If
we were a bit more tabloid we could have used the heading "QVM Trader
Achieves Burning Ambition" because this article is about resident
wood-burner Michael Williams.
Michael
is doing what many traders should be doing - constantly evaluating his trading
circumstances and adjusting to meet consumer demand. Michael has been a bit of
a gypsy with his attendance at a variety if Melbourne and regional markets
although he is now concentrating more on establishing his presence at QVM.
And
he operates in a category that many would say is under represented at our
market. He is a craftsperson and he offers a very individual product that
cannot be found on every street corner.
But
it is not just about establishing location, Michael is also working out he can
offer more services, compete with more industrialised processes, and become
more profitable. He recently invested in a bit of modern technology in the form
of a laser engraver. Using a laser to handle some of the more standardised,
laborious and less profitable aspects of his range at the workshop allows him
to devote his significant craft skills to the more personalised (and usually
more profitable products) on site at his stall. He is already working out how
to set up his stall to display more stock
In
a time of retail flux (we are certainly in that right now) traders need to
think outside the square and constantly search for new ways to develop
business. Traders like Michael certainly appear to be on the right track.