Business Expansion

I have plans to grow my business. But in order to do that, I have to shift my shop to a bigger market where I can attract more customers. I can't increase the customer flow here at this place. The market conditions are not good here. Nowadays, I just come to my shop and sit idly most of the time, waiting for a customer. If I can't get customers, I won't be able to sell the products and pay my staff. So, there are a lot of problems that I am currently facing. I have to run this shop and provide for my family. Even if I invest in my business, I won't attract many customers here at this place. After 6:30 pm, I hardly get 3-4 customers at my shop. If they ask for a product that I don't have in stock, they will leave my shop empty-handed.

I like having more customers. Otherwise, we keep thinking about many things. If we have customers, we don't have time to think about anything. We keep thinking about what and how to manage things. If the business is not there, what should I do? I can't go anywhere now. If I have to open a new shop in a new area, I have to pay in lakhs in advance. I should buy furniture worth lakhs. I can't go and do business in a new area now. I am just trying to push the business as long as it goes.

I am thinking of including ready-made kids' dresses in my shop for kids below 8-10 years. If we have the sale of those garments, along with that, other garments will also be sold. Customers do ask for ready-made kids' dresses. I don't have them, and so they leave. If they buy those dresses, they will buy a saree or a pant-shirt along with that. I am thinking of that. I had ready-made clothes in the beginning. As the sale was less, I stopped keeping them. I had ready-made clothes for all age groups. I had T-shirts, frocks, and everything. Then I stopped it. Ready-made items were having good sales. The sales were going well. As I was alone, I stopped it and that business slowly came down. Now, the customers need ready-made items more. I am thinking of replacing these items with ready-made items slowly. Shirting and suiting have fewer sales. It costs Rs. 1000 for stitching pants or a shirt. Ready-made items are in demand now. I can't do it next month itself. I have to do it slowly in 4-6 months. This will happen only if my body is with me.

I know that readymades are in demand because customers come and ask for them. That is how I know. Readymades are in demand. I also observe other shops and see that readymade shops are doing good business. So, why don't I also start one? We can look at other shops. I wish to do that. Readymades are more in demand in this line now.

I don't have enough earnings to open a new store, not now or in the future. I can't trust anyone. If I open a new store, who will manage it? I prefer to stay here. We can't rely on anyone else for that store. We never know if they will handle it honestly. I have to handle everything within these four walls. Any expansion should happen within these walls.

It will be as Allah wishes, madam, if I have to run the shop after 5 years. It's better if no one looks after it because I myself am also bored of it. This business is no longer enjoyable. It's not like before, that's why the profit was better earlier, but now it's lesser. What can I say? It's reduced, that's all.

I decided to spend on customers instead of advertisements. It is about our thinking. We are normal people - engineers, laborers, and businessmen. We eat food according to our needs. It depends on how much you utilize your brain. How much brain am I utilizing in my business? I think about how to increase my business, so we think and discuss with our mummy, and then I decide.

I will have to keep a different variety of clothes to expand my business.

Future Plan is that in electronics, I am going to expand my product range, including items such as ACs and TVs, which I am currently selling. I aim to increase my turnover from one and a half crores to five or six crores.

I'm not afraid anymore because I've been running the business all these days, so I have no fear now. We'll be building a showroom above this shop. The shop will continue to operate as usual. As for the products you mentioned, if one of our customers wants an AC, where can they go? Don't worry, I'll provide it right here.

I see my business increasing 4X or 5X more than what it is today. I have to do a lot more than this and want to increase it. I want to add many things regarding the products and want to acquire new clients. The things that I am doing right now, along with that, I will include things that are currently being installed at home, such as lighting and more. People spend a lot on lighting, chandeliers, and new tables, among other things. There is a wide range of products, so I will try to add those things. And then there are the things that I am already selling. I mean, from time to time, I get to know new products and we add them to our inventory. So, these things are not available in tier three cities. For example, if I talk about Bhandara specifically, there is no dedicated store for these items. However, I want to offer these products because I already have customers who are interested in them. For instance, when a house is being constructed, customers typically purchase basic products such as wires, switches, and fans. If I stock these items, they will definitely buy them. There is a lot of range related to it. Pumps are there and after that there are few equipments of power tools. Power tools which are used in the industries. So items for those things and then some items which are used in rice mills. These things are there.

