Over the years, a gas station has been seen as a reliable investment, most especially when the price of gasoline was relatively stable and by world standards was seen as low in the United States. Not so long ago there seemed to be little pressure to cut back on oil sales or to cut down on our energy use and carbon emissions due to global warming. As time has gone by we can see that conspicuous energy consumption is no longer permissible and the run-up in gas prices in recent years has turned our focus toward hybrid or electric vehicles. Having said that, our society will continue to rely on gas powered vehicles for our transportation in the future and the typical gas station will develop into a destination for a variety of other products and services.

Perhaps more so than any other business, location is very important when it comes to the selection of a gas station for sale. You might think that the value of the location is obvious, but if you talk to local authorities before you go too far, you will be able to see if events such as road construction would factor into your equation, or whether certain environmental issues need to be addressed including storage tank upgrades, or if there have been past issues with litigation. In certain circumstances, these could decimate your income!

It’s certainly true to say that gasoline sales by themselves may not represent a significant margin potential, so to value a gas station when you’re looking to buy a business, you may often rely on ancillary sales and other products or services. If the location you are looking at is not so advanced in these respects, consider the potential. For example, what about installing a convenience store or finding another organization to handle it for you on a licensing basis. Could you place a first-class car wash operation on property and benefit from revenues here?

To buy gas station business assets successfully, note that operations that are known to be full service (gas, car wash and c-store) will generally command up to three times whatever the owner benefit figure is. Owner benefits can be made up of salary, profits, any perks, while adjusted for interest, depreciation and any other capital expenditure that you might have to make. A smaller or simpler establishment may be of interest to you, due to the additional potential and in this case you might only expect to pay one or maybe two times the owner benefit.

Pore over your business financials, your supplier contracts and make sure that you have adequate discussions with any landlord involved. Many deals trip up at the landlord/tenant stage, as the landlord often takes it upon him or herself to try and ensure that the incoming new owner is up to the job of making the business a success!

During the process of observation, you must be very aware as you observe what is going on at the gas station. You should be especially wary if the owner appears to be working “hands on” for long periods of time. If many of his family members are seen putting in a lot of effort, they may be working below market rates, being paid under the table or maybe not at all; what if you had to recruit paid staff to do their jobs? Make sure that you observe the busier time periods, counting traffic and people, so you can gauge the potential accurately and know how to create a good offer.

Richard Parker is the President and founder of the Diomo Corporation - The Business Buyer Resource Center. His inspiring materials, seminars and consulting have assisted thousands of business buyers with achieving their life long dream to buy a business.

If you’re selling items via the internet, you’re very likely to have your products delivered to your customers through courier. If you are, you might want to consider packing your products with clear poly bags-they’re actually a lot more convenient than many people would assume.

These bags can help you stay relaxed and confident that your items are safe while they are being sent to your customer.

You can even put a lot of items inside a clear poly bag and it will still be able to keep the products inside intact.

Clear poly bags are made from polyethylene plastic-a polymer consisting of monomer ethylene. A German chemist named Hans Von Pechmann discovered polyethylene by accident. This plastic then became a prominent material for manufacturing different kinds of products (even furniture!). Clear poly bags are by-products of this plastic.

You can either to a ribbon around a clear poly bag’s opening or you can use an impulse heat sealer to seal your bag. It’s all up to you. But for deliveries, an impulse heat sealer is the best option because it provides water and air tight seals. It’s also tamper-proof.

Clear poly bags can serve two purposes that are good for your business: one, it can protect your products at delivery; and two, it can display them. Good packaging and presentation is relevant in a product-oriented business. No matter how good your product is, you may fail doing business with costumers if you have bad presentation or packaging. With clear poly bags, your creativity is the only limit when it comes to presenting your products.

Clear poly bags can help serve in advertising your products as well. Because they are clear, couriers, and anybody else who might get their hands on it would be able to actually see the product. This means, through the use of clear poly bags, more people will know about your product as one person hands it over to the next until it reaches your customer. How’s that for good business!

Jeremy Longtrain is a professional author who lives in Plano, TX and writes about different products like clear poly tubing and zipperlock bags

Gusseted poly bags are created through tubular production. They are made of pleats turned into bags which have sides and a balloon that would hold the product in the shape of a box. It also has a durable bottom seal.

These kinds of bags have expandable squaring bottoms. It allows for more fillable space when the bag is opened. It takes out plastic bag corners that typically stick out, called “dog ears”.

Gusseted poly bags are made of Low Density Polyethylene or LDPE plastic film that meets FDA or USDA specifications. The thickness requirements as stated in the Federal Specifications A-A-3174 are + or - 20%. The size may vary based on the customer’s requirements.

The dimensions of the bag are based on the outside measurements of the bag. The dimensions consist of width x depth x length. The width of the bag is based on the bag’s opening; the depth is the fully extended gusset, while the length is the measurement from opening to bottom.

Many businesses use gusseted poly bags as cheaper alternatives to square bottom covers and for a wide range of packaging needs. It holds everything from small parts to all types of products. It demonstrates numerous packaging uses.

