Check Out the Competition

Prior to opening a ham shop within your community, it's worthwhile to determine how many competitors you have. We've provided the link below to help you get a list of local competitors in your area. After following the link, enter your city, state and zip code to get a list of ham shops in your area.

• Get a List of Nearby Ham Shops

It's important to be aware of what the competition is doing. Take the time to visit the competition to properly assess their strengths and weaknesses.

A Good Source of Advice

If you are interested in starting a ham shop, the next step is to learn as much as you can from somebody who is already in the business. If you think your local competitors will give you advice, you're being overoptimistic. The last thing they want to do is help you to be a better competitor.

However, a fellow entrepreneur who has started a ham shop outside of your community may be more than happy to give you a few tips, after they realize you reside far away from them and won't be stealing their local customers. Indeed, many experienced entrepreneurs enjoy offering advice to startup entrepreneurs. In my experience, you may have to call ten business owners in order to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.

How does one go about finding a ham shop owner who is willing to talk to you but doesn't live nearby?

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

• Search for Ham Shop Owners

Explore Franchising Options

The chances of becoming a successful entrepreneur are substantially improved when you opt to franchise in lieu of doing everything yourself.

As part of your process in starting a ham shop, you ought to determine whether franchise opportunities in your space might make sense 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 Info at Your Fingertips