How to Start a Vegetable Oil Extraction Business

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

How to Start a Vegetable Oil Extraction Business

Vegetable oil refers to oil products derived from plants through a pressing process. Every year in the United States, farmers produce vegetable oils weighing over 16 billion lbs.; people use this oil in cooking, production of plastics and detergents and even apply the waste products as diesel to run engines, an idea coined by Lyle Pearl a resident of Santa Fe. For a small business prospective entrepreneur this presents a wide consumer base and she can decide on which sector to supply to or work in corporation with an large vegetable oil extraction company, such as the American Vegetable Oil.

Step 1

Conduct research on the requirements of a vegetable oil extraction business in terms of capital, market size and trends, competition and further insights on the business. For example, visit websites like IBISWorld to acquire knowledge on the economical statistics on vegetable oil extraction businesses in America. Conduct an online search on established businesses or personally visit the premises to gain insight on the establishment and operation of the business. Examples of vegetable oil extraction companies in America include, C P Vegetable Oil located in Fort Lauderdale and American Vegetable Oil in California.

Step 2

Make a business plan including the proposed location; finances, both start-up capital and operational costs; target market, for example, the food industry or manufacturing companies and the marketing strategy. Obtain the necessary funding for the business and its requirements; for example, as of the year 2011 an olive oil processing machine, which can process 350 to 600 lbs. of olive seeds, costs approximately $60,000. Consider transportation costs of the vegetables unless you own a vegetable farm, extraction costs and testing procedures before sale.

Step 3

Conduct an online search on the laws in your state regarding vegetable oil extraction for small businesses, and additionally, the environmental rules and regulations concerning industrial waste control in your locality. Acquire a license and permit from your local county's department of licenses and permits to enable you to legally operate your business; the department charges a fee for the license and permit. Register your business name with the department.

Step 4

Select the location of the extraction plant; it is advisable to locate it near the source of the raw materials; for example, a corn field or olive plantation so as to reduce transportation costs. Buy the necessary equipment for the business, such as the vegetable oil extraction machine; the cost depends on the model; for example, the price range of the D-1688, as of 2011, is $3,000 to $4,999.

Step 5

Advertise job vacancies for employees experienced in the oil extraction process through the media and select your preferred candidates. Market your business through the media or personal representatives by visiting your target group, such as restaurants and manufacturing companies to attain your clientele base.

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Resources (1)

NOEND Press: Biodiesel

About the Author

Fiona Miller is a resident of Vancouver, Canada. Her writing career began in London in 2004, working as chief editor for the International Finance Journal, an online magazine with readership across Europe. Miller holds a diploma in creative journalism and English from Concordia University, a Bachelor of Commerce in international business and an M.B.A. from the IESE Business School in Barcelona.

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Easy Tips and Ideas to Start Business

Although anyone can start a business, many people fail because of a bad product or improper research. If you want to start your own business, you can improve your chances for success before you even begin. In order to make your business successful, start strong and make sure that your idea will hold out for the long haul.

Have a Good Product

Ensure that you plan to sell something useful. Although you may think that your product is important or special, that doesn't mean the general public will agree. Ask friends, family and strangers what they think of your product. If they don't seem that interested, ask them why. With their suggestions, you can either improve the product or scrap the idea completely. According to Brad Sugars of Entrepreneur magazine, most small businesses fail because they sold a product that didn't have an adequate market. This also applies to small businesses that provide a service. A lawn-care business might be useful for part of the year in a northern state, but it is in-demand year-round in the south. Consider whether people will actually want to use your service and get constructive advice from those not afraid to give their opinion.

Research Local Businesses

Research local companies before starting up your own business. This will not only give you an idea of the amount of competition you will have, but it will also help you price your product or service. If you're looking to start a wedding photography business, you may find during your research that the market is over-saturated in your area. If not over-saturated, you should contact each business and ask them for a price list. Alter your prices so you can stay competitive with the competition in town. Researching similar local businesses will also help you decide where to locate your business location. Try not to start up a store or office close to another business of your type. If your small business is located away from similar business types, this will cause locals to choose you over businesses that are farther away from where they live.

Get Professional Advice

You may know someone who has started their own successful business. Ask him for advice and listen to his stories of how he started his company. You may gain useful advice on the good and bad ways to start a business. Local entrepreneurs can also introduce you to local product providers or advertisers that you may not have met without their help. Accept any advice with open arms, especially if the advice is coming from someone successful in the area.

How to Calculate Business Start Up Costs

Starting a business in no easy endeavor. It takes a great deal of research, perseverance and hard work. While sweat equity will make your small business more successful, you will most likely need real capital to get the business started. Before you start raising capital and/or investing your own funds, the first thing you need to do is determine the total start-up costs.

Step 1

Determine your costs of sales. For most small businesses this means inventory, the cost of raw materials, manufacturing equipment, shipping, packaging, and warehousing. However, not all businesses sell products. In this case, the cost of sales is primarily the direct labor involved in making the sale. For example, to open a small shoe business entails purchasing enough inventory ($10,000) to stock the store.

Step 2

Determine professional fees. Planning your business structure, i.e., limited liability corporation or general partnership, means hiring an attorney. There may also be the need to pay an attorney for help with establishing trademarks, copyrights, and patents. In this scenario, that puts total professional fees at an estimated $20,000.

Step 3

Determine technology costs. Technology can greatly reduce the cost of labor for small business if used effectively. Most small businesses require computers, printers, cell phones, website development, Internet access, software applications, information security, data storage, and outsourced information technology (IT) consulting. If the cost of technology is $10,000 to start, add an additional $5,000 a year for maintenance (hint: maintenance is not included in start-up costs).

Step 4

Determine administrative costs. This varies with business types and may include items such as business insurance, office supplies, product packaging, parking, rent, express shipping, desks, chairs, fax machines, phones, or anything else necessary to operate the business daily. A good estimate for start-up administrative costs would be $5,000 for the first six months.

Step 5

Determine initial sales and marketing costs. Now that you have your product, you need to let folks know about it. Sales and marketing costs generally include marketing materials for presentations, printing stationery, business cards, advertising, trade show events, and public relations. These initial sales and marketing costs can add up to $3,000.

Step 6

Determine the wages and benefits needed to secure a staff. This includes employee salaries, benefits, workers compensation, and payroll taxes. Let's put the cost of wages and benefits estimated at $20,000 for the first three months of business.

Step 7

Add all costs associated with starting the business for a total. Be sure to only include business start-up costs that will be incurred in the first three to six months of operations. For this example, the calculation is: $10,000 + $20,000 + $10,000 + $5,000 + $3,000 + $20,000 = $68,000.

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Wednesday, June 12, 2013