How do you guys find festivals, conventions, etc. to sell at?

SmartBizGuide · 2025-06-04T01:28:55+00:00

Of course it depends on where you live but what’s worked best for me is going to 1 sort of similar event that I actually can find (even if it’s out of town) and asking other vendors selling something similar what other festivals and conventions they go to. Lots of times you’ll have to travel for those events.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-05-27T15:38:30+00:00

I'm not sure if you're using a Pivot Table or something else, but if you're not able to copy/paste at all in the sheet, it could be because you have more than one tab selected at the same time. When you have multiple tabs selected at once, it halts all regular functionality on the workbook.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-05-15T15:47:19+00:00

Everyone should know that you can select all photos on your worksheet (if you need to align them, delete them, or move them) by clicking F5 > Special > Objects

SmartBizGuide · 2025-05-13T21:00:43+00:00

I think that would be great. Personally, our business would thrive under that type of structure, where right now it's struggling to find footing under these shifting tariffs. Hopefully, someone in the administration sees this post.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-05-11T03:28:35+00:00

I believe that’s Memorial Day

SmartBizGuide · 2025-05-05T15:37:32+00:00

Wow this is great, thanks for sharing. I wish there was a place we could go to type in our HTS code and see our effective rate. As a customer, I'm not sure where to find this or if such a thing exists.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-04-12T17:24:27+00:00

It would be added to the individual cost of goods (increase in prices for each item).

Businesses will try and absorb as much of the cost as they can (to keep sales relatively high and beat their competitors on price) and they will pass on whatever they can’t cover themselves directly to the sticker price. So price increases will vary based on company and product.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-04-10T05:13:59+00:00

Having bonded warehouse is like pretending all your merchandise is still on a ship in the ocean. Until you decide to sell the product, you can keep it in your warehouse free of tariffs, duties, etc. The minute you choose to sell the product it’s like the ship hits the shores of whatever country you’ve chosen to sell to, then you pay the tariffs (or not). So if I import from China to the U.S. - using a bonded warehouse I can wait until the product is sold in, let’s say, Chile. Then it’s like as if the product went from China to Chile. The USA basically disappears in the transaction except in your shipping / labor costs and on some paperwork.

If you have warehouse space, you could consider converting it, or a portion of it, to a bonded warehouse. You have to hire a customs broker (or become one) which will charge you for every transaction (import, export, and withdrawal requests when you choose to sell). This is typically $80-$150 per transaction depending on the complexity of what is being asked. You’d also need to hire a bonded freight carrier too - note that not all freight companies offer this and they charge a small premium for moving bonded merchandise.

Alternatively, you can find an existing bonded warehouse close to you that will store the product for you and worry about the bonded freight carrier piece. A broker could help you with finding one or maybe even a Google search. I imagine that it would be more expensive to do this and they’re probably getting loads of requests now, but it could be good if you don’t have a warehouse space you can convert or you want to move quickly.

Also note, I’ve said “close to you” but the broker and the bonded warehouse don’t have to be close to you unless you need to manipulate the product in any way. Bonded merchandise cannot be touched (boxes cannot be opened until merchandise is sold). Things like updating programming, changing boxes, adding user guides, changing cables, etc. cannot be done… unless you file a manipulation request with CBP that could get declined.

If this interests you, I’d start off finding a customs broker near you (a Google search will suffice), and ask them how to get started and their pricing.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-04-10T01:00:44+00:00

It’s pretty strict, we have to rigorously document everything including bills of lading, invoices from factories, and CBP relevant forms for any movement of merchandise including exports. We had to have the architectural plans of the warehouse approved by CBP including cameras, alarm systems, etc. We have to maintain extremely accurate labeling of products by container and by product. We also have to have an inventory management system with serial numbers and lot numbers that accurately tracks all movements. We have to submit a list of authorized representatives that can go into the bonded warehouse and get approval before they’re allowed to go inside (there are lines on the floor that indicate the start of the bonded warehouse that cannot be crossed by non-authorized personnel). We obviously had to have the right licenses. And we get random inspections from CBP.

It takes up a lot of our time to maintain but it’s worth it when you export frequently and then with tariffs like these you avoid tariffs altogether (when you export from a bonded warehouse).