I stay in touch with electricians and have meetings with them from time to time. We have a meeting with an electrician on the 23rd. We call them and provide them with product knowledge because electricians are influential in our business. I am not in touch with customers. If they come, I will offer them tea or coffee.

We have regular meetings with electricians. Since we sell Havells company wire, the company asks us for the support we need. We suggest having a meeting with electricians, and the company covers the cost of the meeting. They send their representatives and set up a base. We provide the platform and invite our electricians, while Havells explains their product features and promotes our brand. They also give us gifts, as is common for companies. For example, RR cables gave a bag or tool kit, and Havells does the same. This influences the customer because they rely on the electrician's expertise, as they may not have technical knowledge about things like 16 or 32 amperes. Whatever the technician suggests, the customer will use. So the electrician has the first influence. Therefore, we target good electricians and maintain a list of them. We try to have meetings with them and inform them about the products we have available. Then, the electricians recommend our products to the customers. We focus on electricians rather than keeping track of individual customers. Customers come to our shop to purchase products, and sometimes we give them a free gift.

Gradually, we have reduced our involvement in school work. Previously, we used to work in schools, but there are many risks associated with it. Books can be lost and there are payment issues. It becomes a hassle and we have to bear significant losses. We have to pay the payment party, but the school often doesn't pay. It feels like all the burden is on us. As a result, we are shifting away from that line of work and focusing more on our stationery business. We plan to expand it further and eventually open our own shop. Currently, we are searching for a suitable location nearby, not necessarily in Pratapgarh. We are committed to staying in this area and establishing our own shop.

We will acquire three large racks that can be used for placing items on top. This will provide ample space for spreading out items. We have already begun with this plan and have only added more iron racks. Everything else remains unchanged. Our recent plan is to increase these items. We are determined to achieve our goals and will put in our utmost effort.

Yes, there is scope in the next 5 years, and I'm trying to expand my business. The scope is like this: the business is not going to decline because farming is never going to decline. People will keep farming, which is why it will continue to increase. You see, my aim is to expand it, but sometimes what happens is that my business depends on nature, so it fluctuates. It is my job to keep trying.

To start a new store, I require funds. Since I have already established myself here, I am on the lookout for a suitable shop. The cost of furniture these days is quite high, ranging from Rs. 1-2 lakh to Rs. 8-10 lakh. Additionally, an upfront payment is required.

Yes, I am going to Indonesia for export. I have a friend here who works at the export office. I went there on the 11th of last month because he told me about it. There was an exhibition, so I met a few people there and got to know more about it. He asked me to come, and although I haven't received the confirmation yet, I have already packed everything for the medicines export. I am going there to finalize that deal. I learned about this on WhatsApp.

Yes, I am planning to open up more shops. Now I want to open up a very big shop with four shutters at Sugat Nagar. It belongs to my mother-in-law. The shop has 4 shutters, so I am planning to set up 4 departments on the 4 shutters. One would be homeopathic, the second would be cosmetics. Below there would be 4 shutters and upstairs 2 chambers would be doctor. In one chamber meeting room and in other chamber doctor’s OPD. And there will be one waiting room for the patients. I would need 30-35 lakhs for setting up this type of business. 10 lakhs would be set up the departments and then medicine’s stock, cosmetic’s stock and other products. For arranging medicines and other stuffs I would need 10-15 lakhs. My loan EMIs would end in January and after that I will plan for the next loan.

Yes, I am going to go to Indonesia again now for exporting. The person I am associated with there has sent me 30 tons of chili. They might need it here. When I went there, 2-3 buyers met me and they said they need the medicines. The medicines are sent there and they change the label and sell them. They write the instructions in their language on the medicine.

