How can I start a business in the flea market?

Question

I want to start selling some sort of food in the flea market. How would I go about it? What kind of license/permit do I need it? Please provide as much details as possible. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Most flea markets that are reputable will be able to provide you with as much info you need. The best advise I can give you is be a secret shopper for a day and go around to the local flea markets yourself. Browse around and see if you may have some 'competition'. Get a feel for the it and then call the ones that you think that your item would sell the best at.

Another good place to look is in your goverments website. I know that you will need a permit to sale, however, most state laws are diferrent. So I might say one thing and your goverment say another, know what I mean.

I wish you the best of luck and don't give up. It might take a few tries but beleive me, it will be worth it.

Shannon

Answer 2

You're going to need a number of permits or licenses... to start with, a permit from the health department.  They will inspect your site and see if it meets the health code; if not, no permit, no store.  You'll need a business license, a resale permit, a building permit to remodel your space.  I'm not sure what else.  

If you need to borrow money to get the space opened, you'll need a business plan.  

Before you go any further, I STRONGLY recommend you contact the Small Business Development Center (at your local community college) and talk to them; the counseling is free.  

Then sign up for the NxLevel Entrepreneurial program...  it's a 12 session course that walks you through the ins and outs of starting or growing your business, and as part of that you will write a business plan.  At the end of the class your plan will be reviewed by a lending professional, and will be critiqued, telling you the strong points of your plan AND the weak points.  

Then you can work on the weak points and hopefully get it into shape to actually present to a lender and get the loan you need.  There is a cost for the NxLevel program but it’s a lot cheaper than losing your investment.

Even if you hire a professional to write your plan, you should still take the NxLevel course.  It saved me from going into a business that would have failed within a year or so, taking my investment with it.  I realized by the third week of the class that I could not afford the business I was looking at and changed directions in the middle of the class. .

Business plans may be a pain in the butt to prepare, but without one, your business is doomed to failure.  To start with, you won't know what your startup costs are going to be, what kind of income to expect, what your ongoing expenses are, who your competition is, and even whether or not you can make a profit.  Without a GOOD business plan, you will not be able to get a business loan to get your business off the ground.

Answer 3

This should be really easy. All you would do is apply at the local flea market. Go and see the administration and they should be able to advise you on what you need.

Then make sure you have the tools you need to sell your stuff.

Tables, Change, Chairs to sit on etc.