Assess the Competition

Well in advance of opening a general merchandise wholesale business within your community, it's worthwhile to determine how many competitors you have. We've provided the link below to help you generate a list of competitors in your area. Simply enter your city, state and zip code to get a list of general merchandise wholesale businesses in your town.

• Find Competing General Merchandise Wholesale Businesses

Before you open up shop, make sure you know what you will offer to your customers that provides a significant advantage over your competition's offering.

Learning More About the Industry

As part of your due diligence on opening a general merchandise wholesale business, it's essential that you speak with somebody who is already in the business. It's very unlikely that the local competition will talk to you. The last thing they want to do is help you to be a better competitor.

On the other hand, an individual who has a general merchandise wholesale business outside of your community can be a great learning resource for you, once they realize that you are not going to directly compete with them in their community. Many business owners are happy to give advice to new entrepreneurs If you are persistent, you can find a business mentor who is willing to help you out.

Where can an aspiring entrepreneur like you find an entrepreneur who is running a general merchandise wholesale business who is willing to talk to you but doesn't live nearby?

Here's one way to do it. Just use our link below, find somebody and call them.

• Get In Touch With General Merchandise Wholesale Business Owners

Consider Buying a Franchise

Going with a franchise opportunity doesn't mean you still can't fail but it can mitigate many risks that increase your chance of failure.

If your goal is to start a general merchandise wholesale business, you would be wise to determine whether buying a franchise could simplify your entering the business.

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