Yes, I want to expand my business to another country, specifically in the field of medicines. Canada is the main hub for exporters. Any medicine that needs to be sent there must come from Canada. This contact was made through Hitesh sir's uncle. We have a pharmacy here and they will also have a pharmacy there. I asked him to inquire about where they purchase the medicines and if there is a wholesale market there. Also, ask for information about 1-2 buyers from there. Once this is done, we can proceed further. The connection is established in this way. Yes, my friend who works in the foreign exchange department is helping me. He knows the language spoken there and has completed a course in it. Therefore, I am going there to finalize the deal. I also have an offer from Thailand, but the cost is lower there.

I never felt the need to take a loan before, but now I want to borrow money. My grandad is against it, as I mentioned earlier, and he doesn't allow me to do it. Perhaps someone has deceived him in the past, someone may have borrowed money and never paid it back, that's why he refuses. I mean, I want to borrow money, but if I can find a suitable loan, I will definitely take it. I will take the loan if I want to purchase more stock, in other words, if I want to expand my business. I will get the loan from wherever the interest rate is lower, because that's what you prioritize, isn't it?

Initially, my business had very low growth, but now it is steadily increasing. In the beginning, I didn't have any customers, and I started from scratch. However, now it is performing well. I am determined to further expand my business. After all, who wouldn't want to capitalize on a growing business and take it to the next level?

In 5 years, I hope to have started a wholesale business where other shop owners will purchase goods from me. This is my aspiration. To achieve this, I may need to take a loan, as having a substantial inventory is necessary. Therefore, I require additional funds. Money plays a crucial role in everything. Without money, it is difficult to accomplish anything, even if you start small. Growth requires financial resources. If the business becomes very successful, I plan to open another shop. Some may see this as greed, but it is a natural desire within oneself. You can also view it as ambition or my personal wish. People may perceive me as overly ambitious, but I aim to expand further. I envision opening a shop in another area, so that the name "Ayesha" can be displayed on a banner there as well.

My new store should be a posh and upscale shop, with a high standard. I envision having ample lighting, glass fixtures, racks, and an overall design that resembles a small showroom. The size of the shop will be at least as big as this one, if not even larger, to create the desired showroom-like appearance.

I am in this business for profit. I want to expand my business. I am renting here. It would be much better if this space were mine. I would like to find a new location by the roadside.

The personal loan would have less interest than a business loan. That's why I have taken 2 to 3 personal loans, and those are currently running. I would invest from there. There are many small micro finance companies, if you have solid business then they would give you to 2-3 lakhs also. Their staff boys would come and give me offer. If there is season then they would roam around. Now the weather is down so we cannot see them. They would normally come and offer for this. They would come and take the contact number. They would call you and ask you again and again that you need this or not, and when you say yes. They would take the documents.

I would like to make many changes for the expansion. I would also add more racks. I have these plans as well. I could do this in the current year, but I couldn't do it because I have opened another shop next to mine. I have a plan to expand this shop and add more products to it. I would also include more different items. I have done these kinds of items here. That one is rented, so I have to pay rent. If I can increase the income here, then I won't need to pay rent. I can expand this place and maintain 12 items now, and then I can maintain 24 items as well. I can do many things when I have space; otherwise, I cannot.

The quality given to the customer must be the best to take the shop to the next level. We have added another section for rice and other items.

We have to buy a bigger shop and increase the number of items. We were thinking of doing all this, but the business is very slow, so we left it. If the business improves, we can consider expanding. A new departmental store has opened nearby, and people have started going there. As a result, our business is currently very dull. We bought the adjacent shop to expand our business, and the owner was also supportive. He said we could turn it into a big shop by combining both. However, we need to benefit from it and not incur any losses. My brother used to work with us in the shop, but now he has pursued a career in the medical field. He is studying in Chennai. Otherwise, we were planning to open a grocery shop, but since he is now in the medical field, he has left this business.