You don’t need to do business all year round and you don’t need a lineup of products to cater to festive demands. Being Indian my examples and illustrations in this post are related to Indian festivals but I’m sure you can find related ideas depending on where you live. Less is more – in most cases and here’s a look at why less could be more in the business of catering to festive needs and how…
Find that One Need to Cater To
Most festive occasions have that one thing that is at the core of celebrations like the turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, Holi colors for the festival of Holi, lamps for Diwali and so on. You just need to find the one thing that symbolizes the festival and go about servicing that need.
One product or a few products are enough to kick start your business. You don’t need a lot really!
Long Term Gains
Of course I’m not talking about year round demand and that is why it’s so perfect; you can build up stocks year round or as and when you can make products. You can’t stuff your Turkey and bake it months ahead but natural Holi colors are prepared all year round with drying flowers, leaves and veggies, powdering and packing them taking up some months at the least.
Making enough to meet estimated demand should help you earn enough until the next festive celebration comes up. Selling holi colors followed by Ganesha idols for Ganesh Chaturthi and then lamps for Diwali is something many small businesses do and there’s no reason why you can’t find similar needs to service from time to time.
An Opportunity to Export
The opportunity to export or supply festive goods online is something that people have capitalized on because local products that go in to making festive requirements are not easy to find everywhere in the world.
This is why Ganesha idols for Ganesh Chaturthi, puja thalis for different occasions and even jewelry worn by newlywed Maharashtrian women made out of sugar granules for the festival of Makar Sankrat are all in great demand overseas. The expertise required to make these goods is available in just a few places whereas the demand is spread all over the world.
Servicing the needs of an expatriate community in this regard is a great business opportunity.
Pop-up Retail Route
In India, festivals are often preceded by mushrooming of pop-up retail outlets which is most cases are flea markets or village and town fairs. The best part about servicing festive needs is that you are in business for just a few days so you cut down costs on inventory, store space, advertising and promotion.
Business is simple, basic and burgeoning until the demand is met. Something like firecracker stalls that come up around Diwali and are seen again only the next year around the same time.
If you are a small business owner looking to cash in on festivities I would say…take the plunge! It’s a great way to test the waters while catering to a niche that’s waiting to be serviced!
Image: Meanest Indian