Here are ten very profitable tips to get a flower shop off and running. A business of any kind takes much hard work and patience to get established in your community. Every little way to keep your name out there will help. Just always be honest, friendly, and genuine in your business communications. Follow these tips and you will be in the public interest in no time.
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1. Have a toll-free telephone number. Toll-free numbers can increase response from out-of-town customers greatly. Put it on your business cards, on your web site, and Buy Now in your advertisements.
2. Give excellent customer service to your floral customers. Always go beyond customer expectation. Add extra touches and extra flowers. The extra you put into an order can be thought of as advertising and good customer relations.
3. Write a column for a local publication. You can tell them you will do it for free. In return, request that they agree to recognize your business, your phone number and website. This will give you free advertising, plus you will begin to be recognized as expert in the floral business, plants, fresh flowers and such. Agree on how often you will write.
4. Newspaper advertising is still a good way to advertise. The power is in recurrence and repetition. Make an ad that stands out. It does not have to be big. Just make sure it appears on a weekly basis.
5. Take the time to check on your competition on a regular basis. Ask yourself how you measure up. Do you feel like your flower shop is comparable, or even better? This can be an abundant source of inspiration.
6. Make a bond with each of your floral customers. There are two types of bonds you can make. There is the human bond and the business bond. Most marketing is focused on the business bond. However reverse that. Create a bond with your customers by first getting to know them. You can do that by listening. Many floral customers call a particular florist because they know the florist knows them and is therefore confident that their flower purchase will be unsurpassed.
7. You want to be careful on this one. Offer installment plans on larger purchases. This technique will get people in your flower shop to buy, but you must have a good idea you will get your money. You could ask for one-third at the time of purchase, then the rest in two installment payments. The one-third will cover the cost of your materials that you have to buy up front. The other two payments can be profit. Be careful. This will get people in your flower shop, but a customer is not worth having if they do not pay their bills. They are only costing you money.
8. Make a marketing plan and a budget for one year at a time. This will prevent monetary and purchasing emergencies. It will make purchasing inventory for your flower shop easier. You will know where you stand at all times. This will help keep your doors open.
9. Be aware of your telephone demeanor. For a floral shop much of their business is done by telephone. Established clients will just call you instead of coming into the store. These calls need your full attention. Use a pleasant voice. Let them know you will do anything for them. Assure them their floral order is in good hands. How you answer your business phone is extremely important.
10. Quality is vital in the flower business. Your perishable inventory must be fresh. Sending out old flowers that will die in two days is the quickest way to kill your floral business. The best way to get your shop commended and much-admired is to offer only the freshest flowers. Keeping fresh, fresh, fresh beautiful flowers in stock may cost you a bit more, but that extra expense can be viewed as advertising. The word of mouth advertising that you will receive is the best kind of advertising for a small business such as a flower shop.
The IRS has the ability to grant the taxpayer the option to pay its tax liability over time if it will facilitate collection of their debt. If you are unable to pay the full amount of your debt then an installment agreement may be right for you.
The IRS is driven by the ability to collect outstanding tax debt as quickly as possible. When the IRS determines that you do not have assets that can be liquidated to cover your tax liability they will begin to look for other options. One of these options is to set up a payment plan that you can afford to pay on a monthly basis. To qualify, you must have some form of disposable income that can be applied to your tax liability monthly. This income is any income left over from all your monthly expenditures.
If the IRS grants you an installment agreement, you should remember to write down the information regarding the IRS employee that accepts your application. This can come in handy if you don't begin to receive monthly installment statements in the mail. You will need their information to verify your agreement was accepted in a situation where they are claiming otherwise.
Fees Associated With An Installment Agreement
To instate an installment agreement you will be asked to pay a fee of $105 or $52 depending on whether you apply for a non-direct or direct debit agreement. If your income is below what is considered by the government to be poverty, you qualify for a reduced fee of $43. If you believe you qualify for this reduced fee, simply apply using Form 13844. If you default on your agreement and then try to reinstate it, you will be charged $45.
How To Apply For An Installment Agreement
If you owe less than $50,000 in total amount of back taxes, then there are a number of ways to apply for an installment agreement. Keep in mind that your account must not be in the collection process for you to apply.
If you owe less than $25,000 in total back taxes, you can apply for an installment agreement by filing Form 9465 and including it on the front of your tax return. If your total tax liability is between $25,000 and $50,000 you must use Form 9465-FS and include it on the front of your tax return. The difference between the two forms is the need for the taxpayer to show their ability to pay the monthly payment on Form 9465-FS.
Automated Payment Agreement
If you would like to apply and receive immediate approval of your installment application you can go to and apply through the Online Payment Agreement application. To qualify for this instant application you must owe less than $50,000, have all of your tax returns filed and be current with your tax payments.
IRS Must Issue An Installment Agreement In Some Situations
The IRS is actually required to give you an installment agreement if you fall under the following criteria:
1. If you owe less than $10,000 in back taxes, excluding your penalties and interest that have accrued.
2. You must have been current with paying and filing your tax returns in the previous five years. You must not have entered into an installment agreement within the last five years as well.
3. When you apply for the agreement, you must agree to pay your liability in full within three years.
4.You must agree to comply with tax laws and the installment agreement up to the three year time frame that you are expected to pay the liability in full.
5.You must submit financial records to the IRS if requested. This is to verify that you are unable to pay your tax liability in full without an installment agreement.
Determining Your Monthly Payment & Date Of Payment
The IRS will ask you the maximum amount that you can afford to pay each month toward your outstanding tax liability. The IRS will determine whether your maximum amount is above their required minimum. If the maximum amount you can afford to pay per month is below the minimum amount the IRS want you to pay, they will require you to fill out a Collection Information Statement.
The Collection Information Statement is another process that the IRS will ask you to complete to verify that you have no other income to pay their minimum required payment. Form 433-A or Form 433-B will be required depending on whether you are an individual or a business. These Forms will ask the taxpayer to list their assets, liabilities, income and expenses to verify they are unable to meet the required minimum monthly payment.
The IRS wants to verify without a doubt that you cannot meet their minimum monthly payment. If it is determined that you cannot through the assets and income that you provide, the IRS will usually grant you the requested maximum payment that you applied for.
Cannot Collect During Pending Installment Agreement
The IRS is not allowed to collect on your tax liability through a tax levy if you have a pending installment agreement. The IRS can also not collect through a levy 30 days after you have been rejected for an installment agreement. If you file for an appeal for the rejection of your installment agreement, the amount of time your appeal is active the IRS will not be able to collect your tax liability through a levy of assets.
Termination Of An Installment Agreement
There are three instances that the IRS lists as authority to terminate an installment agreement. These include:
1. If the IRS finds out that the information that you had given them before entering into an installment agreement is false or inaccurate.
2. If the IRS believes that your financial position has drastically changed and you are able to pay off the remaining balance.
3. If you fail to timely pay your monthly payment or you do not provide the IRS with an updated financial statement showing why you cannot pay on time.
If the IRS decides to change or terminate your installment agreement, they are required to inform you 30 days prior to the date it becomes effective. You are able to appeal the decision to terminate your installment agreement 30 days before it becomes effective and 30 days after it becomes effective.