Are you interested in starting a packaging business that provides protection and covering for products sold by small businesses and e-commerce stores? In addition to covering and protecting the product, packaging also provides the branding needed to elevate a product in the eyes of the consumer.
Some of the types of small businesses that may require packaging include food, fresh produce, clothing, jewelry, and others that sell unpackaged products — think e-bay sellers for instance.
There are many steps to becoming a very successful packaging business such as the NPP Group.
To find out more about starting a packaging business, read on below.
Steps for Starting a Packaging Business
1. Find a Product Packaging Niche
Choosing a niche — that you will be serving — is one of the earliest and most important decisions you should make when starting your packaging business. This way, you will have a better chance of targeting and reaching potential customers.
Some of the main market segments you can consider include food and beverage packaging, shoes, clothing, and jewelry packaging, fresh produce, books, cosmetics, and gift boxes among others.
Each specific niche will have its own unique packaging requirements.
2. Settle on a Type of Packaging
Once you settle on a packaging niche, you can move on to choosing a suitable packaging material/type. To provide adequate coverage for the product in question, different types of packaging can be used.
Some of the popular types of packaging include corrugated boxes, paper board, sealed foil, rigid boxes, polybags, and plastic packaging among others.
3. Come Up with a Product Package
Next up, you will need to create a computer design of the product packaging you wish to sell to your customers. You can handle this part of the process on your own if you know how to use the relevant computer design software. If not, simply outsource the work to a more skilled and seasoned expert.
When creating a suitable package design, make sure that you create something that projects the brand image as well as protect the product inside.
Other factors to keep in mind during the packaging design process include functionality, color, durability, labeling, readability, and brand appeal among others.
4. Find a Supplier for Your Packaging Business
To bring your product packaging ideas to life, you will need the help of a packaging manufacturer/supplier. You can easily find and contact wholesale packaging manufacturers from China by using Aliexpress.com or Alibaba.com. Once you find the right manufacturer, you send them your design(s) and ask for a prototype. This way, you can assess it for any adjustments before making a final order.
If you don’t feel comfortable working with an overseas manufacturer, you can consider finding a local manufacturer.
Remember to take great pictures (professional pictures) of the packaging for promotional purposes. You can display these pictures on your website or promotional materials, giving customers the opportunity to choose their most preferred packaging design from the available options.
5. Register Your Business
You will need to decide whether you want to register your business as a sole proprietorship, LLC or corporation. Each one comes with its own requirements and varying levels of protection. While it is possible for you to run your business for a while before having it registered, getting this part of the process done as early as possible ensures that you enjoy the protection of operating a legally registered entity from the onset.
Just be sure to understand the implications of the path you take and file your taxes correctly, regardless of the choice you make.
6. Set Up a Packaging Business Website
Given today’s digital world, it is important to have a business website for your new packaging business. With it, potential customers will have a way of reaching the business, viewing and ordering your packaging products from anywhere across the country and the world at large — in an easy and convenient way.
To set up a business website you will need to purchase a domain name that resonates with the business and is also easy to remember. You also need to secure hosting services for the website you will be building as well.
7. Marketing
To boost your chances of success and get the name of your new packaging business out there, it’s important to put together an effective marketing plan, and execute it. You can start by putting together a social media campaign. This step involves setting up business profiles on the most popular social media channels, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.
You can boost your social media marketing efforts by also starting your own packaging blog, conducting live chats, creating YouTube videos, compiling a mailing list, and buying ads, among others.
8. Launch Your Business
Launching your new business will let people know that you are now open for business. For the best chance of a successful launch, you should put together a plan that you will follow to the letter, from creating awareness to making your first sale. You can search for packaging business planners online to get an idea of how to launch your business successfully.
Conclusion
Starting your own packaging business can be quite a rewarding experience. With the right approach, you can start a business that can conquer this fast-growing industry. By taking the time to properly plan your business before commencing operations, you will have a better chance of avoiding common pitfalls and preparing for success as early as possible.
With the above guide on how to start your packaging business in mind, you should be able to easily get things rolling; and ensure that you covered all your bases.
