Business

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <IMG SRC="21aa56d0.png" border=0 width="165" height="109" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Berlin Sans FB" >  |    </FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Berlin Sans FB" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#CC0033" FACE="Berlin Sans FB" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Navel Magazine"><U>Home</U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Editorial"><U>Editorial</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Front Page"><U>Front Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Music"><U>Music</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bellyworld: The Reviews"><U>Bellyworld: The Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bellyworld: Donna Mejia"><U>Bellyworld: Donna Mejia</U></A></div> <div> Business</div> <div> <A HREF="downward_dog.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fitness"><U>Fitness</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Move of the Month"><U>Move of the Month</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> Business</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1e4c3db0.jpg" border=0 width="195" height="219" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="5">Belly dance vending - is it for you?</B></div> <div> <I>by Deb Voegeli</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Deb Voegeli is the proud owner of The Red Camel; an online store that offers tribal jewelry, and textile items from Middle East, North Africa, India and Central Asia.  Based on St. Louis, Missouri; Deb provides quality products and her services  include shipping to all USA and Canada, as well vending on different venues in USA.</I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://theredcamel.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://theredcamel.net"><U><I>http://theredcamel.net</I></U></A></div> <div> <I>deb@redcamel.net</I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I> </I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> Walk into any belly dance workshop or festival and you'll see racks filled with brightly colored costumes.  Tempting jewelry selections, beautiful scarves and a wide variety of props cover table after table.  Countless on-line shops offer every possible dance item under the sun.  Maybe you've wondered how those vendors started their businesses.  Maybe you've even considered vending yourself!  If that's the case, there are some things you should think about before jumping in.  </div> <bR> <div> Being a dance supplies vendor, like any business, is hard work and takes some dedication to be successful.  When I started out I had to ask myself some serious questions.  Was this something I really wanted to do?  Could I physically keep the business running alone?  Would it be worth spending all my free time at my new “second job”?  Be prepared to be honest with yourself about the answers to these questions before making a commitment and discuss your plans with your family in advance. </div> <bR> <div> After you've made the decision to be a vendor, you'll need several things to help you get started.  First you should get some professional advice on how to set up your business and basic accounting system.  I was fortunate enough to have worked with attorneys in the past, so it was easy for me to discuss my plans with them and get their advice.  I also had an accountant that I could rely on when I had questions.  Even if you don't have friends or associates in these specialties, it's still a good idea to at least make a few calls and speak with someone who can advise you on what type of business entity you need to set up, how to set up an accounting system and countless other questions you'll have.  Having a working knowledge of accounting is a plus, but there are good computer programs on the market that can make your bookkeeping fairly easy.  I knew nothing about it when I started out, but with a good program you can learn quickly.<IMG SRC="1e5905e0.jpg" border=0 width="400" height="350" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="10"></div> <bR> <div> Even more important than getting legal and accounting advice is contacting your local and state government agencies to find out about licensing and taxes.  They usually have basic and sometimes detailed information online.  Talk to your bank about a separate checking account for your business.  They can also help you set up a merchant account to receive payments by credit card. </div> <bR> <div> You'll need enough cash to purchase some inventory.  You can find many wholesalers through internet searches.  Be sure to ask what their minimum purchase amount is and if there are minimum requirements for individual items as well.  Some wholesalers have high minimums that may not be affordable to a new business.  Your initial cash outlay doesn't have to be enormous.  In fact, I started my business with less than $1,000.  Purchasing inventory can be fun, but don't forget to keep a bit of cash in reserve for emergencies.  Setting prices for your goods takes a little research.  Look at what other vendors in your area are charging for the same items and try to keep your prices in line with accepted standards. </div> <bR> <div> If you decide to sell your items on-line as well as vending, you'll need to consider a couple of additional points.  A domain name and host for your new web site can be found on-line.  There are many companies that offer these services for a monthly or yearly fee.  Once you have your name and host in place you can start to think about design.  The design and upkeep of your site is critical to attracting and keeping customers.  You can always hire someone to design it, but here is where a friend with web design experience can really be useful.  Learning to do web site maintenance yourself is a considerable cost savings and is fairly easy.  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>