APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions.
Here she gives a savvy reader advice on how to make more money buying and selling antiques.
Q: I love dragging my long-suffering husband along to car-boot sales, and people have told me I have a real eye for picking out antiques and bric-a-brac, as well as haggling for a good price.
I’ve recently started selling things myself at these sales, and am beginning to make a profit.
I work a couple of days a week in an admin job, but I’d love to make the antiques a bigger part of my life.
How can I turn this into more of a money-spinner?
I am a bit clueless when it comes to business, so any help and advice would be much appreciated!
Paula, via email
A: Congratulations on finding a profitable hobby (and a patient husband)!
In order to expand, you need to look at opening up your sales channels.
Consider also selling your items through platforms such as eBay, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace.
This will give you access to a larger market and potentially higher prices for your items.
Develop a unique name and logo for your business to make it more memorable.
You can also create a website and social media pages to showcase your products.
Attend trade shows to meet other sellers — this will help you learn more about the market and find new opportunities, both to source products and also for points of sale.
If your sales continue to grow, you may want to turn it into a full-time job.
Develop a business plan to help you focus on your goals and any potential challenges.
Turning a hobby into something more requires hard work, dedication and planning, but with your eye for antiques, you have a great starting point for a successful venture.
Best of luck!
