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kangaeru · 05-28-2005, 05:18 PM

I am looking to start my own business. I don't mean some family daycare or arts and crafts store I run out of my house--my idea deals with international importing/exporting, specifically with asia.

My business will cover a wide variety of products, however, at the beginning, I want to work on only 1 product to a) see if the demand it creates is what I think it will be, and b) to establish systems that are tried and true and work well enough that I can apply the experiences to much broader markets.

I know people in venture capital firms who I can go to with this idea, but I need to figure out how to make a credible business plan. This business would act as a 'middle-man' so to speak--I would be purchasing products in the US, wholesale, and selling them to wholesalers in Asia, so that alone takes out a LOT of complication of starting a company up, because I've looked into it and retail is a pain in the ass.

I've done market research in the areas I'm looking to get into, and I have a lot of data as well as first hand experience living in Japan to back up my claims about why the venture will be successful. However, I have no idea how I would figure out exact costs (I know the shipping cost from San Francisco to Tokyo for the item I plan to start off with, but I have no idea where I would begin to find out how I would figure out the volume, therefore I can't estimate the cost).

I apologize for being vague about this busniess, but, as this is an very widely read internet forum, I've got to leave a certain level of ambiguity up in the air. I am trying to find people I already have contacts with to give me advice also--but because I know some incredibly savvy and world travelled people psot here as well, I figured you never know where you're going to find a gem of information, so here I am.

So anyways to reiterate...I have market research reports backing up my claims that a market exists for these products, and I have first hand experience living in Asia which I can further leverage to raise the credibility of my ideas. I do not, however, have an exact blue print of exactly who I am going to buy my products from wholesale, and who I am going to sell them to, or any of the associated costs. I need to know if I need these things to present a plausible business plan, and if yes / no, what pertinent information I need to present to an investor to get them to invest money in me.

Thanks in advance =)

05-28-2005, 05:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
kangaeru Crazy Location: on the road to where I want to be...	Advice on Planning a Business I am looking to start my own business. I don't mean some family daycare or arts and crafts store I run out of my house--my idea deals with international importing/exporting, specifically with asia. My business will cover a wide variety of products, however, at the beginning, I want to work on only 1 product to a) see if the demand it creates is what I think it will be, and b) to establish systems that are tried and true and work well enough that I can apply the experiences to much broader markets. I know people in venture capital firms who I can go to with this idea, but I need to figure out how to make a credible business plan. This business would act as a 'middle-man' so to speak--I would be purchasing products in the US, wholesale, and selling them to wholesalers in Asia, so that alone takes out a LOT of complication of starting a company up, because I've looked into it and retail is a pain in the ass. I've done market research in the areas I'm looking to get into, and I have a lot of data as well as first hand experience living in Japan to back up my claims about why the venture will be successful. However, I have no idea how I would figure out exact costs (I know the shipping cost from San Francisco to Tokyo for the item I plan to start off with, but I have no idea where I would begin to find out how I would figure out the volume, therefore I can't estimate the cost). I apologize for being vague about this busniess, but, as this is an very widely read internet forum, I've got to leave a certain level of ambiguity up in the air. I am trying to find people I already have contacts with to give me advice also--but because I know some incredibly savvy and world travelled people psot here as well, I figured you never know where you're going to find a gem of information, so here I am. So anyways to reiterate...I have market research reports backing up my claims that a market exists for these products, and I have first hand experience living in Asia which I can further leverage to raise the credibility of my ideas. I do not, however, have an exact blue print of exactly who I am going to buy my products from wholesale, and who I am going to sell them to, or any of the associated costs. I need to know if I need these things to present a plausible business plan, and if yes / no, what pertinent information I need to present to an investor to get them to invest money in me. Thanks in advance =)