Handout

A business plan is a document typically associated with launching a bookstore. However, any time you decide to make a change to your operations, it's critical to have a plan.  This session will include a review of the essentials for any business plan. Attendees will have a chance to have their own business plans reviewed post-Winter Institute by panelist Jodi Rhoden, Owner/Operator of Short Street Cakes and Teacher at Birds Eye Business Planning (Asheville, NC).

• Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction (Greenville, SC)
• Chris Morrow, Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, VT)
• Jodi Rhoden, Owner/Operator of Short Street Cakes and Teacher at Birds Eye Business Planning (Asheville, NC)
• Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books (Mystic, CT) (Moderator)

Session presented at Children's Institute 2014.

Book fairs can be a great source of revenue if you can keep them from being a drain on your resources.  How far in advance should you schedule in order to properly prepare?  How much inventory should you have on hand, and how do you choose titles and decide quantity?  Should you discount books, or offer a percentage of sales as cash back?  What kinds of events are helpful in driving book fair attendance?  What organizations, other than schools, make good book fair partners?  This session will give you the keys to grow your book fair business in your store, at schools, and elsewhere in your community.

Edelweiss is a program that provides value to both booksellers purchasing titles for their stores and sales reps.  This session will explore the ways Edelweiss can both optimize and streamline the buying process and facilitate better communication among booksellers and reps.  Robert Sindelar, Managing Partner of Third Place Books, with stores in Lake Forest Park and Seattle, will moderate the session. 

Whether you need business capital for a store redesign, expansion, or to open a second location, this session will help you to think about non-traditional options to acquire the capital you need. From social media campaigns to community involvement, there are a growing number of new options beyond the bank loan.