looking for advice for a new business - rent or buy land? where? why? etc.

Hi folks. I've been spending the last few months on SL learning about building and scripting and so on, and have finally got a few finished avatars ready to sell. Which brings me to the question - where should I sell them? As someone who has no experience setting up a business in SL, I'm not really sure how to assess the various options. And so I'm asking you all what you might suggest.

As I see it, I have a few options.

1) I could buy a block of land and set up a store there. This would be good because assuming I stay there for a while, there'll be continuity of location (which means that if I give out a landmark it'll still be good some time later). It also means that ongoing costs of land ownership are lower after that initial outlay. On the downside, I'd have to take out a premium membership to do so, so that would be an additional ongoing cost. (I'm a grad student without a lot of income so avoiding too much in the way of ongoing expenses is a plus.) And also we have the issue of Estate or Mainland.

2) I could rent a storefront in someone else's mall. This avoids the upfront cost and the need to take out a premium membership, but means there's a weekly rental to be paid. Also I'd be a little limited regarding stuff like terraforming and decor (no underground-store-in-a-cave type setups, frex).

Either of these sound plausible. What I can't easily assess at present is stuff like: if I rent a store in a mall or similar commercial area, does that mean that I'll likely get more random drop-in traffic from folk who are visiting nearby stores? Is location something that I really need to worry about at all in SL, given the way folk teleport from spot to spot rather than walking?

What factors do I need to take into account when choosing a location for a store? What helps improve traffic? Also, what sort of advertising is likely to be most useful, and most cost-effective? I guess that while my immediate issue is "how do I choose a location for my business?", I'm after any sage advice for a novice SL av maker that folk might care to share with me.

What would you suggest, folks? What should I know, and what should I avoid?

Yes, definitely. Unless you promote the shop on your own land like hell or have some really high-traffic areas beside you - but that would also probably mean a loss in performance...



Oh, yes. You'd be surprised how many folks just wander around. I know I was. *g* And if the location is ugly, they're less likely to stay and wander and shop.

Personally, I'd suggest starting with the renting and trying it out. Pick a mall that is not new but established (because you never now how long the new ones are going to last...) and one that you as a customer would feel comfortable in, preferrably one that your stuff fits in theme-wise. In this thread, you can find a lot of helpful information how to pick the right spot: /327/1f/203287/1.html

I suggest renting because, yes, it involves weekly cost. But that way you can still try out if people like your stuff without going broke. *g* If you sell nothing at the first mall, try another place, maybe it was the location. And if you do sell and make some L$, you can always go to buying your own place and paying tier. You'll be a lot less sorry if you "dip your feet in" first.

Good luck.

its a buyers market for land at the moment.
mall rental spaces are more like satellite shops i reckon. they are ancillary to the main store.