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People looking to buy a florist for sale may be doing so for a number of reasons. Perhaps they see a calm and peaceful business environment to work in, they’re a plant enthusiast, they like to make people smile with gifts, the hours are appealing, they envision making money or perhaps they just like pretty things!

Florists for sale are often seen as a charming business idea. They provide flowers for weddings, birthday, as gifts of thanks, get well wishes, in remembrance, good luck and for many other occasions. They are the gift that makes people smile.

The florist business is very seasonal and depends on many holidays and there is the expectation for certain flowers to be in the store at specific times of the year. On Valentine’s Day roses are in order, Mother’s Day is chrysanthemums and for Christmas it’s the Christmas bush.

Customers have expectations of what flowers should be in stock. To be a successful florist you need to have good contact with the growers or markets to meet clients demands. You will also need a good team of temporary staff to help with the busy seasons, as it can get quite hectic at certain times of the year and be quiet at other times.

To work in a florist, it is very important to be creative, to have displays that make you ‘stand out’ from other florists in the area. Do you offer something different? Will you create a bunch quickly? Do you have interesting flowers not in season (e.g. from another state or grower)? Do you have other gifts (e.g. teddy bears, chocolates, candles) that can be added to create a package? Do you do deliveries? Do you have a trendy and inviting storefront?

There are a number of businesses on the market that can also help coordinate deliveries of flowers or set you up as part of their recommended florist. It’s just a matter of coordinating and working out your costs.

Florists can work long hours, be up early in the morning at the market, making deliveries, coordinating bridal bouquets, designing funeral arrangements and marketing their products. It is an industry where you need to be passionate about plants to make sure they are fresh and healthy (no one wants wilting flowers!) and have a bubbly personality to make people smile. People will always be looking for a gift to give, and it could be one from your business!

Are you looking at investing in a Restaurant for Sale? Who doesn’t love good food! Maybe you’re a chef, an entertainer, a cook, a BBQ whizz, a waiter, a wine connoisseur or you simply like good, yummy food! The restaurant business has become so publicized in Australia lately with shows like ‘My Kitchen Rules’, ‘Master Chef’ and ‘Come Dine With Me’ that grace our TV screens every day. Australians love to watch cooking shows, they love to cook and love to go out and try new restaurants.

The restaurant business seems appealing for so many people because its fast paced in the kitchen, you can be creative with the food and with the décor, you can feed people amazing meals that they rave about, and you can make money!

If you are looking to buy a restaurant, I would suggest you do your research. Read the restaurant’s reviews and see what customers are saying about the restaurant. Is it getting good reviews? If not, are there things you could change about the restaurant to increase the customers satisfaction. Restaurants, like tourism rely heavily on customer opinions and referrals. If someone comes into your restaurant once and doesn’t like it, they probably won’t come back again, and probably will tell friends about their “bad experience” or worse yet, publicize it on one the of the sights above. Make sure you are monitoring these sights, and if possible, reply to comments and keeping up good customer relations.

I would also suggest you go ‘under cover’ and eat in the restaurant, ask staff for their recommendations. What is the food like? What are the staff like? Is it busy? What types of customers are visiting? Don’t be fooled by smoke and mirrors, do your research and be sure you know what obstacles it may face before you buy a restaurant for sale. Also, if you buy a restaurant that was failing before – make sure you have a ‘grand re-opening’ or ‘under new management’ sign so customers know it has changed hands. It would be a good idea on opening night to have some of the local media and food critics come and see the ‘new restaurant’ it will do your business wonders – if it’s a good review.

When buying a business for sale, you have to make sure you look over the numbers. With a restaurant there can be a lot of different facets that could be affecting its profitability. A restaurants product is based on what the chef feels it is worth. This is influenced by the produce used, the presentation of the meal, the skills of the chef, the creativity of the food, time taken to prepare, the ambience of the restaurant, the friendliness of the staff and its location. So make sure you analyse the numbers, there could be anything in these sectors affecting profitability. Perhaps their paying too much for produce, or wasting too much food, the staff are being paid too much, the ambience is tacky, the dishes are too simple, they’re not charging enough. It’s a complex matter of working out restaurant pricing, and something that may be is shown in the restaurant’s turnover. Restaurants that are profitable are because they have worked out how to manage these different facets. So, before you buy a restaurant for sale speak with your accountant or business advisor and have them review the details with you.

Make sure you have a plan. What do you envision for this restaurant? How long is the lease, will you stay there? Is it profitable at the moment? What capital do you need to make any upgrades? Is everything in working order? Make sure you have enough money and a plan to buy and manage the restaurant successfully.

So if you’re thinking about buying a bakery, you may also be wondering what does it take? Well to start with it would help if you’re a morning person. Bakers are up early in the morning, sometimes before the sun, cooking away. You would need to be passionate about cooking and making delicious treats, to become that ‘best bakery in town’. Creativity is important in coming up with new ideas – new breads, cakes, pies to entice customers into your store. You mornings will be busy with all the baking, customers coming in and out the store, and you normally finish the day around 3pm.

What to assess when buying a bakery? There are quite a few franchises for sale on the market such as Bakers Delight and Brumby’s which might be the ideal option for new business owner looking to make a start and wanting some guidance from an established brand. If you are looking to buy an already established bakery business for sale here are a few items, you should consider:

• How busy is the bakery? Be sure to ‘stake out’ the shop and watch how many customers are coming and going. It takes a lot of $3 loaves of bread to sell before you start making some money.
• Review the bakery’s profits over the last few years.
• Have a look at what they are selling? Could you expand upon this? Are there too many items which affect cooking times and quality? Do they offer ‘extras’ such as coffee and specialty cakes for birthdays.
• Is their ample seating? Does it have charm? If your bakery is in a prime tourist location, it’s important it has ‘charm’ so people are enticed to come in then buy some food and coffee. Bakery’s have been around for hundreds of years, they have an old-world charm, that is important to harness.
• Is the equipment all in working order? Do all the ovens, mixers, fridges work? When were they last serviced? How old are they?

If you are selling your bakery business, it’s important to have it presentable. Make sure that it is clean and the potential buyers have access to all the business, including the cooking facilities and preparation tables. Be sure to have your finances in order and books available for the potential buyer to review.