These bags are also perfect for oddly shaped products that would not fit into standard flat poly bags. The gussets expand easily to fit over irregularly shaped or bulky objects. These bags can be used for top sheets or dustcovers. It has larger sizes typically used as liners for cartons or large bins. It also has available gauge for heavy duty protection of bulky parts and equipment.

Moreover, it keeps finished products clean prior to shipping, it protects products from harmful elements, it can be used as pallet cover when inverted, and it can protect products from moisture, dust and scratches. These clear bags can be heat sealed, stapled, taped, or twist tied. Because of its flexibility and expandable feature, gusseted poly bags are advised for addressing packaging needs.

Whether you need ziplock bags or gusseted poly bags make sure that your supplier has a good return policy. A guarantee guarantees you’ll sleep well with your purchase!

A liquor store business is a fairly common sight around a retail landscape, and in most instances they’re a valued part of your local strip mall as well. Most believe that a liquor store represents a solid business and is less prone to recession. Keep in mind that there are a great deal of factors to really think about when purchasing a liquor store, and you also have to remember that in most instances this kind of business doesn’t make a good “hands-off” enterprise.

One of the most significant issues to take into account and perhaps even more important than a location, is the acquisition of a license. The procedures required to get the necessary license to operate a retail liquor store can be very complex, so much so that the issue can often force a potential sale to fall apart.

Make sure that you understand the forces that will affect your chances of getting the necessary licenses to operate a liquor store:

• Generally, every authority – city, county or state – operates a different set of rules and guidelines.

• Some areas will allow you to transfer a license without any problem, while others dictate that you need only apply for a new one.

• On the opposite end of the spectrum, some municipalities specify a moratorium on new licenses, meaning that the store cannot even be sold!

• Retail liquor store licenses can be held in such high demand in other locations that they are treated just like stocks on the open market.

If demand is high, costs can be over $1 million, representing more than the actual price of the business.

Make sure that you thoroughly understand the specifics relating to licensing in your particular location. Perform this research yourself with the applicable government agencies, and don’t ever take someone else’s word for it.

Generally speaking inventory is turned over, in a good liquor store, between eight and 10 times per year. While there might be quite a bit of inventory included as part your deal, don’t forget to ensure that it’s fairly recent stock which is still readily saleable. In most instances, liquor stores are priced at business value with inventory value added on top of this number, but make a note that this complete price can be split up to fit within your own investment limits.

In this kind of business, you shouldn’t even consider the idea of becoming an absentee owner. When it comes to liquor stores, they really do demand a hands-on approach. Take a moment and think about the situation - there are lots of cash sales, valuable merchandise is filling the shelves, there are regular late night operational hours and the business is susceptible to all kinds of crime. You will have to do your best to ensure that you hire really competent and trustworthy employees, as the working hours can be quite long.

Make sure that you select a store that has a good product mix. No longer is it okay to operate with a store full of booze in a decent location. People’s preferences are evolving as they’re becoming more cultured, with new wine boutiques and megastores appearing daily. A wide variety of specialized products and flavors are now highly in demand by the masses.

If you are interested in buying a liquor store which has a great reputation based on knowledge and selection, do make sure that you have, or can hire people who possess, the same degree of product knowledge as the seller.

A good liquor store may work well in any environment and location may not be the most critical element here. If you provide a fantastic selection of products (a good mix between wine, liquor and beer) plus in demand items like lottery tickets and a complete tobacco selection, you could easily be onto cash machine. If you’re going to have to compete on price alone, however, then you need to choose the best location possible. Negotiate the best lease contract with the most favorable terms.

Remember, that if the seller cannot prove it then you can’t pay for it! Liquor store owners can be notorious for keeping poor records or skimming off cash. This is very negative for a number of reasons:

• It may well be almost impossible to determine the real profits.

• The seller will want to factor in unreported income to his asking price but this can be completely unreasonable.

• If the seller is stealing cash, other staff may be as well.

Don’t take them at their word when they say that there will be “a lot of cash” that never shows up on the books, unless they are just telling you that and not including this consideration in the asking price. They cannot have it both ways; if they avoided taxes on the income, they cannot get paid again by building in some mystery revenue to the sale price.

Richard Parker is the President and founder of the Diomo Corporation - The Business Buyer Resource Center. His inspiring materials, seminars and consulting have assisted thousands of business buyers with achieving their life long dream of buying a business.

A shopping mall typically represents a good concentration of shoppers within a productive environment. As such the thought of buying a store in a mall can be very enticing. By the law of averages, a certain number of all those shoppers are bound to come into your store, right?

Before you go ahead and consider your options it is good to weigh some important considerations.

Firstly, you should begin by taking a close look at the demographics. Your ideal customers should be already shopping in the mall you are considering. Look carefully at the other tenants inside the mall - are they directed toward the same kind of consumer, and if so, are these stores turning a good profit? It’s unlikely that you’ll be very successful if you’re the only store in a mall catering to a specific demographic, for instance upscale suburban women.

