My intention of starting this thread is to provide a platform for discourse on the subject of business, specifically the framebuilding business.
A place for people to pose business questions and discuss business ideas with those who have done this long enough to know better.
I feel this topic is under served while being one of the most important aspects of our daily activities.

In 2010 I had the pleasure of attending one of Carl Strong's "The Business of Frame Building" seminars at NAHBS, which was hands down the most vital and impactful seminar I have ever attended.

This is what I hope for this thread, to bring to light the issues and questions that many of us face on a day to day basis. In the end, beyond all the craft and technique we are in this business to provide for ourselves and others or we are interested in getting started in the business. Sure, it's not all that black and white, but I think you get the point.

I am not suggesting that I am a business wizard or have all the answers. I started my first business when I was 25 and I have owned and run retail, wholesale, and service based businesses at one time or another. This only means that I have banged my head against many of these things enough times now, that I have scar tissue and the know how to solve most of them.

So, I guess I will start this off with a question:

I'm interested in knowing more about dealer network sales vs. direct to market sales. I chose direct to market as a custom builder, but am recently interested in developing stock models and toying with the idea of changing the sales approach on those models. I have tested the waters and found interest, but realized that I do not know the first thing about how this type of business is set up. What's a typical margin? What's a good deal, what's a bad deal? Are MOQ's even applicable? What should I be angling for in the negotiation? Do dealers require exclusivity? If so, what's typical or reasonable to expect? Is selling bikes on consignment a good idea or a bad idea?