For every business · How to, under 90 seconds
Which side am I on: do I sell to the anchor, or buy from it?
Follow the goods. If you deliver to the company and wait to be paid, you are on the supply side. If you buy stock from the company to sell on, you are on the buy side. It is decided per anchor, and being on both is common.
In short
- Follow the goods: if you deliver and wait to be paid, you are on the supply side.
- If you buy stock from the company to sell on, you are on the buy side.
- It is decided per anchor, and being on both is common.
Ask one question
For the company you trade with: do the goods go from you to them, or from them to you? If you deliver goods or services and then wait for payment, you are a supplier: supply side. If you buy stock from them and pay for it, you are a distributor: buy side.
What you call yourself does not decide it
Trader, agent, stockist, contractor, vendor: none of those labels settles it. The direction of the goods and the money does.
Why it is asked first
The two sides get different products, different costs and different obligations, and “is this a loan?” is answered for each side separately. Everything on this site branches on your answer, so it is asked before your business name.
If you are both
Common. A business can supply one anchor and distribute for another. That is two programs, one per relationship, not a compromise between them. Start with whichever is more urgent.
Next in this track
How do I join my anchor’s program as a supplier or distributor?