wife wants to start her own business. what do you think?

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she came to US about 10 years ago, and she never worked here. At the beginnig she did not have work visa, later she took care of kids and now she's finally ready to work.

She is in the job market, timing is good, but after a few weeks we didn't find the righ opportunity. It is difficult to start from scratch after a 10 year pause, especially in a different country.

Anyway, she noticed that one line of items that are very popular in Europe is not sold here in the US, at least the selection is limited if any at all. she wants to start a business to import these item and sell in the US. Obviously I would need to do more market research to see if indeed there is demand of this product and how come it is not available in the US. Perhaps there is some regulation that we are not aware or some other reason. Anyway, we bought these items from Europe and I know several other people to did the same. Most are immigrants like us, but I also know genuine Americans that went to Paris in vacation and came back with one suitcase of these items. That tells me these item are pupular not only with immigrants, but also with US Citizens.

So how to get started? she thinks it would be nice to have a retail store, but then she would not be able to be home for kids in the afternoon, and the expense to open a retail store is probably high. I was thinking to start online, maybe on eBay first, and if the demand is really there, open a separate web site later on. I would still go though PayPal or Amazon for payments, I don't want to deal with security issues.

Any comments? what do yo think? the appeal of online business is that she could stay home and would have very flexible schedule.

any comments trully appreciated. Thanks

[rgG]

If she wants to work for someone else, it will probably take more than a few weeks to find the right opportunity.

If she decides to start selling retail, I think your idea of starting out online is much better than diving into a retail store, because you will have less overhead and be able to reach a much bigger customer base.

There will be a lot of work getting things set up and a LOT of paperwork and stuff to do, with it being an import/sales operation, so be prepared for that. If you do start a business, consider setting it up as an LLC, from the outset. That would be the cheapest and easiest way to go.

[C(-)ris]

A few weeks for a job hunt? Check back in a few months if she hasn't found a job. The job market isn't that hot right now.

If you did want to open a store, I would do as you sugested and start small. Open an online store or sell on Amazon or Ebay or Etsy depending on what your product is. You could also open your own web store, but then you would have to drive the traffic to it. Amazon and others get you more exposure quickly. I'd start with them and if it takes off you can move to your own online store.

I would definitely NOT open a retail store. Too much overhead for selling specific items and your market will consist of only the imediate surrounding area. The only way I can see it working is if the area you open it in is a cultural center for people who would purchase these items.

[anonymouse1]

You're being coy about what the item is, which is fine. But it implies that if other people find out, they'll start the same business. So the question is, if your wife starts this business, will other people copy her and drive down her profit margins?

[cbelt3]

She can start by selling through online businesses... if they are artistic / female oriented, Etsy is a source. Amazon or eBay as well, but the probability is high that someone with a higher level of capital will steal the business.

[OWC Jamie]

etsy sounds like a great way to test the waters while putting a business plane plan together

[Paul F.]

I think you're going to be shocked at the import paperwork and regulations.... (friend of mine tried something like that 10-12 years ago), but I wholeheartedly support the idea...

[testcase]

Amway....

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testcase wrote:
Amway....

Noway

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Etsy is a great idea, thanks.