
Good to see that you reply. Well although I am darn tired and darn high from drinking , I seems to have this mood of replying you. For one thing I am pretty sure your 2cents is definitely difficult to earn.

As you have stated not all successful people have a good education. This I have to agree " BUT " it will have to depend on your " DEFINITION " of successful???? a multibillionaire, CEO of a listed company, sugarcane stall owner, high ranking officer in SAF, Doctor, or as long as you have the so call 5C????? So can I know your version of begin successful????

As I have stated earlier that people are easily fascinated by the success of others. Think about it if everyone is a LEE JIA CHEN how nice it would be as there would not be poor people in this world. I also look upon my idol Warren Buffet as a role model and read alot of times about how he attained his success but I know that I am NOT him. I will not be able to do what he have cos. the situation have change since then. Different times require different strategies. Do you think you are the only one that by working hard you will be the LEE JIA CHEN of Singapore???????

As for advertisement.......of cos I not saying it is most important if you read carefully, I have stated that it is a only a part of the whole parcel for a business to be successful. It really include a lot more.........QUALITY, SERVICE, PACKAGING, ADVERTISEMENTS, LOCATION, MARKETING STRATEGIES and so on. If ROBBINSON have been selling fake branded stuff for the real one, like the Hotel that I mentioned. You think consumer will continue to patronize the store again. Of course not , those that willing to spend big money for quality stuff would have shift to other shopping complex and their reputation would be affected badly.
Let say Singaporean are lazy like what you stated which I dun think so............Remember MOST people WILL NOT buy an item unnecessary unless they have a need or the urge to buy at the point of time. Like you have stated it yourself " something doing (deliver) to your house to give you " WHAT " you need ' WHEN " you need it "
Do you think everyone will suddenly have the need to buy cookie just when you happen to promote them at their doorstep?????? I don't really think so loh.
And let say about delivery. if I suddenly have this urge to taste your cookie and I want to order 3 box or package ($4.50). Are you willing to sent it to Me for a $4.50 sale when I stay in Woodland when you are at Simei at that point of time ? If there is no one else in that region ordering from you at that time I dun think you would not even bother to send it to me. And in that case you lose me as a potential long term customer. I would buy from nearby cake shop or 7-11 and in any case would have more variety than what you can offer.
Take a look at the delivery service for KFC/PIZZA HUT they are willing to send it to you when you have this urge to eat their product. But they will need to make a profits too so their price is always higher then at the restaurant. Can you afford to have a network set up like them? And are people willing to spend more than $15 for cookie???
As for your friends that you have stated that worked in a big store..........do you think he know the actual price of the product after all the cost have been included? It is not just a simple RAW price calculation only. You have to add in the RENTALS of the store, SALARY of the employee, MONEYS spend for the Advertisement and Bills incurred during the Sale. Those are cost that need to be factor in too, you cannot simply get the raw price and look at the profits this way.
And I can tell you that those clothing if you buy in Bulk is actually darn cheap. The actual profits is 3 to 4 times or even much more from the cost price. How do you think if a profits of 20% product during normal days can go for at a discount of 50% or more during sale.............don't make sense rite?????????You should go shopping more often. Or ask more information from the gals.
If not try going to China Shenzhen and buy clothes by the bulk. The cost price of clothing may be only $1 to $2 a piece in bulk and be sold at $12 to $18 in store locally. Just imagine how are big store in orchard going to survive from the most a 20% profits from an item that cost $50 which profits is $10 only????Or not to even mention from " This Fashion" which most clothes are selling for $10 to $30 which the profits would be $3 for a $15 dollars items.
" People become bankrupt because they put more load into their that they can take "...........for e.g.. Few years back people are putting all their money in Internet startup , thinking it is the start of a new technology with great potentials. Not too long ago bubble tea craze , everyone was into the franchisee of bubble tea. In certain neighborhood there can be as many as 8 to 9 stall of selling bubble tea. Now ?????? most have close for business. What I trying to imply here is that to be involved in certain business there is a certain amount of money that is needed. To start a internet company is definitely not cheap. To franchise bubble tea is not cheap too, as certain amount of money is needed and not to say alot of effort too. But who predict that the internet bubble burst?????and who will predict the fierce competition for bubble tea. All the people before investing their money into their respective business all have good guts feeling that it is going to work out for them. But nevertheless time will tell whether you are a winner or a loser. Some people may have their fortune shrink and some even worse involve in huge dept that was cause during their business venture. Who know you meet someone with the same thinking like you promoting cookie at the same bloke? Then what will happen? Price war?
Of course everyone want to do everything as planned , safe and steady but sometime thing just dun work out as you have plan lor. When you are in the business world, there will be situation that will force you to take certain uncalculated risk in order to be able to proceed to the next stage. And that is what I know as " No Risk No Gain" cos. I cannot predicts what will happen when I take this plunge or investment.
Not all the people are like what you have stated " then they will invest heavily into the business without thinking the future " who wouldn't like to be well planned, sometime it is simply because that they have no choice. It either that you are in or out of the race. If everything in this world can calculated and planned ahead carefully then there is definitely no risk and sure gain only.
As for the Fruits stalls, do you think they are still able to make profits on the discounted fruits? No way, like I have stated only " certain items " are placed on discount and what they hope for is at the end of the day. Those that are not on offer can offset the losses incurred by those discounted fruits. It is a marketing strategies to advertise their store. If they are making profits and at the same time able to advertise themselves to the whole of Singapore why aren't they carry on doing so? In anycase it is a win win situation. Making themselves famous and making profits at the same time. The reason " They are incurring losses at the expense of advertising their store name ". Read carefully what I stated before.
" And last but not least....do you think people really going for the undiscounted fruit? get some oppion from those who buy it " This sentence of yours I really dun understand at all? I understand people go for discounted fruits cos. I seen it on news report on TV. But people going for " undiscounted " fruits ???? if there is no discounted and those that on discounted are of very bad quality, of cos. loh. If not then what else to do?
And pls. do some simple calculation. Check with yourself how many household from a blk that need to buy from you before you can make a sustainable profits to cover your daily expenses???? And how many blk can you cover in a day. And at the end of mths is the profits worth all your hard work or not at all? Or you can earn the same amount or even more while working less hours as a employee outside?
There is this saying " ALL ROAD LEAD TO ROME ". There are many way to be successful and whether you want to take the big, comfortable and smooth highway OR the rough, difficult to access mountain road? WORK HARD but WORK SMART too and who know with abit of luck everything will work out eventually.
JUST WISH YOU ALL THE BEST LOH.

TONY.
(P.S.. Want to know my age just check my profile will do. I am still young too but willing to listen to others people experience and inturn to learn more thing from people of all works of life and to gain vital knowledge that can be useful to myself in my future planing. Open your heart to opinions of others as what they stated may be their own experience which is previous knowledge. I have learn much from alot of friends and facts are practically shown to me and experience it by myself so why wouldn't I know what fact is)