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Editor: Molly Lavik (Vatel International Business School Los Angeles, USA)

Reviewer: Debbi D Brock (Berea College, USA)

Sales: the essential rim of the wheel

The business eco-system wheel. A circle. On the outside are various terms separated by arrows labeled sales. The terms also correspond to arrows pointing towards the center of the circle, each labeled Mentor Insights. The labels read as follows: market opportunity, financing, strategy, branding, stakeholders, ethics, operations, new product, and public relations.
The Business Eco-System Wheel and sales

What will i sell?

You can sell a product or service. A product is a physical item while a service is something you would implement or execute on behalf of someone else.

    Product ideas to consider selling

  • Hand-crafted art and artifacts for exporting
  • Fruit for selling at a fruit stand or using in the production of cosmetics
  • Honey that you produce as a bee keeper
  • Mustard condiments produced from mustard seeds
  • Handcrafted furniture
  • Paintings by emerging artists
  • Recycled goods made into products such as purses made from recycled juice and soda containers
  • A restaurant that offers food menus that others enjoy eating
  • Yogurt served in containers that are edible

    Ideas for services to consider offering

  • Providing education to children as well as adults in a school
  • Purifying water at the site of wells that may be tainted with arsenic
  • Providing guide services to travelers
  • Developing marketing campaigns for local businesses
  • Running food stands for others
  • Providing tailoring services
  • Manufacturing furniture for businesses and residences
  • Offering cooking services to families
  • Selling wireless phones for phone corporations
  • Providing people to build buildings, houses, roads and or bridges
  • Offering out-sourced from other countries call center services
  • Providing computer consulting services

Places for inspiration

" Kiva ( www.kiva.org ) is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.” Kiva, “About: What is Kiva?,” (External Link) (Accessed January 11, 2009). Kiva provides a list of entrepreneurs who seek loans and a description of these entrepreneurs’ business concepts. Visit the Kiva website to read the inspirational stories of these entrepreneurs. http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses. Kiva, “Lend,” (External Link) (Accessed January 11, 2009).

Aid to Artisans (ATA), ( (External Link) ) an international nonprofit organization, is a recognized leader of economic development for the craft industry. By linking artisans to new markets and buyers to culturally meaningful and innovative products, ATA provides needed economic opportunities to artisans while preserving the beauty of global handmade crafts.” Aid to Artisans, “About Us,” (External Link) (Accessed January 12, 2009).

Financing: the fundamental rim on the wheel

One of the greatest talents that most successful entrepreneurs possess is the ability to persuade others to invest funds and resources in a startup during the idea creation phase of a new venture. You are not alone if you have major concerns about attracting the finances you need to get your startup idea “off the ground”. If you are reading this and thinking you do not know anyone who would consider investing in your startup we suggest transforming your thinking into a more constructive thought process in which you believe in yourself and your own ability to achieve financing.

    Financing opportunities

  • Micro-financiers (Do a Google search at www.google.com using the key word "micro-finance" to find potential micro-financiers that you may want to research as one method of financing your startup costs.)
  • Family traditionally is the first place to look for funds to pay for some of the startup costs associated with a new venture. Even if your family has no resources to offer you can still talk to family members about introducing you to people they know who might be able to help. More money then you can imagine has been raised in this manner.
  • Friends , even casual acquaintances, can at times provide financing and resources for a startup. Even if a friend is not able to directly help, you should ask each friend or person you contact for help to also provide you with 3 names of others they know who may be able to help.
  • Governmental support is also a possibility. If applicable, you can also let the local non-governmental agency associated with what you are doing know your needs in case there is some support available.
  • Barter or trade is a method by which you could provide a needed service such as consulting/management advice in return for the resources needed for your startup.
  • Savings take a long time and effort to accumulate in the amount most people need to start a new venture. There are many risks involved and you may not ever be able to replenish the amount of money you took from your savings to invest in a startup. On the positive side though, if you use your own savings you do not have a loan to pay back.
  • Bank loans are not usually available to early-stage entrepreneurs unless you have a track record of a previous success and/or the assets to put up such as a home you own in return for securing the bank loan.
  • Networking refers to attending events, conferences, seminars, and any activity where by you can meet others who might be able to help your further your startup's development.
  • Online networks are online websites where you can connect with people you know to ultimately gain connections to people they know. One well-known online network is LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com . According to the About LinkedIn website, “LinkedIn is an online network of more then 30 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.” LinkedIn, “About LinkedIn, (External Link)&trk=hb_ft_abtli (Accessed August 15, 2008). LinkedIn is available in English, French and Spanish. You can use the search field at the top of every LinkedIn web page to search for people and companies that might be willing to finance your startup. You can sign onto LinkedIn and connect with others that would in turn potentially be willing to connect you to the people you are trying to meet.
  • Memberships in community organizations may be a place where you can meet like-minded individuals interested in your startup idea. Use the opportunity to share some information about your startup with the people you meet. You may find others who want to help you make your startup a success.

