Know What's in a Name
You're opening your own gardening center. Why not call it Al's? That's your name after all and you've always wanted to have your own business named after yourself.
But who is Al? Carefully select a name for your company.
When people see the word "Al" on a sign, are they going to know who that is and what that company does? It takes a long time to establish a business and your company's name needs to identify what it is you do.
Al's Garden Center is an improvement. But if you really want to make an impact, choose something that's more direct. The Green Thumb. The Plant Place. Remember, you want your business to last for years to come and this decision is as important as naming your baby.
Take Wendy's, for example. Founder Dave Thomas wanted to name a restaurant after his daughter Wendy. But even today, when most consumers simply call the business Wendy's, the official logo still reads, "Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers."
Opening Your Doors
What's a good time to open your business? It depends on the type of product and service that you'll be selling.
Opening a garden center in the winter isn't going to bring in a lot of grand opening sales. Open your prom dress shop in the summer and you're going to miss out on that year's prom season.
Figure out what time of year to open your company that makes the most sense. You want to take advantage of the crowds for grand opening events and sales. Bottom line is, you wouldn't open a sled shop during beach season.