Don't Overlook the Competition

Well in advance of opening a pens and pencils retail business in your town, it's a smart move to determine how many competitors you have. Use the link below to generate a list of competitors in your city. Complete the form by entering your city, state and zip code to get a list of pens and pencils retail businesses that are close by.

• Find Local Pens & Pencils Retail Business Competitors

Is the established competition doing a good job? It's important to understand their strengths and weaknesses and think through how you'll stake up against those established businesses.

Learn from Others Who Are Already In This Space

If you are seriously contemplating launching a pens and pencils retail business, it's a wise move to talk to somebody who is already in the business. If you think owners of nearby pens and pencils retail businesses will give you advice, think again. It'd be crazy for them to teach you the business.

However, a fellow entrepreneur who has started a pens and pencils retail business in a location that is not competitive to you may be more than happy to give you a few tips, as long as they don't view you as a competitive threat. Many business owners are happy to give advice to new entrepreneurs It can take a while to find an entrepreneur who is willing to talk, but it's well worth the effort.

What's the process for finding somebody who runs a pens and pencils retail business that lives outside of your area?

It's not that hard. Just use the handy link below and enter in a random city/state or zipcode.

• Research Pens & Pencils Retail Business Owners In Other Cities

Don't Forget About Franchising As an Option

As an entrepreneur, your chances being a successful business owner go up significantly when you franchise and benefit from the prior work of others and their lessons learned.

Before you consider starting a pens and pencils retail business, a smart move is to assess whether purchasing a franchise might be the right move for you.

The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.

• Franchise Companies