MARKET
ANALYSIS
PATH

Lisa was still adjusting to the hard reality that now that her husband was gone, and the children were on their own, she needed a "life" and additional income. She wanted to build on her skills as a decorator where friends often praised her ability to improve the ambience of any room. Lisa's first thoughts were to either become a consultant or to open a retail store using her experience as a part-time retail sales person. She had no knowledge as to what was needed in terms of money or skills for either path.

Lisa searched the web, where she found the Your New Career site and noted the focus on "self-employment success" with a personal relationship emphasis. Lisa didn't want to just fill out some forms, or take a course. She wanted to talk to people with knowledge and go from there. There was no cost or obligation to talk, so she used the toll-free number to check out if the YNC program was right for her.

YNC personnel immediately grasped the situation; Lisa did not know what path to take - start a company, buy a company, or purchase a franchise. YNC recommended that she take the Silver Level program - Market Analysis Version. Here she would be able to make an analysis of the requirements and benefits of each alternative. Most of the information she needed was included as part of the Curriculum, and the YNC staff were prepared to assist her where needed. Lisa committed to the program, and paid the fees by check. She was then sent a printed copy of the Curriculum along with access to the web version.

Lisa discovered that there was nothing in franchising that fit her requirements and she was concerned about the time needed to build a retail business from the ground up, but the idea of buying an existing retail store had appeal. She would not need to go through a startup phase, and the controls, procedures and product sources were already in place. YNC laid out a program to begin the search and indicated the price range to expect, depending upon current and projected revenue, and other factors including the all-important "location". Lisa made the decision to buy a store but requested assistance in reviewing the alternatives that she found in her search. YNC arranged for a coach who had previously started a successful retail store to be available by phone and email.

A suitable store was found within 3 months and an offer made and accepted. With the assistance of the coach, Lisa decided on all the changes she would make and what they would cost, before making the offer. This gave her peace of mind knowing that she had the funds plus some extra if needed for contingencies.