Bootstrapping Entrepreneur Business Idea - Run a Seminar

This article will give you a business start-up idea for running a trade show or seminar. These events can be very lucrative, and depending on the size, you may only need one or two per year to be financially free.

Trade shows and business seminar happen every day all over the world. Businesses pay thousands of dollars to participate in these events in order to get their name out and sell more products. These shows can range in size from small, niche shows such as pet expos, flea markets, and gun shows, to multi-million dollar events that take almost a year to plan.

Research various markets and societies that are out there. You may find a successful trade show across the country that works well, that you can modify and use in your area. Here are a few tips to be aware of when trying to start a trade show from scratch:

1. Is your market big enough to have an annual show with repeat business?

2. You should have a tollbooth position (no competition) in your region of the country. If the economy is in rough shape, businesses scale back on their trade show attendance, and they will go tot the established ones first.

3. Are the start-up costs low enough for you to accomplish this? Can you just put down a deposit to rent the hall? Will pre-registration help pay for the event space. These are all things that you have to plan for. Remember, you are not in this as a charity event. The idea is to make tons of cash.

4. Is there a high enough margin in this to make it worth your time. If you can bring in a million dollars in revenue and your total costs are only $125,000 then you may have a great idea. This will give you a big cushion to work with when some attendees drop out. However, if you are working the show down to the penny, it is destined to be a disaster.

5. Plan your first show 2-3 years ahead. This is not necessarily for the marketing, that should come out 1.5 years ahead of the show, but you will need to schedule the space etc. Some halls are so busy that you have to sign up many years ahead of time.

6. Start small. Create a one-time show in your area, for a particularly large group of people, maybe home builders for instance. Use a local venue near your house so that you can get your feet wet without having to go bankrupt in case the show does not pan out.

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