Become A Supplier
A supplier produces a product or service which is then used by someone else as part of a larger product or service. A supplier may provide a single specialized part or a large number of simple parts. Sometimes there is an opportunity to become a secondary supplier when the larger producer does not want to rely on a single source of supply for critical parts.
Some Examples
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A firm supplies brake harnesses to truck manufacturing plants.
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Secondary suppliers of specialized integrated circuit chips are needed by computer manufacturers, to avoid supply shortages when single suppliers have production or labour problems.
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A woman provides an editing and proofreading service to help consultants in various industries produce professional project reports.
How To Do It
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Ask your current employer for the rights to supply a component for the product being manufactured.
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Contact purchasing agents who work for manufacturing companies. Ask them about their supply needs, trying to identify supplies which are difficult to obtain, too expensive or come from a single source which may be at risk.
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Look for request-for-supply notices in newspapers or trade journals.
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Read trade journals to discover supply problems for particular industries.
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Have your name added to mailing lists of public purchasing agencies which are required to advertise publicly for tenders on supplies.
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Read publications which explain how to sell products and services to specialized organizations such as the military or governments.
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Identify a product or service you can offer and analyse the range of producing organizations which could use it as part of their process.
Key Questions
What products or services could I supply?
Could these products or services by used as a component by another producer?
Is there a market for these products or services?
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