Recently I’ve been really getting into the idea of growing my business, just the idea I could improve the effectiveness of my businesses if I took it beyond just myself and my cousin here.

We’ve also got this huge old garage that is a waste of space, and I’ve been trying to work out what to do with it for years, especially since my house is in Grey Lynn, Auckland - like 8 blocks from the city fringe, great location.

So now I’ve finally embraced the idea that I’m going to be conducting a lot of operations from my garage.

I’m going to need to improve security, insulation and get some electricity in there before I can get serious.

I’m going to start maybe by warehousing a lot of surplus stock for my business. That can be done with mild improvements to insulation and security. I’ll start selling the stock online, but I need someone to manage it, that stuff drives me crazy.

So there’ll be a point at which people are coming in and out of the “warehouse”, even at night, so it needs electricity for light. We need a client area.

I’ve only realised now how badly that is true. So we’ve got a warehouse and a client area where clients and customers are becoming aware that we are retailing various media items from our garage when they come to pick up their online orders or other items from my cd / dvd duplication or poster printing businesses.

So in order to develop the “client area” into a retail space, I need to at that point have full electricity running in order to have all my cd dvd operations shifted down there which would allow for someone to produce the cd / dvd media and attend to the retailing aswell.

So at this point we have a retail operation selling blank media and packaging, aswell as a service onsite to provide cd and dvd printing and duplication. At the same time you’d lease a copier and start running a copy shop alongside, which could also be attended by the same staff member, start noon-4 5 days a week and then going to 10am-6pm 6 days a week.

Of ourse from that point, I needn’t limit myself to discs and packaging and other plastics or related items. I could start selling whatever I thought was appropriate. From a branding point of view I would most likely expand on the idea that we provide affordability and convenience for those who provide media.

So we’re providing more products that bands and media and creatives and small business and larger local businesses are going to say “okay let’s just nip over to Kurb Promo in Grey Lynn where we can pick that up cheaply.”

So plastics, maybe some electronics (i don’t want to encourage burglers), supplies - recycled papers? eco choices?

“Kurb Eco Choices” I like it already “Eco Promo”. *Barf* :p haha
The copier is probably the point at which I’d have to ensure that electricity and insulation set up was sound.

Definitely push the recycled paper thing, my neighbourhood is full of affluent liberals.

So once I had a console running in there, I would make the improvements, and then start offering copying services once I’d leased a copier or two, with that also of course alongside our distribution/placement services.

At that point I’d want to begin marketing and perhaps improve the front of the building and the “shop” or “client area” - the entrance is a BIG set of old wooden double doors and something would have to be done before you did full days down there.

Other add on services would be graphic design and other associated digital services. Seth Godin talked about a head of outsourcing or something - I see what would be a 3rd or 4th person here in this role.

Just starting off developing an assistant in online marketing to the point they can manage and do quality control on all outsourcing - clients can walk in off the street with graphic design or requirements for other such digital services and we can contact outsourcers immediately.

I think, to get there in 12-18month would probably earn me a bit of a sit down, but surely soon enough I would be moving back to seeing the space used for recording media, recording and editing studios of some description - for music, video or probably both.

Retail is a mid term strategy to build turnover, it’s about leveraging what I’ve already got for secure development. If the products I’m retailing are fundamental to my business otherwise and I can use my existing labour to attend the “shop” which has a reasonable location - not on a main thoroughfare but close to a busy area and many businesses.

It’s safe. I’m not one of these dickheads who thinks he’s going to build a viable recording studio or practice rooms or  editing space in his garage. That’s something I’ll do a few years down the line just to indulge myself.

Just having someone who isn’t my cousin or I fronting the business full time is going to create a better customer experience once the clients know they can simply arrive to arrange what they need, and with the crossover in the range of services provided, I’ll be able to push turnover into a quarter of a million a year.

the confidence I have in the range of depth we can provide individual local clients both cheaply and even more conveniently  means I can back myself to focus on the marketing and branding I need to develop to meet those turnover targets.

Hi I’m Matt, I’m a specialist in Small BUsiness Marketing advisor from Auckland, New Zealand. Email me at kurbpromo@gmail.com to learn how I can energize your business marketing and revenue strategies.