MyConcessionBusiness.com

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Below is Part 3 of the email I received from Dave.  I am posting it for everyone to learn from, with his permission.

Are you looking for a quick way to make money? Would you love to become self-employed but don't know where to begin? Do you want a business that will allow you to turn a profit fast? Surely you have seen concession trailers at fairs, festivals, parks, sporting events or even in parking lots or on busy streets. Chances are you have even been a patron at a few.

Has it ever occurred to you that a quick way to make money is to open your own concession trailer? This is a business that you can start up with a very low investment that offers high profitable returns. It can be a part time or full time job and the best part is you are guaranteed to make money. As long as you are setting up your business somewhere where there is foot traffic, the hungry people will come to you. Advertising costs aren't even necessary like with a traditional restaurant!

It doesn't matter if you have no experience in the food business or if you are a good cook or not. It really doesn't matter even what food you choose to sell. All concession food is popular and adored by the masses and of course, very profitable.

The concession food business is not only a quick way to make money, it is also a recession proof business. Even during financial downturns when other businesses fail, a concession food trailer will not. Unlike a restaurant where people have an unlimited choice of places to go, a concession food business is completely different. When you are set up at events, people have to eat, they come to spend money and there are no restaurants available. People will stand in long lines for your food because they have to and because they actually want to, its all part of the novelty of getting their favorite food.

If you are looking for a quick way to make money where you can finally set your own hours and work for yourself, open a concession food business and take control over your future.

Making money fast is easy to do if you open your own concession food business. It can be something as easy as starting an ice cream concession cart that you can set up at local parks or you may want to choose a business more extravagant such as a food concession trailer serving up funnel cakes, french fries, caramel apples or endless other food favorites.

If you are in need of making money fast whether it is just extra cash to pay for school, save up for a vacation or pay off some bills or something bigger like using it as your sole source of income, a concession food stand business is perfect.

The first thing that you need to do is choose what kind of business that you are going to open and where you will actually sell your product at. Will you move from location to location to different events where people are gathered or will you set up at a more permanent place where you can reap the many benefits of having loyal, returning customers? Both choices offer many methods of making money fast. The best part, opening your own concession food business takes very little start up capital. Many companies even allow you to rent carts and trailers so that you can try the business out before you purchase one for yourself.

Another benefit of making money fast with a concession business is that you do not have to spend money on advertising for you to generate business. All you need to do is open up and people will come to you. Also, if you would like to only carry one item so you do not have to invest or worry too much about inventory, making money fast is still possible. Many successful concession food businesses make phenomenal profits with a limited menu. If you are looking to become self-employed in a way that making money fast is possible, the concession food business is perfect for you.

Finding concession trailers for sale is actually the easiest part of opening a food concession trailer business. Once you actually start looking, you may be surprised at how many are even in your local area since business owners are constantly upgrading and retiring. Of course, you will first need to decide if you want a new or used concession trailer.

New concession trailers for sale are easiest found online. There are plenty of websites that not only sell an array of styles of trailers, they will also customize them for you with the options that you need. Special options include quiet generators, flat tops, grills, fryers, sinks, toasters, freezers and refrigerators. Although new concession trailers for sale will cost you more money, they will also come with a full warranty and you can design them with the exact options that you want.

If you are looking for used concession trailers for sale, you may have luck finding one in your area. Check you local newspaper classified ads or try your luck at local automobile auctions. It it always recommended that you ask any questions on the item prior to bidding. If you cannot find anything locally to suit your needs then there are a ton of concession trailers for sale online, even online auctions. The only downfall to shopping online is that you may not be able to view it in person as easily. It is recommended to find something close enough for you to go view the trailer in person to inspect. Of course, if you find a good enough deal on one, the drive will be well worth it. Although used concession trailers for sale will probably not have a warranty on them, they will cost you quite a bit less money so they are definitely ideal for someone just starting out in the business and on a tight budget. Also, do not rush into buying one. There are enough of them for sale that you can be selective and wait for the perfect one that is in your price change offering the exact options that you need

There are many fantastic benefits of being self-employed. You may find yourself wanting more in life and a job that you have been comfortable at for so long may just not be satisfying you anymore. Perhaps you are tired of the predictable routine of your day job and being paid what someone else thinks that your time is worth and never being appreciated. Taking the first step to become self-employed is the hardest but once you get started you will be able to bask in all of the wonderful benefits of being self-employed.

Job Security

People are being laid off and fired for no reason other than the company needing to cut wage costs which means the employees that are still employed are having to handle more work than ever before without any additional money. You can lose your source of income at any time. Why give someone else control over your future? One of the benefits of being self-employed is that no one has the power to fire you. Only you control your future.

Hourly Pay

More and more people are forced to work longer and harder hours for far less pay than what they are worth. When you become self-employed, you control what hours you work and how much money you ultimately make. For example, brilliant individuals will start a concession business and only work the spring and summer, selling their product at fairs, festivals and sporting events and make enough money to live on all winter. Sure they work hard but then they have a season to travel and relax and do whatever they want.

Experience

When you work the same job everyday, you are never furthering your experience level. Is the job experience that you have right now going to keep you employed and be worth any value 10 years from now? One of the fabulous benefits about being self-employed is that you can constantly learn things that you can apply to your business to increase your success.

  Getting your employees legal does not need to be as intimidating as you may think. You will first need to file for an employer identification number (EIN) if you do not already have one. This allows you to actually be able to hire someone legally. This number is easily obtained by visiting the IRS website. The following is a helpful guideline for getting your employees legal.

