For many small business owners, one of the most ideal places to try out your new products or services is your local farmers market. Since these events are usually well attended and are filled with all different kinds of people, a farmers market can be the perfect scenario for you to see if your business idea really has legs and can bring you in enough profit to make your entrepreneurial dreams come true. However, finding success in this arena can be more challenging than you might have realized. So to help you get the results you were hoping for, here are three tips for having a more successful booth at a farmers market.
Know What’s Allowed
Before you begin your first day at your farmers market, you’re first going to want to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. To do this, you’re going to need to do a little research into what’s allowed at the specific farmers market you’ll be taking part in. According to Annie Pilon, a contributor to Small Business Trends, every farmer’s market has its own set of rules and regulations that it wants its vendors to follow. This could include things like timing, marketing, businesses, and more. So to ensure you don’t wind up getting your new small business into trouble, make sure you’re well aware of what’s allowed at the farmer’s markets you’re attending.
Treat It Like A Business
Although you might be starting out with farmers markets because it seems like a simple way to test the validity of your new small business, it’s important that you do take this foray seriously with regards to treating your business like a real business. As part of this, April Dykman, a contributor to Forbes.com, recommends that you do things like starting small and not biting off more than you can chew, ensuring that you’re set up as a small business that’s been following city, state, and federal laws, that you understand how to handle things like sales tax and other tax laws, and that you are properly insured. You should also ideally hope to have an efficient payment taking and processing system in place to possibly help your business function and run smoother. This could be tricky to do so yourself so if you prefer then you could look into services similar to ones provided on websites such as https://www.easypaydirect.com/merchant-accounts/nutraceutical-merchant-account/ or you could search for a local service provider if this was more suitable for you. While figuring out all of this can be scary, it’s all completely necessary if you want your new small business to ever grow out of the farmer’s market realm.
Think About Your Space and Setup
To make some real money at farmers markets, you have to think about the entire package of your business. This means that you need to figure out how you’re going to handle things like setting up your booth space and marketing your business throughout the farmers market. According to Karin Eldor, a contributor to Shopify.com, even the space your business inhabits at your booth should be an extension of your brand and business image, so be sure you’re taking all aspects of this seriously.
If you’ll soon be taking your new small business into your local farmers market, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find success in this area.