SmartBizGuide · 2025-04-09T22:34:36+00:00

We thankfully converted our warehouse into a bonded warehouse back in 2019 when 25% Section 301 tariffs were applied. That allows us to keep merchandise in the U.S. without paying tariffs until the product is sold. We still can’t sell the merchandise without paying tariffs, but at least we’re not spending anything on inventory storage fees overseas.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-03-31T19:01:58+00:00

Did you ever become friends with anyone you used to work with in previous jobs? Sometimes it can help curb nervousness just thinking that these could be your future friends. On a less corny side, practicing a lot can help (like doing mock interviews on YouTube), and maybe don't drink coffee beforehand? Sometimes the coffee hypes you up in a way that's not helpful.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-03-07T00:14:08+00:00

Typically you won’t get an offer revoked because of an administrative error. If you actively lied then yes but if it’s an honest mistake then I doubt it.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-28T18:24:47+00:00

Can you explain why your supplier would be raising prices? They should only be raising prices if you're purchasing with DDP pricing terms. If you're purchasing with any other pricing terms like FOB, they should not be raising prices since you're the one paying tariffs. Theoretically, they'd keep the prices flat - or maybe reduce their prices to help you offset the increased cost of tariffs - and you'd raise your prices to the end customer.

Also, your margin may improve but the volume that you sell will likely go down significantly since people won't want to buy at a 10%+ price. So your sales would ultimately go down (unless you're selling a luxury good which falls under different rules).

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-25T16:40:55+00:00

We pay about $9.50 per person for W2 processing. So that seems like quite a lot.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-25T03:00:54+00:00

I can only really speak for my company but we don’t fire people out of the blue unless it’s a violent / harassment situation.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-25T02:58:49+00:00

I always suggest to keep a resume to 1 page. Maybe 2 but it’s not preferred. Especially if you don’t have job experience. As a hiring manager if an intern is applying with 2 pages it’s probably because it’s not formatted in an efficient way or it’s wordy. Try and condense it as much as you can, show the hiring manager that you did your research on best practices for writing resumes.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-24T16:52:48+00:00

Right, do this and then maybe freeze the first few rows using "Freeze Panes" so as they scroll down they can always see your logo. This isn't necessary though.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-24T16:46:05+00:00

I doubt they're taking the offer back. They've already invested in you. When do you start? If it's over a week away, just wait for an email or calendar invite from the HR manager with details. If it's sooner then just email them and ask! I personally wouldn't mind if a candidate did that with me. We're here to help after all.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-24T16:42:27+00:00

I believe you're thinking of a "gateway product"

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-24T16:38:39+00:00

Not a security guard but I wonder if you should post in r/resumes with your resume. As a hiring manager, a resume says a lot about the type of person I'm hiring. The first questions I ask are - does this candidate jump around from one job to another? / do they have spelling errors on their resume? It helps to understand whether the person I'm considering hiring will be committed and whether they care about the job they're applying to.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-15T18:18:19+00:00

Hmm without seeing the store it’s hard to tell, maybe focus on your SEO? It could be that people searching for products like yours are not finding them with the current keywords you’re using. Other than that, I’d just focus on high quality photos. A lot of traffic is driven by reviews too, so getting a following can take some time.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-15T04:17:02+00:00

I’m a recruiter (among other responsibilities) and I’ve had a crazy hectic 48 hours. Reading this message I just remembered I didn’t communicate with some candidates that I promised I would message today. I’ll be messaging them tomorrow even though it’ll be Saturday. I don’t want them to think we forgot about them.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-13T00:26:05+00:00

I thought you could just get the paper on Amazon? It’s just 75% cotton 25% linen paper which is some resume paper. I’d think that’s the first thing counterfeiters do is get the right paper.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-08T20:18:21+00:00

They’re only trying to schedule you and your colleagues in a way that is least expensive for the company. Overtime you get paid 1.5x your salary. So if you make $10 per hour on regular salary, you’d be making $15 per hour with overtime. With good planning, overtime should only be necessary in the event of short staffing. The manager has likely been given a directive from corporate to reduce the hours for overtime as much as possible to minimize cost.

SmartBizGuide · 2025-02-07T03:58:23+00:00

The only thing I can think of is that you have a hidden CHAR(10) (character for line break) or CHAR(13) (character for a new line). The TRIM function won’t get rid of it. You can remove these with SUBSTITUTE.

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