In most cases, a mall is only as good as its main anchor stores. While there might be a few big box retailers in the mall, consider would happen if even just one of them closed their doors permanently. A locked, boarded up store is a terrible sign, and it usually doesn’t bode well for the ongoing success of the other tenants either. Wherever you can, try and consider a mall that has a number of anchor stores. In times of economic downturn this can help a lot. In a recession, these stores can make all the difference in your long terms success.

You must be sure that your landlord is willing to be flexible. Mall landlords are well known for including completely inflexible clauses inside their contracts.

You might be confronted with all sorts of problems, including irrational requirements that might force you to change the physical location of your store without much notice. Question some of their dictatorial restrictions, including the need to use only their nominated construction companies and electricians. Don’t forget to ensure that you’re allowed to display “for sale” signs in your windows, and also check to see if you can place “special offer” items outside your main doors. Go through every detail of the lease agreement very carefully and ensure that you’re accepting to the fine print within its clauses.

Get your attorney or advisor to check up on the financial health of the mall itself. Find out about tenancy rates, gross revenues and projections. Almost certainly, the information will be available in annual reports and filing statements or you could get this information from the company’s website.

The best research you can do is to go in and speak to the other shop owners. You can state you are looking to buy a store in the mall (NEVER tell them which one) and ask about the landlord, retail business activity, and any other concerns you have.

Before you go too far conduct a complete physical inspection of the mall. This is a good way to assess its financial health, as when things are not going too well you could find that external maintenance is not being kept up. Sidewalks, masonry, landscaping, doors and roofing services should be clean and well-maintained. Parking lots should be functional and well kept and while you are at it, take a visit to the bathroom and food court. Poor restroom maintenance is one of the first signs of a mall in decline. Food court activity is an indication of mall activity.

Your visual tour may not be definitive when it comes to assessing the mall’s overall financial health, but it can be a quick way to eliminate some locations from your consideration.

Richard Parker is the President and founder of the prestigious Diomo Corporation - The Business Buyer Resource Center. His celebrated materials, seminars and consulting have encouraged thousands of aspiring business buyers from around the World to pursue their dream of buying a business.

If you’re browsing the internet trying to find a poly bag, but don’t know how to establish the size, you’re not alone

Selecting a new dimension of poly bag to be used is actually difficult. Not everybody is discerning when comparing the bag specifications to the products it is anticipated to carry.

Not everybody is good at evaluating the right specification of a poly bag vs. the merchandise it would carry. Below are the things we need to consider when measuring its size.

Poly bags can both be flat or gusseted. Flat plastic bag are 2-dimensional, while gusseted bags increase to add the dimension of depth. Whichever way, we must take into account that the dimensions are estimated when the poly bag is lying flat.

This is the same regarding the width. As gusseted bags generally do away this issue when they correctly correspond to the packed merchandise.

Flat poly bags must have an added adjustment for its width and length. take no notice of size adjustments, and you are probable to end up with an order of worthless poly bags.

For instance: Dudly Dooright needed to pack his 8 inches by 12 inch photo albums into a poly bag. These photo albums are one half inch thick, and he aims to put four in each bag. It makes the contents 8 by 2 by 12 inches. He have to allot room for inserting the albums without expanding them, hence the recommended dimension would be: 11″ wide by 16″ long. That will house his 10″ of total product width (8″ plus 2″) and 14″ of total length of goods (12″ plus 2″) and allow an additional 2″ for him to secure his bag with tape or heat seal.

So, taking some time to calculate your packaging requirements is within anyone’s aptitudeif you take the initiative.

Manufacturing and then importing from Asia / China can seem daunting, especially if you are a comparatively small business and have never thought about Global Sourcing.

The fact is, yes it is tricky, in fact, just being allowed to go into South China (now globally seen as the manufacturing capital of the world) is itself a formidable prospect.

However, that shouldn’t put you off, as long as you have the right importing company on your side. The benefits of having your product(s) produced in Asia to very high standards make the whole process worth-while and viable. People have been doing it for years and it really can save lots of time, effort and money.

It is of the utmost importance when trading with the Asian business world, that you understand their way of doing things, what motivates them and their culture.

The best way of doing this is to hire a company that specialises in this sort of thing, that knows the Asian business etiquette and what not to do. It is also important that the company you choose is well known and trusted in the Asian business community.

Of course the main benefit of low cost country sourcing is the price. Money in the Asian economy is on a much smaller scale, i.e. the pound () is worth much more there than it is here. It is for this reason that they can offer unbeatable prices, while maintaining the welfare of their workers by providing them with a comfortable wage.

You can manufacture products in far larger numbers than would be possible here. Again this does largely come down to cost, but another advantage of importing from Asia is that you can vastly expand your supplier resources to gain an invaluable advantage over your competition.

Finding a company that can take this task on for you is extremely important. Good companies in this field have invaluable knowledge, experience and relationships with manufacturers and suppliers all of which are essential in a highly competitive environment.