Read on : [link] contains more material on financing your business.

Questions & Answers

differentiate between demand and supply giving examples
Lambiv Reply
differentiated between demand and supply using examples
Lambiv
what is labour ?
Lambiv
how will I do?
Venny Reply
how is the graph works?I don't fully understand
Rezat Reply
information
Eliyee
devaluation
Eliyee
t
WARKISA
hi guys good evening to all
Lambiv
multiple choice question
Aster Reply
appreciation
Eliyee
explain perfect market
Lindiwe Reply
In economics, a perfect market refers to a theoretical construct where all participants have perfect information, goods are homogenous, there are no barriers to entry or exit, and prices are determined solely by supply and demand. It's an idealized model used for analysis,
Ezea
What is ceteris paribus?
Shukri Reply
other things being equal
AI-Robot
When MP₁ becomes negative, TP start to decline. Extuples Suppose that the short-run production function of certain cut-flower firm is given by: Q=4KL-0.6K2 - 0.112 • Where is quantity of cut flower produced, I is labour input and K is fixed capital input (K-5). Determine the average product of lab
Kelo
Extuples Suppose that the short-run production function of certain cut-flower firm is given by: Q=4KL-0.6K2 - 0.112 • Where is quantity of cut flower produced, I is labour input and K is fixed capital input (K-5). Determine the average product of labour (APL) and marginal product of labour (MPL)
Kelo
yes,thank you
Shukri
Can I ask you other question?
Shukri
what is monopoly mean?
Habtamu Reply
What is different between quantity demand and demand?
Shukri Reply
Quantity demanded refers to the specific amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a give price and within a specific time period. Demand, on the other hand, is a broader concept that encompasses the entire relationship between price and quantity demanded
Ezea
ok
Shukri
how do you save a country economic situation when it's falling apart
Lilia Reply
what is the difference between economic growth and development
Fiker Reply
Economic growth as an increase in the production and consumption of goods and services within an economy.but Economic development as a broader concept that encompasses not only economic growth but also social & human well being.
Shukri
production function means
Jabir
What do you think is more important to focus on when considering inequality ?
Abdisa Reply
any question about economics?
Awais Reply
sir...I just want to ask one question... Define the term contract curve? if you are free please help me to find this answer 🙏
Asui
it is a curve that we get after connecting the pareto optimal combinations of two consumers after their mutually beneficial trade offs
Awais
thank you so much 👍 sir
Asui
In economics, the contract curve refers to the set of points in an Edgeworth box diagram where both parties involved in a trade cannot be made better off without making one of them worse off. It represents the Pareto efficient allocations of goods between two individuals or entities, where neither p
Cornelius
In economics, the contract curve refers to the set of points in an Edgeworth box diagram where both parties involved in a trade cannot be made better off without making one of them worse off. It represents the Pareto efficient allocations of goods between two individuals or entities,
Cornelius
Suppose a consumer consuming two commodities X and Y has The following utility function u=X0.4 Y0.6. If the price of the X and Y are 2 and 3 respectively and income Constraint is birr 50. A,Calculate quantities of x and y which maximize utility. B,Calculate value of Lagrange multiplier. C,Calculate quantities of X and Y consumed with a given price. D,alculate optimum level of output .
Feyisa Reply
Answer
Feyisa
c
Jabir
the market for lemon has 10 potential consumers, each having an individual demand curve p=101-10Qi, where p is price in dollar's per cup and Qi is the number of cups demanded per week by the i th consumer.Find the market demand curve using algebra. Draw an individual demand curve and the market dema
Gsbwnw Reply
suppose the production function is given by ( L, K)=L¼K¾.assuming capital is fixed find APL and MPL. consider the following short run production function:Q=6L²-0.4L³ a) find the value of L that maximizes output b)find the value of L that maximizes marginal product
Abdureman
types of unemployment
Yomi Reply
What is the difference between perfect competition and monopolistic competition?
Mohammed
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Source:  OpenStax, Business fundamentals. OpenStax CNX. Oct 08, 2010 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11227/1.4
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