With a leasehold property you purchase the right to use the property for an agreed period of time and are bound by the conditions of the lease. Most leases will require you to maintain the property at your expense; pay either a monthly, quarterly or annual rent payment; insure the building against damage, fire etc.

My advice to you if you are going to open a traditional shopfront for your business is that you really do need to read and research as much as you can about retailing and retail techniques. As this book is primarily aimed at those wanting to start a home-based business, I can only really touch on what’s involved in opening a shop.

Despite the enormous impact of multi-retailers and the Internet on traditional niche retailers, I still believe that the high street offers great potential for the shrewd entrepreneur with a keen eye for niche products.

For example, if this secondary position is in a relatively back street area surrounded by empty boarded-up shops, or nightclubs that only come alive at midnight, then you’re going to struggle to find your passing trade.

Where you position your shop will ultimately decide whether or not your business succeeds or fails. When it comes to buying and selling residential property, estate agents will all tell you the same thing – price is largely dependent on location, location, location, and the market local to where you are buying.

Thus the benefit of being able to order online in the comfort of one’s own home arguably far outweighs the relative inconvenience of having to visit a town centre florist with all the hassles of parking and so on. Not to mention that so many of us these days are so time poor.

However, could these fishermen benefit from having a website to market their business? The answer here is undoubtedly. Having an online presence would, in my view, greatly increase their sales potential as more would-be customers would be able to find them.

Products ideally suited to traditional retail sales models will include all those items that you wouldn’t ever dream about buying online.