Visigoth Imports Inc
Opportunity
Problem & Solution
Our solution
The company will concentrate on special and cultural imports from Germany and Scandinavia to the unique Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA. Visigoth also plans to export apples and other produce by newly started farms created under the Puget Consumers Co-op’s Farmland Fund initiative.
We will become the preferred import company for the unique tourist town of Leavenworth. Visigoth understands that the import shops and restaurants in Leavenworth have special needs of most unique gifts for the million tourists that visit the town annually. Visigoth Imports also understands that the newly launched farms of the PCC farmland fund initiative also have higher costs than most competitors and will need to export their produce at a cost that provides sufficient profit. Visigoth Imports has a combined 35 years of experience working in the import/export business. Our philosophy is in creating a long-term relationship with clients so that the delivery of their products becomes a seamless experience that promotes loyalty.
Target Market
Market Size & Segments
Visigoth will be concentrating on servicing just two types of clients, the gift shops of Leavenworth, Washington, and the farmers of the Puget Consumers Co-op. For both market segments, we have secured exclusive contracts or endorsements that put us in a unique position to service these niche firms and their more demanding needs.
Profitability in these two markets is expected to be excellent, especially in the import segment as Leavenworth draws in over a million tourists each year. We expect profitability in the co-op end to be much slower in the first five years of operation, but will increase steadily.
Visigoth intends to be a small import/export company focused on clients serving a niche market. Having secured a very advantageous contract with PCC and gained the endorsement of the Leavenworth city council, we plan to focus exclusively on these market segments. Both have such high potential that we do not see a need to expand our market reach for the foreseeable future.
Competition
Current alternatives
Competition includes all potential importing firms that serve small enterprises such as farms and specialty gift shops. Practically speaking, this means the largest import/export firms such as Fisher-Mills, Eagle Distributing, and other large, nationwide companies will not compete with us. Most other companies tend to be regionally focused. The foreign trade industry is highly fragmented, with a large number of small companies that mainly cater to small firms and a few large companies that seek the largest contracts from companies such as Microsoft, GM, etc. This makes competition within the industry very intense. Through our niche strategy we intend to avoid competition and its drawbacks such as price wars, etc.
Companies usually enter into contracts with import/export firms based on a firm’s reputation for professionalism and service. With no proven track record, a star-up import/export company obtains a "good reputation" through its personnel, people who have experience in other businesses in the industry. Price, reliability and scope are the driving factors for accepting contracts, especially if the import/export company is small.
Our niche clients have different needs than most other firms. Our import clients need to have relatively small numbers of expensive and fragile products moved from Europe to local warehouses in Wenatchee and Leavenworth. Most of these items are handmade so handling is a special issue. In addition, the small companies and shops in Leavenworth depend a great deal on their import agents to alert them to new and unique product introductions overseas.
On the other end, the farms belonging to the PCC need to keep export costs as low as possible since many of them are start-up ventures with initially high overhead. Quite a few trade firms do not accept these types of contracts and leave it to the co-ops to create their own exporting ventures. This can lead to higher costs as most co-ops do not have the core competencies in import/export issues.
Our advantages
The town brings in an average 24 million dollars in revenue each year, and since much of the town’s profits are based on the sale of alpine and Scandinavian gifts, the opportunity for a company such as Visigoth is almost unmatched. In 2002 a town meeting of the principal shop owners in Leavenworth was held concerning the present contracts with the community’s main importer, Deutsche Gifts. The previously good relations between the community and the import firm had soured due to rising costs and unreliable service. The result of the meeting was to look for another importer better able to meet the local needs once the current contract expired. Mr. Frank Curtiss successfully bid for the contract, and the idea of Visigoth was born.
Visigoth has made arrangements to export produce from member farms established by the Puget Consumers Co-op Farmland Fund. The Fund works to secure and preserve threatened farmland in Washington State and move it into organic production. The Fund’s primary focus is on large, functional landscapes of local, regional and statewide importance so protection can be extended to biodiversity and wildlife habitat as well as to farmers and farming communities. The Fund is an independent, community-supported non-profit land trust founded in 1999. The Fund has already rescued a half dozen farms within the state and plans to increase these projects so that by 2007 there will be at least 36 farms that come under the fund’s protection. In addition, approximately 60 farms belonging to the Co-op have expressed interest in contracting with Visigoth.
Keys to Success
Keys to Success
Visigoth Imports’ keys to long-term and profitability are as follows:
- Differentiate our services to our niche clients so that they realize that we are better able to serve their needs than a more generic competitor.
- Keeping close contact with clients and establishing a well functioning long-term relationship with them to generate repeat business and create a top notch reputation.
- Establish a comprehensive service experience for our clients that includes consultation, product/client search, purchasing contracts, warehousing, shipping, delivery, and follow up service analysis.
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