One of my clients that purchases outdoor gear, typically does so at trade shows. There’s one in Orlando he typically visits and purchases there for the store.

I’d also say sponsor an up and coming rider so that gets your name out there and help them get better gear for free.

Who is your target outside of the obvious photo professionals? I’m assuming you’d rent to anyone, but maybe consider people who might aspire to be content creators, real estate photographers, or bloggers in your area.

I think part of the problem is your solution too. Gear is expensive, so you’re feeling the same pain potential customers are as well, so exploit that in terms of “try before you buy” or “need gear, but don’t know what you need?” type content. I’d also suggest a blog on your site educating customers.

You tell people in person, but build the educational side on your site as a reference point if they’re on a gig and run into trouble. Start with the basics like the exposure triangle and move on to things like lens selection and filters. Make them dead simple for pure beginners too. There’s plenty of masterclasses and pro level content out there, but sometimes an ELI5 goes a long way.

See if there are any content creators in your area and maybe strike a rental deal. Tired of using your phone, I have better equipment for long or short term rental and I’ll show you how to use it to produce better content.

Hope this helps!

I was told when I was de-installing them back around 2013 that most of them were going to Europe where film was still prevalent.

I worked on Gretag 740, Noritsu 3011, and KIS 1510 or 1670 machines. The Gretag was both film and paper in one, but the Noritsu and KIS machines were separate film and paper. V30 and FP19 respectively.

Maybe the model numbers will help in your search

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

Sure, you can DM me with any questions you have.

As for market research, you can always ask questions at grocery stores or restaurants. You know what types of dishes or salads the greens you want to grow are good with or in, so maybe play dumb and act like what you’re “looking for” isn’t available and if they know where you can find it. Instead of a direct response like “I’d love to buy your product”, look for more subtlety like “we’d love to offer it, but just can’t it get here fresh locally”.

One of my prospective clients does mushroom growing like lions mane and a couple of others and gave me a tour of his grow room. It’s probably 1x2 meters or so. Hydroponic greens take a little more space though, but can be done vertically. Maybe start with one vertical unit where the lights are in the center and the plants grow around the edge.

Good luck!

Have you grown microgreens before? I know why they’re attractive to you as an offering as I’m basically the marketing person for a local farm in the US that’s about to release its own brand.

I’d recommend get the farm going with whatever resource you can muster together and not take a loan. I’m assuming the loan is for hydroponic equipment or some other growing resource, which is fine, but if you’re unsure of the market in your location it’s a gamble. Grow your audience with what you can produce, then when revenue comes in use that to fund the venture.

When you have product available for sale, obviously you’ll want to have a website with ordering available and the logistics of getting it to your customers worked out (delivery or pickup). I’d also suggest local places like independent grocers or markets where people who are health conscious shop. Let them educate their customers and they’ll buy finished product from you. I’d advise your strategy include both revenue streams. You’ll make more with direct retail, but it is also nice when someone consistently buys larger amounts.

Make sure your Google Business profile is setup properly. Encourage previous clients to give you a review there and post those on your site. Offer them a swag bag or something like that for positive reviews. When I did IT vendor work in the corporate world, survey results were everything and our bonuses were tied to them.

Reach out to a few other known tech blogs to write some guest articles for them or appear on podcasts, but make sure your site is linked somewhere on their page as part of the agreement.

Other techies don’t buy your services, just remember you have to impress the suits and give them good ROI, so reflect that in all your content.