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You could call it Oscars.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. "-Oscar Wilde.
Cool huh?
You are wasted on some!!
Yes I did wonder too Duane, how a glow in the dark business is a good add on to finance ....
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BusinessIdeas
- Original Poster
- #11
Ok. My existing business relies on aquiring new loan customers, who are a fairly good risk. The best way to test this is to open a new customer account with a low cost - high perceived value - product, that can be sold on credit door to door. This reduces the cost of asessing a customers ability/willingness to pay regularly if and when you decide extend them a loan. The glow in the dark stars on ceilings business is one that I feel would appeal to the type of customers that are interested in small loans, ie. those with young families and limited budgets.
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I have no personal experience of this business, however are you aware that it is possible to buy "Glow in the dark" packs of stars complete with constellation charts so that you can faithfully reproduce the heavens on your bedroom ceiling.
They cost about a tenner and do not damage the ceiling should you wish to remove them. I am not a shopper; so if I'm aware of them you can guarantee they are fairly common knowledge. Given the low cost and no-repainting at removal time; I would not have thought there was an awful lot of mileage in your idea; but I could be wrong.
They cost about a tenner and do not damage the ceiling should you wish to remove them. I am not a shopper; so if I'm aware of them you can guarantee they are fairly common knowledge. Given the low cost and no-repainting at removal time; I would not have thought there was an awful lot of mileage in your idea; but I could be wrong.
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BusinessIdeas
- Original Poster
- #15
Yes I am aware of those old fashioned stars that dont glow for very long and are in the shape of cartoon stars. This business is completely different. In this process the stars are pinpoints of light replicating "real" stars and coloured milky way and shooting star effects are created using brand new high tech paints that are virtually invisible in the light but glow for hours in darkness. Not many people in the forum seem to be aware of them. That is quite revealing in itself, in that it means that the business idea is still quite fresh and novel.
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Dany Boy
- Original Poster
- #16
I have the glow in the dark stickers on my false ceiling. Looks great and sometimes eases pressure. Its just a replacement we cannot sleep on a open terrace, to look at the stars. I love the idea, however not sure about the paint that you are talking about, however managed to get a company who is in similar business. http://www.theglowcompany.co.uk/acatalog/GLOW_IN_THE_DARK_PAINT.html
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Daniel
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Daniel
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hiryzer
- Original Poster
- #19
I have seen alternatives to my friends business and by comparrison they are cheap and nasty.
My friend is able to duplicate a star scape of any moment in time from any place on the planet, he has done a little girls bedroom ceiling from the date and place she was born in Pakistan, the night sky of peoples wedding night etc, etc.
At the other end of the market, you have the cheap glow in the dark plastic stick on stars.
My friends work is totally invisible in daylight
My friend is able to duplicate a star scape of any moment in time from any place on the planet, he has done a little girls bedroom ceiling from the date and place she was born in Pakistan, the night sky of peoples wedding night etc, etc.
At the other end of the market, you have the cheap glow in the dark plastic stick on stars.
My friends work is totally invisible in daylight
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clarence
- Original Poster
- #20
I've heard of it - in fact I've seen an advert recently for a franchise. Is it the ones where there are individual holes made in the ceiling and light shone through them? Don't know anything more than that other than it's a nice idea, and my kids would probably like it. I wouldn't pay huge amounts for one though, if it was expensive I'd go for the cheap glow-in-the-dark ones (well already have actually)
What about hotels? Could you sell to them for themed bedrooms or something? Especially like the hotel at Alton Towers, or Center Parc etc. Anywhere that's offering luxury accomodation.
Not sure about door 2 door - don't think I'd buy it like that, although appreciate that you'd be using it to gain customers for your other business.
hth
Wendy
What about hotels? Could you sell to them for themed bedrooms or something? Especially like the hotel at Alton Towers, or Center Parc etc. Anywhere that's offering luxury accomodation.
Not sure about door 2 door - don't think I'd buy it like that, although appreciate that you'd be using it to gain customers for your other business.
hth
Wendy
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hiryzer
- Original Poster
- #22
Many useful thoughts and much good feedback about this.
My friends business is at the top end of the market. He charges a lot of money and his jobs are few and far between, consequently he has to do other things.
Dont be dismissive of the cheap and nasties out there, they are your competition. How can you justify high charges for an effect that could be aquired for a tenner?
My friends business is at the top end of the market. He charges a lot of money and his jobs are few and far between, consequently he has to do other things.
