is a printshop business profitable?
85587
can be, it was for me. check out http://www.quickconsultant.com/ for some good info and ideas.\n\nyou need to invest in the latest technology and be able to pound the pavement and market your services on a constant basis. you also have to provide quality service that beats the competition. open across the street from a Kinko's and show them how to do it better.
259336
I know a couple people making a decent 2nd income on e-bay one lady does a lot of yardsales and flea markets then resells on ebay another man I know buys wholesale and sell's new stuff on e-bay. they both do well. I do custom computer builds and repair on the side and have sold some of my old parts on ebay as well the trick to e-bay is be honest be fair and be profitable. lol You would also be able to be at home doing that as well..
413331
Yes if you can find a high tech printing press and the right kind of paper.\n Maybe you could sell pictures of yourself in a wet t-shirt.
219015
Depends what kind of "profit"
912967
If you are broke you have no business opening up a studio.\n\nNot only do you need enough money to pay for the equipment, deposits, legal fees, etc to get it running, but you need enough money in your account to pay for your bills for the next year.  If your business is like many businesses then it won't show a profit for at least a year.\n\nIf you don't have a good credit rating, nor anything to secure the loan (home equity, etc) then you're gonna pay loan shark rates of 30% or so.  There is no way you can make money if you're paying 30% for you loans.\n\nWhat I'd do is to get a bunch of photo business (build your business) while working from your home.  That way there are tax advantages, and you're keeping the day job until you really have enough business to pay for a studio.
57622
It depends on the type of business you have.  Because if there were some of them that were successful, and some that didnt work, then schools wouldnt teach the ones that didnt work.  But, it depends on the time of economy, the type of business, and what is offered to a customer.  You can advertise greatly, but the response would be low if customers were getting almost nothing in return.  Alot of business use a percentage of sales for advertising.  Well, this works because your name is out there when economy is booming, but it will probably dwindle when economy goes down because they shell out less for advertising.  Um, other marketing practices include networking, which is the main source of work for alot of types of businesses.  But, first and foremost, everybody has a business card.  I dont know what else to tell you unless you give more information on your type or types of business.  They all work to some extent but all have draw backs and limitations.
285410
I had a friend who worked for them and made okay money. It all depends on how much you sell, so it is feasible that you make that much...although I wouldn't count on it right off.
157702
Sure. If you sell good quality to the right people. If you're knocking out faux bonsai by the ton, I doubt you'll last long. But genuine plants sell for large sums to the right people. It's difficult to promote such a niche item, but if you put the work in (posting on relevant websites, joining mailing lists, going to trade shows, etc) then you can do quite well. It won't let you give up work soon though.
58481
It depends on your interests. All small businesses start off slowly, so it's best to start one that you are happy to work with. Mine took a few years to really start making profit. I was breaking even, but that is because I was putting my earnings back into my business. Now I update as I need to, and still have profit. Good luck!
82091
I work for a home-based business company called Passion Parties, and have been with the company since August 2005. I love the business and make good money -- as much as 40% profit. The products sell themselves, and the parties are fun. Plus, I can sign consultants to my team and make commission from their sales.  Start-up costs range from $100 to $450, based on the level of profit you want to make from your parties. I'd be happy to tell you more about it if you're interested.
677735
Ebay business, work at home your own hours, and if you work at it, can be very profitable
624615
Check the local yellow pages. It has been my experience your local supply houses can sell more cheaply than an out of town or Internet supplier. The problem stems from the fact you can buy only what you can use in your business. Therefore you pay freight out of proportion to what the supplier pays to bring in a truckload of the item. Simply an economy of scale.\n\nThe only exception to this is when buying blank t-shirts. \n\nAlso the fact that your friend is artistic is not enough to start a screen printing business. The most important aspect of a business is selling. Nothing happens until someone sells something.\n\nIt has been my experience (30 years) very few artisitic types are also good at sales.\n\nGood Luck
363071
I would suggest first looking at what your distribution is going to be. Look at all your requirements, number of prints in the production, paper types etc...\n\nif this is just for small runs, under 10 to 40, and you need excelent quality, I would suggest a solid ink printer from xerox
452513
Clothing is a BIG business on eBay. Try shopping a discounter like TJ Maxx, Ross for Less, Marshalls or whatever it is called in your area for women’s clothes from designers like Ralph Lauren, BCBG or Tommy Hilfiger. Often times you can find, for example, a woman’s shirt that sells in the mall for $50 on sale for $10. Odds are if you put it on eBay for $25, you'd sell it. The customer thinks they saved $25 and you made $15. :) Now multiply it by 100 sales and you're in business. I do about $2K a month in sales and I profit about $500 and that’s from just working part time. It's not "easy money", you do have to work at it, but if you're willing to invest the time and effort, you can do it
1061287
The internet usually doesn't kill businesses.  It should make new oportunities to market a printing business.  Think hard about how you could make your printing skills cooperate with the net.
1114936
Buying from garage sales and selling on eBay is fun, and good getting a few dollars here and there from ebay. Sometimes, you luck out on an item and hit big, but many times it will just be so-so (assuming you can even get the price you paid for it). In terms of fun factor, it is great. But from a business stand-point, it is not. Not sustainable.\n\nIf you want to earn serious money from eBay, you need to have a well-thought out business model. Selling on ebay is getting tougher -- just look at the number of auctions that closes without a bid. Go to the boards on ebay and you will hear even oldtimers complaining about how stiffer competition plus higher fees make it so much harder to sell on ebay.\n\nTo get products, I import them from other countries. A partner of mine sells high-end bike parts on eBay imported from Taiwan and other Asian countries -- and she does extremely well. I import pearls from the Philippines, where you can get freshwater pearls for only $0.20 wholesale price or even less. You can make HUGE markups through this approach (e.g. get a real freshwater pearl necklace for $0.20 and sell it for starting price of $36)
687753
Trust me- you want no part of the “wholesaler” game. What once was a great idea has now spread so everyone and his or her mother are doing it. Margins are razor thin at best and I suspect non-existent when you factor in most drop shippers "Membership fees" along with eBay and PayPal's cut. \n\nAs for what to sell -\n\nHonestly, it is trial and error. However, the old adage – “Sell what you know” holds very true. Take something that you are knowledgeable about and wait for a bargain. For example, let’s say you know a lot about car parts and one weekend you stumble across a shop having a clearance sale - $150 car stereos for $30 bucks (or whatever). Take it home and list it for $75. Your customer thinks they saved $75 bucks and you made $45. Now multiply it by 100 sales and you are in business.\n\nTo sum up-\n\neBay is not free money. My wife and I work about 20 hours a week on our eBay auctions. We don't make a fortune, but we make enough it’s worth our time. We do about $2K a month in sales and we profit about $500-$600. It's not "easy money", you DO have to work at it, but if you're are willing to invest the time and effort, you can do it.