BusinessHABCooked Noodles Kiosk: Once you’ve decided you want to start a small business.
Formulated your business plan, lined up financing, and secured a site.
The time will finally come to actually open up shop.
While planning a business may present challenges.
The actual act of opening a business and bringing the business concept to fruition has its own set of difficulties.
To have a better chance of long-term success, you need to get your business off to a good start.
Here are a few tips on how to legally establish your business.
Hire your first employees, spreading the word, and organizing a grand opening.
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Cooked Noodles Kiosk
1. Get the business background
A kiosk business can offer fantastic business opportunities.
Whether you rent or buy.
You should start with a small cart and work your way up to a larger, more permanent kiosk.
Whatever you choose, ensure your location is in a high-traffic area and has adequate space.
Shop around before deciding exactly where to locate your kiosk.
If necessary, apply for business loans at your bank or credit union.
Note that most of the businesses I am discussing are from experience.
And I have seen students make money from them, by just doing it after school hours.
Things you will need for selling cooked noodles:
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- Your gas/stove.
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- A stand/table to display your various sizes of noodles.
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- A crate of egg.
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- Vegetable oil, pepper, onions, carrots, etc.
- Disposable plates and spoons.
You can also add different side attractions to it, if you have the money like getting a kilo of chicken or beef.
Make sure it’s fried, then you can ask your customers what will be their pick with the noodles.
This business is good but time-consuming.
I will advise that you get a friend or a person who is not a student you can be paying daily wages for helping you.
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2. Scout out potential locations.
Take a walk around your local downtown or shopping mall for areas that could accommodate a cart or kiosk.
Keep an eye out for empty kiosks in shopping centers or unused space near sports arenas, parking lots, and public parks.
Try to envision how your kiosk or cart might look in each space.
Talk to other kiosk and cart owners to get a sense of what they’re paying each month in rent.
Cooked Noodles Kiosk
3. Figure out how much space you need.
The product you’re selling will determine not only whether you want a cart or a kiosk.
But also the size of the cart or kiosk you need.
Check other cart and kiosk businesses either online or in person to get an idea of their sizes.
Think about what style is most appropriate for your business.
- If you plan on selling food, determine whether you need refrigeration, a grill, an oven or some other feature that accommodates your product.
- When selecting a cart or kiosk, you should also consider whether you’ll need storage space.
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4. Start small.
Try starting out with just a small display cart.
If your business meets with success, graduate up to a larger kiosk.
This way, you’ll be able to negotiate the learning curve that comes with any new business on a smaller scale.
This will save you time and money and help you learn how to operate most efficiently.
Use this period to iron out any potential problems and streamline your business processes.
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Cooked Noodles Kiosk
5. Develop a business plan.
Your business plan is the roadmap for your kiosk business.
Your business plan should describe your business’ vision and mission, your organizational structure.
Your legal framework, your financial data, and your business’ history.
With a strong business plan in hand, you will have more success in securing a loan.
For the purposes of getting financed, the most important sections of the business plan include:
- A market analysis describing your target market, your competition.
- And any potential roadblocks to your business’ success
- How much money you expect to bring in
- How you intend to repay the loan
- How long it will take to repay the loan
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Cooked Noodles Kiosk
6. Know your competition.
Don’t set up a cart or kiosk when you’re right next to a major storefront that deals in the same thing.
For instance, selling phones from a kiosk in the same mall as the Verizon or Boost Mobile store is probably a bad idea.
If you do end up forced to operate in close proximity to a major competitor.
Take advantage of the fact that you’re a small retailer by offering a superior customer service experience.
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7. Identify your primary customers.
You should locate your business close to where your primary customer base is.
For example, if your target customers are motorcycle riders.
Then consider setting your cart up at a motorcycle rally or show.
- You might find new target audiences once you get your business up and running, or, you might realize that your target audience is not who you thought it was.
- If that’s the case, adjust your business plan to reflect this new purchasing demographic.
- Remember, if you cannot attract people who are interested in your product you will not succeed.
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8. Locate a place to set up.
Most kiosks are located in malls or shopping centers.
However, cart kiosks can often set up at local fairs, farmer’s markets, or festivals.
Check with country or municipal authorities before peddling your wares in these locations.
To ensure you adhere to all the regulations and meet the requirements.
- Other locations like airports are prime real estate for kiosks.
- Contact your local airport’s business department for more information.
- The lobbies in certain office buildings might also host kiosks or carts.
- Talk to building management for details.
See also: 26 How to Open Phones & Tablets Accessories Business in Nigeria
9. Shop around for the best location.
Depending on where you set up, you will pay higher or lower rates in rent, and may need different licenses.
If you’re in a an interior location, be sure that you’ll be able to keep your business open during normal business hours.
Before signing a lease, read it over carefully to ensure you have the best deal possible.
And can meet the expectations of the contract. Common hidden costs include:
- security fees
- a percentage of your monthly sales
- required participation in a loyalty or gift certificate program
- required participation in a community service event
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Cooked Noodles Kiosk
10. Make good use of your space.
Kiosks, unlike regular stores, offer minimal space.
Maximize your use of the kiosk by investing in tablets with digital cash registers instead of clunky countertop registers.
Use the saved space to display more merchandise.
- Use Square, Shopkeep, or another digital cash register app to help you process payments and check customers out.
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11. Arrange your merchandise nicely.
The biggest strength of a kiosk — its ability to advertise and display merchandise on all sides — can also be its greatest weakness.
If you don’t present your wares in a beautiful, orderly manner, customers will not be attracted to your kiosk.
Don’t create a cluttered display in an attempt to put all your goods out for customers to see.
Pull out your featured items, and place them front and center. Exhibit a range of products.
Entice your customers with a well-designed display window.
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Cooked Noodles Kiosk
12. Scale up.
Many small kiosk owners begin with a few carts, then scale up to a kiosk.
Or, they start with a few local kiosks, then branch out and obtain more kiosks in other malls in their area, state, or region.
- Look for opportunities to grow your business by adding new locations.
- Pour profits back into your business by paying your employees a living wage and offering new products or services.
- Keep up with the latest trends in your kiosk business.
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13. Adapt quickly.
In the dog-eat-dog world of business, being quick on your toes is crucial for staying ahead of the competition.
Fortunately, small businesses tend to be better than big ones at adapting to changes.
And it doesn’t get much smaller than a kiosk business.
Stay abreast of new developments in technology, sales, and marketing that could make your job easier.
- Look for new ways to cut costs by finding similar or identical products at lower costs.
- Keep an eye out for new merchandise that your customers might want.
- Identify employees that show promise.
- Give them additional responsibilities and an increased salary.
- Rewarding intelligence and loyalty will make your business strong.
- When your kiosk business grows large enough, invest in some local advertising.
- Local papers and billboards are good venues for small business ads.
- Get a website up and running so that you can make sales even when your kiosk is closed, or your customer is not close to you geographically.
- Additionally, set up social media sites so people can talk about your business.
BusinessHAB