have a greater investment threshold than others. If a person is considering to divert his/ her savings as stock market investment and he is upset about the loss that might occur, he shouldn’t have invested in the first place. However, before investing one should have his mind clearly on a few things.

Here an investor sells any particular security owned by him too, another who is interested in buying it. Since both the investors cannot be absolutely correct, it can be called an adversarial system. For better understanding we can assume that, one investor will be profited and the other will definitely suffer loss.

The opinion of major investors, natural calamities, political and social instability, demand and supply, risk, and the abundance of or lack of alternatives. These factors compile with the relevant information released, which create a general sentiment (i.e. Bearish and bullish) thus influencing corresponding buyers & sellers.

Real profit lies in the price gradient of buying and selling a stock. The best time for buying is when other investors are pessimistic. Concurrently, the best time for selling is when other investors are optimistic.

Pros and cons of stock market investment

Similar to any other investment option, the stock market has its advantages and disadvantages too.

Advantages

1. Great opportunity of extremely good returns in a short time window.

2. Minority ownership. It may sound like exaggeration, but putting money in the stocks of a reputed company also makes the person a part owner of the firm. It doesn’t matter if the investment was large or small.

Disadvantages

1. Brokerage commissions. Every time a person trades his shares, he becomes liable to pay a certain amount to the stockbroker’s commission and it kills the margin of the profit.

2. Time consuming. Investing in the market is not same as putting money to win a lottery. Here one has to fulfill multiple formalities, hence it becomes time consuming.

Retail investment property is special when it comes to leasing. There are special elements to handle in the marketing package if you are a real estate agent.

When leasing and managing a shopping centre, the creation of a marketing package for leasing is a frequent event. What we can do here is help you with that lease process and marketing document.

To start off we should say that the leasing of retail premises is not just about the rent and the area to be leased. A retail property is an investment to not just the landlord but also the tenant. The tenant runs a business and the retail property has to help them do that.

This is where the marketing package has to really handle the opportunity for the tenant. A well designed marketing package can also be reflected in the design of a brochure or flyer that is distributed to your target market of tenants.

Here is a checklist to help you design a great marketing package for the retail property vacancy.

1. Area of the premises together with plans
2. Details of the permitted fit out designs and qualities of finishes and materials to be used
3. Rental asked and a breakdown of expenditure or outgoings that are in addition to the rental
4. Details of the term of lease sought and any available options for the tenants
5. Site plan including car park detail, access roads, and public transport drop off points.
6. Demographics of the local shopper that visits the centre and the surrounding area
7. Definition of trade area where 80% of your trade is sourced
8. Tenant Mix across the property including plans of and to those locations
9. Customer counts on different days of the week
10. Trade patterns by retailer type over 12 months
11. Trade patterns by days of the week
12. Details of services and amenities available to the tenants and the customers
13. Details of changes and improvements to the property that are known or expected
14. Details of the common area and usage patterns.
15. Details of property promotion and marketing for the tenants
16. Details of signage and tenancy design as it applies to the subject tenancy
17. Details of the anchor tenant and their lease permanence.

Expect the potential tenant in a retail property to visit your property before they make a decision to lease. Any retailer knows that trade varies on different days of the week and they will want to check that themselves and with other tenants.

Given that tenants in a retail property always talk to each other, the high value of good tenant relations with the landlord and property manager cannot be understated. Unhappy tenants in a property can detract or derail your endeavours to lease any vacancy.

This marketing package for a retail lease vacancy is comprehensive and will answer many of the tenant’s questions before they raise them. It also shows you to be the professional retail leasing expert.