My+Snow+Boarding+Business+I+have+my+own+snow+boarding+business+and+I+have+had+this+for+around+1+year+now.+I+used+to+be+a+management+consultant+before+I+decided+to+take+the+plunge+and+went+for+a+business+of+my+own.+Before+I+done+this+I+was+very+nervous+and+really+had+no+idea+about+the+level+of+results+that+I+was+going+to+attain.+The+fact+of+the+matter+is+that+around+20%25+of+businesses+fail+in+their+first+year%2c+and+I+did+not+want+to+be+one+of+those+business+owners+that+were+left+having+no+results%2c+and+a+heap+of+debt+to+handle.+Luckily+enough+my+business+has+been+successful+so+far%2c+and+this+has+largely+been+down+to+operating+in+an+area+of+high+demand%2c+where+I+am+the+only+supplier+in+my+area.+You+see%2c+there+are+two+local+ski+slopes+and+both+of+them+have+a+lot+of+visitors+each+week%2c+so+I+was+aware+that+their+was+a+demand+in+my+local+area+for+snow+boarding+equipment+and+skiing+equipment.+At+first%2c+I+started+off+selling+snow+boarding+equipment+but+I+realised+that+I+should+start+selling+skiing+equipment+as+well+and+this+is+a+decision+that+I+am+glad+to+have+made.+Since+I+have+started+selling+skiing+equipment+my+sales+have+increased+by+60%25.+I+now+have+four+members+of+staff+that+I+pay+a+good+wage%2c+and+that+are+very+loyal+to+my+company.+You+see%2c+the+great+thing+is+that+all+of+them+have+an+interest+in+snow+boarding+and+skiing+and+this+really+comes+through+in+the+way+they+are+able+to+help+my+customers+make+informed+purchases.+I+have+a+deal+with+the+local+ski+slopes+that+when+someone+is+a+member+of+their+slope+they+get+a+10%25+discount+on+all+purchases.+This+is+something+that+I+considered+for+a+number+of+reasons.+The+first+thing+is+that+I+didn%e2%80%99t+want+either+of+them+starting+their+own+shop+on+their+premise%2c+and+I+felt+that+through+offering+them+something+free+they+would+be+less+likely+to+try+and+eat+into+my+profits.+I+also+felt+that+through+doing+this+they+would+feel+that+the+potential+to+enter+into+my+market+was+less+lucrative.+I+also+have+deals+with+them+where+I+give+them+very+cheap+rates+on+their+stocks%2c+and+in+actual+fact+I+make+zero+profit+from+the+sales+that+I+make+to+them.+This+gives+them+the+impression+that+I+have+substantially+better+profit+margins+than+they+could+attain%2c+and+puts+them+off+competing.+Another+way+that+I+have+had+a+certain+level+of+success+is+through+my+online+store.+I+had+a+website+designed+through+which+I+sell+all+my+lines+to+a+global+marketplace.+Online+I+am+competing+with+a+lot+of+other+websites+that+sell+similar+stuff+to+myself%2c+but+I+am+aiming+to+increase%0d%0a%0d%0a%0cmy+websites+position+in+the+search+engines%2c+and+by+doing+so+I+am+hoping+that+I+will+be+able+to+decrease+my+operating+costs+and+increase+my+market+reach.+Already+I+am+showing+up+at+number+14+in+google+for+snowboarding+equipment+and+I+am+hoping+to+be+on+the+first+page+for+certain+terms+at+some+point+this+year.+The+thing+is+that+when+you+have+a+high+position+in+the+search+engines+you+can+be+sure+to+close+a+certain+number+of+sales+with+no+marketing+outlay.+There+is+also+the+issue+that+once+you+close+a+single+sale+with+a+customer+they+are+more+likely+to+return+in+future+when+they+require+further+products+that+you+sell+within+your+range.+I+have+also+started+to+sell+wholesale+through+a+separate+website+and+this+has+helped+me+in+two+ways.+I+am+starting+to+increase+my+sales+volume+however+at+the+same+time+I+am+decreasing+my+cost+per+unit+to+purchase+through+buying+on+a+bigger+scale.+This+is+something+that+is+offering+my+business+growth+potential%2c+however+my+primary+aim+is+to+increase+sales+through+my+website+at+the+moment.+PPPPP+681%0d%0a%0d%0a%0c