How to Start a Small Business

Opening a Fruit & Vegetable Harvesting Business

Launching a fruit and vegetable harvesting business is a rewarding experience as long as you separate yourself from the competition. We offer nuts-and-bolts information on the startup process.

Thinking about opening a fruit and vegetable harvesting business? We tell you what you need to know to get started.

Characteristics of a Good Fruit & Vegetable Harvesting Company Business Plan

Your fruit and vegetable harvesting company's business plan should be tailored to your business's unique traits and goals. However, the most effective business plans do address specific sound business plan elements:

  • Mission Statement � Your description of your fruit and vegetable harvesting business's reason for existing.
  • Goals & Objectives � A list of mile markers on your fruit and vegetable harvesting business's road to success.
  • Financial, Marketing & Action Plans � More detailed descriptions of how you will carry out your mission and achieve your fruit and vegetable harvesting business's goals.

Consider Competitors

Long before you open a fruit and vegetable harvesting business in your town, it's essential to find out how many competitors you have. Use the link below to get a list of local competitors nearby. Complete the form by entering your city, state and zip code to get a list of fruit and vegetable harvesting businesses that are close by.

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

As part of your due diligence on opening a fruit and vegetable harvesting business, it's a wise move to have a conversation with someone who is in the business. It's very unlikely that the local competition will talk to you. It'd be crazy for them to teach you the business.

However, an entrepreneur who owns a fruit and vegetable harvesting business in a location that is not competitive to you may be willing to share their entrepreneurial wisdom with you, as long as they don't view you as a competitive threat. Indeed, many experienced entrepreneurs enjoy offering advice to startup entrepreneurs. If you are persistent, you can find a business mentor who is willing to help you out.

The key question new becomes: how to find a fruit and vegetable harvesting business owner on the other side of the country to talk to?

It's easy. Here's a link you can use to find a mentor outside of your area.

Top Three Reasons to Buy an Established Fruit & Vegetable Harvesting Business

For years, street-smart entrepreneurs have known that whenever possible, it's more advantageous to buy an existing fruit and vegetable harvesting business than it is to start one from scratch.

You'll want to conduct a comprehensive due diligence process, but here are three arguments why you should think about buying instead of a startup.

  • Initial Revenue. If you're careful in your research, the fruit and vegetable harvesting business you buy will have a track record of profitability � a big plus since it may take months or even years for a startup to turn a profit.
  • Established Operations & Processes. When you're shopping for a fruit and vegetable harvesting business, be sure to look for ones that have all of the necessary processes and systems to ensure seamless operations from your first day of ownership.
  • Capital Acquisition. In general, it's easier to finance an existing business than it is to fund a startup. While a startup only exists on paper (initially), established businesses have the benefit of historical earnings statements and tangible assets.

Is Franchising the Right Option?

Your odds of avoiding failure in business are greatly increased if you purchase a franchise and benefit from the prior work of others and their lessons learned.

Prior to starting a fruit and vegetable harvesting business, you ought to investigate whether there are good franchise opportunities available that might make it easy to get started.

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.

More Advice for Startups

These additional resources regarding starting a business may be of interest to you.

Buying a Franchise

Free Business Plan Templates

Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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