How to Start Popcorn Business at Home with Minimum Budget

During childhood, popcorn was the first thing which strikes our mind when we hear the word cinema. The tradition of eating popcorn during movies is still continuing. Popcorn have become one of the beloved snacks all around the world. They are not only enjoyed in cinemas, rather people love eating them at home, carnivals, outside the schools and other festive occasions. They are packed in well-designed popcorn boxes to make them more tempting for the customers.

These popcorn containers wholesale can be designed in different shapes and themes depending upon the requirement. Starting a popcorn business at home is a good option as far as small scale businesses are concerned. It is a profitable idea to generate your own income.

Market opportunity of Home-Based Popcorn Business

The best thing about starting a popcorn business from home is that requires less investment. You can start it with a minimum budget and expect higher profit margin. Popcorn are often sold at a very high price in exalted places like multiplexes, restaurants, cinemas and shopping malls. Therefore, many people prefer to enjoy them at home by purchasing them locally. So if you start a popcorn business, local shops and retail outlets add to your market opportunity. You need not to arrange a large inventory for carrying out the processes. Below are some of the steps to start a popcorn business at home:

Conduct Market Research and Finalize your Target Customer Base

Before you step into a popcorn business, it is necessary to conduct research on the market, customers, and competitors. Find out about existing popcorn businesses. Learn about their practices, pricing, and quality of products. You can't afford to be less in quality than your competitors to succeed in the field. If you find a saturated environment, analyze other options.

Find out a niche in the popcorn business. You can offer something different than what people are used to. You have to also think about the packaging of your products. Getting wholesale popcorn boxes will prove cost-effective. After analyzing various details, finalize who will be your target customers. Below are some of the options to consider:

• School kids
• Restaurant and hotels
• Shopping malls, movie halls, and multiplexes
• Religious places or fairs
• Offices
• Local stores
• Retail outlets
• People at Fairs and carnivals
• Sell over the Internet

Develop a Business Plan

Although you are conducting a home-based business, still there is a need to develop a business plan. Keep it simple but systematic. Outline some of the important details like a source of funding, marketing strategy, milestones and objectives to achieve. A business plan helps you to forecast various unavoidable circumstances and find their solution at the start.

Arrange Capital

It's true that you do not need a large capital to start a popcorn business, but some of the resources are needed to run it effectively. This can make you earn large profits. The equipment or machinery you purchase will contain the maximum share of your capital. You can use any of your savings, or arrange capital from your family, friends or relatives.

Legal Formalities

As it's a food business, so it is better to fulfill all the legal formalities at the start. Contact any of your local offices. Get the details of legal requirements. Register your business with legal authority and complete all the procedures. You may also go for insurance if you want.

Branding

Give an attractive name to your business. This helps you in differentiating your products from others in the marketplace. A unique brand name can attract a large customer base.

Decide a Business Type

Once you have done with other details, it's the time to decide the type of business you wish to start. Either you can sell popcorn online. Create a website of your own and start taking orders directly from the customers. You have another option. Supply your products to local shops or retail outlets in your area. This is a good option as a beginner as it helps you in creating a large customer base and generates goodwill.

Gather Raw Materials

In order to get high-quality raw material, you need to find good suppliers. Search on the internet about the raw material required to make popcorn. Generate the list of suppliers in your area. Analyze their cost and quality and finalize the best one. Below are the raw materials you need for starting a popcorn business:

• Bags of corn: As corn is the main raw material so you have to find the best suppliers for it. For, getting a higher quality of production, find the suppliers who import top quality corn from other countries.
• Salt, sugar, and butter: These ingredients are needed to add taste to your popcorn. Find a local supplier who can supply them in large volume. First, make a price analysis and compare it with other suppliers of your area. Finalize the supplier with the most affordable price.
• Other ingredients: You can make different types of popcorn by adding different flavors, colors, and spices. For example, make cheesy popcorn, caramel or the aromatic ones. You need to purchase ingredients for it but in lesser quality. Get command over mixing them in correct proportion to get the desired taste.

Finalize the Packaging

The packaging is the thing which differentiates your products from those of competitors. The popcorn boxes should be designed attractively to generate more sales. You can contact a manufacturer to supply you with custom printed popcorn boxes. If you purchase these popcorn containers wholesale you can save on cost more. Get your brand name and logo printed on popcorn boxes to make your products more recognizable.

Buy Equipment

For starting a popcorn business you need two types of machinery. The first one is a popcorn making machine. The size of the machine depends upon your requirement. If you want to supply popcorn to different locations, you will need a bigger machine. Get it from a well-reputed supplier and check its functionality before purchase. The second one is the sealing machine. It is needed if you want to sell packed popcorn. You need not purchase it if you are selling them in cardboard popcorn boxes.

Conclusion

All these steps will help you in starting a popcorn business from home with a minimum budget. If you are inexperienced, it is recommended to start a small scale business in the beginning. Create a good customer base and generate goodwill. Gain more experience and expertise in the field so that you can easily expand your popcorn business. The Custom Boxes provides popcorn boxes where you can select from with free delivery across USA, UK and Australia.