Idea 3 of 52 - Graphics and Print media Consultant (by MrEbis)

Idea 3 of 52 - Graphics and Print media Consultant

1. The Idea This is one Business you can start with little or no funds. I once came across this idea many years ago in a Newspaper article and it made some sense, and so I would share in this weeks Idea 3 post of our 52 ideas series. All you would need to have is the ability to talk (sell your service), negotiate (your cut) and deliver (job well done) Step 1. Go to any printer’s shop, preferably the ones with industry type machines capable of doing big jobs and can offer reasonable discounts for bulk jobs. Introduce yourself as a Print consultant and ask to know how the printer charges. Take note of their charges, and negotiate the discounts they can offer for bulk jobs. Also ask for sample prints they have done in the past. Ask to go with some samples. Step 2 Get in touch with a very good graphics designer. Ask for his/her rates they charge. Negotiate discount for the referring jobs to them. Ask to get samples of past Job they have designed. Step 3 Understand the whole supply chain. You get a Print Job – You contact the designer to design – get the design and meet the printer to Print the Job – You deliver the finished Printed Job to your Client. Step 4 Having secured your partners in your supply chain, you will next need to look for the Job. You can advertise on Job listing sites, you could spread the word to family, friends and anyone you meet of your ability to deliver quality print Jobs. When you get the Job, ensure to deliver as promised. To get quality finished print Jobs, you will need to factor that in choosing the other players in your supply chain (Graphics designers, Printer). Step 5 Continue to get Jobs done through the steps 1-4 listed, while you take classes on Graphics designing by the side. As you get better at designing, you will soon cut out the step 2 and increase your revenue by handling the designing Job yourself. As your earnings come in, try your best to save some towards purchasing your own printer machine, so that in due time you can cut out step 1 and print the jobs yourself. Soon you will be running the entire supply chain by yourself. This would all require focus and a great deal of commitment on your part. 2. The Market If you take a trip to the area in your city where most of the bulk printer businesses are operated, you will see the buzzing activities and could get more ideas on what sorts of things are mostly printed. Every weekend, there could easily be a Burial ceremony, wedding, conference, Church and other religious event that would need Print Jobs. Program of activities, flyers, banners, handbills, tracts, posters, business cards, invitation cards, offering envelopes etc, are some examples of items that would need print services. 3. The Business Value Proposition – Quality graphics design and print services Customer Segment – Event organisers, religious & corporate organisations, Political parties, schools, etc and a host of other scenarios where print jobs are required. Customer Channels – Phone, Online (Social media), Events, Business listing sites and pages. Customer Relationship - Direct Key Activities – Selling, Negotiating, customer service, Designing, Printing, Delivering, Quality control, logistics Key Resources – Graphics designer, Bulk printer (Direct imaging), Customer service assistants, sales team, delivery team, dedicated phone lines, etc Key Partners – Bulk Printer service providers, corporate and religious organisations, Graphics designer (freelancers), event vendors, business listing companies, etc, Cost structure – Call credit, transport, advert placements, networking expenses Revenue – Commission and referral bonuses 4. Competition Most of the time, in places where they have need of regular printing jobs, like in churches for their events, there is a high probability that somebody would already have the Contract to Print for them. So in order to break in, it is important to have a strong competitive advantage strong enough to displace the existing person offering the service. Better Service Delivery – Regular calls to give client update on the job stages, Prompt delivery, Quality print jobs could serve as some competitive advantage. 5. Risks In the print business as in other businesses, certain unforeseen circumstances could happen. The printer could print a very poor quality Job and could expect you to still pay for it. Some delays could happen that could cost you money. In all, be prepared and plan for such. Enter into signed agreements where necessary and state clearly who will take responsibility on certain failures in the print job delivery. 6. Financial estimates Dedicated phone line. Call credit Transport fare Advert placements at business listing sites, Networking expenses for meetings and attending events For a start, you may not need to spend much on the above listed, however, having a good network or seeking to expand your network will go a long way in securing new jobs. Summary This 3rd Business Startup idea is intended to help those unemployed, ready to work individual who has little or no startup fund for Business. We saw that from strategically planning and implementing this idea, one can eventually get their own Business enterprise running. This could be apply in other sectors as well, where you can act as the middle man, look for who can produce, and take the produced item to meet the demand. There’s only so much that can be said… For more information, comments or feedbacks, get in touch. Follow Twitter: @Mrebis Email : mrebis1@gmail.com