Dont be dismissive of the cheap and nasties out there, they are your competition. How can you justify high charges for an effect that could be aquired for a tenner?
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BusinessIdeas
- Original Poster
- #23
Not sure what you are saying here. You say your friend is at the top end of the market and that sounds exactly the same as the business I am going to operate. The effect that we can create cannot be recreated for a tenner by anyone. I can see that we have to overcome the problem of people confusing this system with the cheap way of doing it, but a poster demonstrating the work will be shown to each customer. When you first see this effect it is truly startling. This post has been well worth while to me to see all the reactions so far.
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hiryzer
- Original Poster
- #25
What I am saying is my friend has a an excellent product but the market place is a hard one. It is hard enough that he has been doing this for several years and still it does not do well enough to support him.
I have seen his work and it truely is magical, he has so many testimonials from his customers it is unreal, yet still he struggles.
All this aside, i picked up somewhere that you are going to do this door to door, is that correct?
Just look around at todays climate, this is a luxury product and people are hard stretched, this is no "must have" product, no one will die if they dont have one. The majority of people have very little cash for luxury items these days and more than enough debt to not want more. If I were you I would seriously look at the advice given on here, give yourself some time before making a commitment and re-analyze your business model.
Good luck
I have seen his work and it truely is magical, he has so many testimonials from his customers it is unreal, yet still he struggles.
All this aside, i picked up somewhere that you are going to do this door to door, is that correct?
Just look around at todays climate, this is a luxury product and people are hard stretched, this is no "must have" product, no one will die if they dont have one. The majority of people have very little cash for luxury items these days and more than enough debt to not want more. If I were you I would seriously look at the advice given on here, give yourself some time before making a commitment and re-analyze your business model.
Good luck
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BusinessIdeas
- Original Poster
- #26
Yes door to door is correct and I appreciate that your friend is struggling. However my team and I have many years experience in cold selling door to door (more years than I care to think about). With xmas not so very far away and the dark nights just around the corner, I think this will be a very good time to launch this product. The weekly payments from the customer would only be around £10 a week to buy this for their childrens bedroom etc. The financial risk to myself is minimal. My post here was to sound out whether people have heard of this business and I have had some good advice and pointers as to the direction to go in. thank you for your comments, keep them coming
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Page
- Original Poster
- #28
Sorry I struggle to give useful comments of which I had a few - since the idea of selling something to people that they do not need so that they can get into debt so that you can collect money off them at high interest rates for months to come - falls below my moral bar.
There is a bit more to life you know.
I hope it fails.
There is a bit more to life you know.
I hope it fails.
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Dawg
- Original Poster
- #30
Page
Yeah, I agree. Crewgirl should obviously be beaten into non trading with rolled up copies of The Guardian wielded by The Sanctimonious Old Fart wing of the Save the Poor from Themselves Party. How dare she offer people a choice? Let them think for themselves? Pah!
(This is what is called "heavy handed sarcasm". In case you missed it).
Yeah, I agree. Crewgirl should obviously be beaten into non trading with rolled up copies of The Guardian wielded by The Sanctimonious Old Fart wing of the Save the Poor from Themselves Party. How dare she offer people a choice? Let them think for themselves? Pah!
(This is what is called "heavy handed sarcasm". In case you missed it).
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It is a very specific market you are heading into and looking at the market trends, you need to be prepared to spend half the year doing little or no business. Hopefully as you say though it will be a spring board so that the six months of the year you are not doing much you can then move your other business forward.
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Encantador
- Original Poster
- #33
Yes, tried this business a couple of years ago. Didn`t get much response from general advertising. Even tried leafleting via a primary school.
At that time there were a couple of companies trying to charge thousands for a franchise.
Got the actual work down to a fine art, no blacking the room out, no need for black light. Average bedroom only took 15-20 minutes or so. We did offer specific dates/times etc but dropped it after realising that most people didn`t care about it. probably because they wouldn`t know whether it was right or not anyway.
At that time there were a couple of companies trying to charge thousands for a franchise.
Got the actual work down to a fine art, no blacking the room out, no need for black light. Average bedroom only took 15-20 minutes or so. We did offer specific dates/times etc but dropped it after realising that most people didn`t care about it. probably because they wouldn`t know whether it was right or not anyway.
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BusinessIdeas
- Original Poster
- #38
Yep so was I. Im surprised that there aren't more bigoted hypocrites out there. As for the credit side, I notice that you are selling your essential? ha ha baby products and allowing people to pay by credit card - People in glass houses should not throw stones.
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