• New Hire Agreement – It is not required but it is always recommended that you go over a new hire agreement together that you will both sign in the presence of one another. This important document will protect both the business as well as its employees from any misunderstandings regarding employment, behavior, job description and expectations.

• W-4/W-9 – One of these forms is required by the IRS to verify that the employee is not subject to a withholding.

• INS Form I-9 – The INS requires that citizens and non-citizens fill out this Employee Eligibility Verification Form to establish that the worker can legally be employed. Proper identification must be provided with this form.

• Employee Information Sheet – You will keep this sheet on file that will offer names and phone numbers of two people to contact in case of emergency.

• Application – If some reason your new hire did not already fill out an application, one must be filled out and kept on file with their paperwork.

• Payroll Deduction Form – This form is a must if you are deducting any money from the employee's paycheck to cover uniforms, parking passes, etc.

• Employee Handbook – This is optional but ultimately it serves the purpose of letting your new hires know the company mission and philosophies. It should spell out policies on hours, overtime, benefits, vacation time, paid holidays, uniforms and salary reviews. There should be a page in the handbook that the employee has to sign and return to you.

 If you have several workers at all times and therefore do a lot of hiring, getting your employees legal can often be made a bit simpler if you have the documents already made up in employee new hire packets to be sure that you do not miss anything important.

  Most people, at some point in their lives, have the dream to become self-employed. There are a huge number of benefits of being self-employed such as control over your own schedule, having no boss and the sense of accomplishment of creating your own future. However, if you want to become self-employed, you must also understand that there are a few disadvantages including not having a guaranteed paycheck and no paid vacations or health insurance.

 To become self-employed, you need to really think about if it is the right choice for you. Are you self-motivated, driven and goal oriented? If so, you are probably a good candidate. However, if you are someone who needs guidance or cannot figure things out for yourself, self-employment is not a good idea.

 You will need to decide what you want to do to become self-employed. The most popular approaches are opening a small business such as a concession stand or a catering business or offering your services as an independent contractor or freelancer. Make yourself a list of way to become self-employed by doing something that you would love and that you are good at.

 Then, once you decide on your niche, do as much research as you can on the topic and create your own business plan. You will need to explore financing options unless you have a substantial amount of money saved up for start-up costs like equipment and supplies. Most people choose personal loans, small business loans or home equity loans for financing their new business.

 If you really want to become self-employed, go for it and do not listen to anyone else. Start with something small that you can turn a huge profit with like your own ice cream or hot dog concession and then work up to a concession trailer with other food options and highly profitable venues like fairs and festivals. Your opportunities are truly endless when you want to become self-employed.

  Just because you are a health food fanatic does not mean that you cannot become self-employed by opening your own concession stand. There are plenty of people that would prefer to have a healthier alternative available to eat, not only for themselves but for their children as well. Many festivals, fairs and other events only offer concession stand food so people have no choice to make unhealthy food choices but they may actually prefer to have an option that is good for them, especially in today's society when more and more people are becoming health conscious everyday. Of course, some of these healthy concession stand ideas are not extremely healthy foods, they are better for you than items that are fried or loaded in sugar.

Frozen Yogurt – This is ideal especially for a hot day. You can choose to just carry one or maybe two flavors and have toppings that have a long shelf life and that will not melt like granola, nuts and coconut. If you know business will be busy, consider caring one of two types of fruits to top with such as raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries or kiwi.

 Popcorn – Nothing draws a crowd like the familiar aroma of fresh popped popcorn. Of course you will want to have butter and salt on hand for those that prefer their popcorn flavored but many enjoy it as a healthy snack plain.

1. Frozen Bananas – So, chances are, your frozen bananas will probably be dipped in chocolate but at least the banana is healthy, full of vitamins and potassium which is a plus if you are looking for healthy concession stand ideas to set up around sporting events like children softball or soccer games or anywhere people might be sweating and in need of something healthy that will refresh their energy levels.

Vegetarian Burgers and Hotdogs – You do not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy these either. Many people are looking for healthy alternatives to meat that are still full of protein.

1. Fresh Fruit – Ideally, you can simply prepare fresh fruit cups or you can also sell large slices of watermelon, frozen coconut or even contains of frozen grapes or berries. Fresh fruit appeals to people of all ages and chances are you won't have any competition.

A catering truck allows you the rare opportunity to combine your chosen food service with the flexibility and freedom of moving your business from one place to another. Having the ability to change locations gives you the benefit of offering a different menu, based on the specific needs of your customers at each location. You can profit on different items from different locations based on what sells the best at each place.

Having a catering truck is far easier to operate and turn a profit than running a stationary restaurant, with less hours and less stress. Ideally, you can start your day serving coffee and breakfast at your chosen venues and then transition to boxed lunches and hot dogs in the afternoon.

Owning a catering truck offers a business owner a huge amount of flexibility when choosing equipment. Starting your own catering truck business is done with fairly low start-up costs with the primary investment being your vehicle. You will need to equip your catering truck with equipment for food preparation that meets sanitary regulations in your area which your local Health Department can guide you on. This will include preparation areas, stainless steel sinks, a cooking top or grill, running water and a refrigerator. Luckily, most companies will conveniently carry a catering truck that already meets all of these specifications.

When you own a catering truck business you can control your profit increase by simply adding additional services and menu items. Some catering truck businesses will even lease a space at a specific location permanently to provide their customers with seating to enjoy their food near the truck. Tables and chairs can be conveniently transported right on top of the truck if it is large enough or you can tow a small trailer to transport these items. Providing seating around your catering truck raises your potential for customers to buy a last minute snack on their way back to the office to eat later on their next break at work.

Purchasing a catering truck gives you the wonderful chance to become self-employed and control your income and your future.