Opening a Business
Opening a Bagel Wholesaler
This advice is ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to open a wholesale bagel business. Read this before you start!
With a focus on effective planning, this article covers many aspects of opening a wholesale bagel business.
The Wholesale Bagel Business Model
Bagel wholesaling is much like any other type of wholesale business. As a wholesaler, your startup will exist in a B2B business environment and act as a critical supply chain link for retailers that sell bagels as part of their product line.
However, there are a few important differences you need to know about before you commit to a bagel wholesale startup. Unlike some other industries, bagel wholesalers frequently manufacture their products themselves rather than serving exclusively as a middleman in the supply chain. Additionally, you'll need to contend with food safety challenges, not the least of which is the fact that wholesale bagels are typically shipped in a frozen state.
As a manufacturer, the advantage of incorporating wholesale into your business model is sales quantity. Whether or not you choose to also sell retail, wholesale will generate a high volume of revenue, even though they will be sold at a discounted price.
Getting Started in Bagel Manufacturing
If your bagel wholesale startup will include a manufacturing component (and chances are, it will), scalability will become a core element of the startup planning process. Unless you have vast capital resources and a large number of guaranteed customers, you'll need to start small, but in a way that makes it possible for production to be quickly ramped up when you experience business growth.
A good rule of thumb for new bagel manufacturers and wholesalers is to think big and spend small. In other words, you will need to carefully manage costs when you lease space and purchase equipment. But at the same time, your strategic plan will need to accommodate an operation that is much larger than it is now -- and establish a roadmap to help you get there.
Shipping Tips for Bagel Wholesalers
Shipping can be a major headache for bagel wholesalers. As your business grows and you acquire a fleet of delivery vehicles, your ability to perform your own shipping within the local area will expand. But since it's likely that your wholesale distribution area will exceed your internal shipping capacity, you will need to develop a system for outsourcing shipments to third-party carriers.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) shipments are standard operating procedure in bagel wholesaling. With a little effort, you can effectively ship full or partial pallets of frozen bagels to remote destinations through third-party carriers. To coordinate LTL and other shipments, consider eventually integrating a shipping logistics software solution into your operation.
Tips for Creating a Great Bagel Wholesaler Business Plan
A business plan is the skeletal framework for your wholesale bagel business's mission, goals and strategic vision.
Since lenders and investors will use your plan to gauge risk, it needs to contain industry-specific benchmarks and a detailed marketing plan.
Early in the process, it's worth your time to learn how to write the market analysis section of a business plan. While a robust market analysis can be a selling point for a wholesale bagel business startup, weak market research is a sure giveaway for a business that hasn't invested adequate effort in planning.
Consider Competitors
Prior to opening a wholesale bagel business in your area, it's worthwhile to find out what the competition looks like. Try our link below to get a list of local competitors near you. Complete the form by entering your city, state and zip code to get a list of wholesale bagel businesses that are close by.
Gain a knowledge of how existing firms have positioned themselves in the marketplace, and then design your business in a way that sets you apart from the others.
Getting Advice from Experienced Entrepreneurs
If you want to open a wholesale bagel business it's a wise move to speak with somebody who is already in the business. If you think owners of nearby wholesale bagel businesses will give you advice, think again. Why would they want to educate a future competitor?
But, a person who owns a wholesale bagel business on the other side of the country will be much more likely to talk with you, after they realize you reside far away from them and won't be stealing their local customers. Indeed, many experienced entrepreneurs enjoy offering advice to startup entrepreneurs. In my experience, you may have to call ten business owners in order to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.
How would you find an owner of a wholesale bagel business in a different locale who can assist you?
Simply, try our helpful link below, type in a random city/state or zipcode, and start calling.
Getting Started in Bagel Wholesaler Ownership
Would-be wholesale bagel business business owners can either launch a new business or acquire an existing operation.
Startup wholesale bagel businesses can be attractive because they allow the entrepreneur to have more control and greater influence. From a funding perspective, however, you may have a hard time finding lenders who are willing to take a chance on your wholesale bagel business concept.
Acquired wholesale bagel businesses are known quantities - and are less risky for lenders. On the whole, buying a business minimizes uncertainty as well as many of the objections lenders use to disqualify startup entrepreneurs from financing.
Consider Buying a Franchise
Franchising is a smart move for entrepreneurs just getting started in small business ownership. Franchises are popular because they are based on a business model that works. The nation's leading franchisors know their way around the industry and are now passing their learnings on to the next generation of business leaders. There are plenty of franchises options at your disposal. The key is to select the one that matches your capital requirements and business philosophy.
Just click the link below to learn more about bagel franchise options.
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