What did it take to get started from start to open, how much did you put into it before opening, and what would you do differently?
ATTN: anyone who has opened there own lfs
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my friends opened a fish shop,,,he sells all tropical fish but he specialises in selling bettas and he sells agood 70% by post from ebay and his website,,,
what sort of things do you need to know?
his idea which is good is having filters seperatly for each tank,,if you get an outbreak its then contained to that tank,,,start of small then upgrade the shop once youve established a costomer base and make sure you obtain the correct licences,,phone you local council to find out what you have to do...
obtain tanks/a good stockist and shop stands for tanks,,,equipment,,,for you and for selling
what sort of things do you need to know?
his idea which is good is having filters seperatly for each tank,,if you get an outbreak its then contained to that tank,,,start of small then upgrade the shop once youve established a costomer base and make sure you obtain the correct licences,,phone you local council to find out what you have to do...
obtain tanks/a good stockist and shop stands for tanks,,,equipment,,,for you and for selling
well I'm looking for locations to open up right now and just wanted to get some different ideas from some MFK experts. My town definitely needs something better than just petco and petsmart.
Remember - dry goods are very important to keep you going. Livestock can eat up a lot of money if you have a bad shipment.
Best thing to do is to offer a different angle to the big chains - be nice and friendly so customers feel under no pressure to buy and they will trust you more.
Bear in mind it can be a very seasonal trade - in winter people are indoors more and will spend more on their indoor tanks. Summer is pond season where the trops take a back seat.
HTH
Best thing to do is to offer a different angle to the big chains - be nice and friendly so customers feel under no pressure to buy and they will trust you more.
Bear in mind it can be a very seasonal trade - in winter people are indoors more and will spend more on their indoor tanks. Summer is pond season where the trops take a back seat.
HTH
How big of store? How many square feet?
Who will work there?
What will you sell? Exactly?
dog food, hamsters, reef, exotic birds, etc...
How much money do you have?
Location is critical.
You will be devoting your life to this for the first years if not for as long as it is open.
Definitely, without a doubt, no 2 ways about it, WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN, when doing so DOUBLE AND EVEN TRIPLE expected costs. Be as realistic as possible about sales.
If you are not a good do it yourselfer and highly motivated - DO NOT BOTHER - no one will hold your hand, no one will help you, many will try to screw you over with advertising gimics, alarm systems, phone companies, etc. etc. etc. You have to be very, very, savvy.
Who will work there?
What will you sell? Exactly?
dog food, hamsters, reef, exotic birds, etc...
How much money do you have?
Location is critical.
You will be devoting your life to this for the first years if not for as long as it is open.
Definitely, without a doubt, no 2 ways about it, WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN, when doing so DOUBLE AND EVEN TRIPLE expected costs. Be as realistic as possible about sales.
If you are not a good do it yourselfer and highly motivated - DO NOT BOTHER - no one will hold your hand, no one will help you, many will try to screw you over with advertising gimics, alarm systems, phone companies, etc. etc. etc. You have to be very, very, savvy.
WELLLLL, my 2 cents or a lot more then Im willing to write at the moment. But first I disagree with the post about dry goods! Livestock is now where it is more then the dry part. Anybody can buy anything over the net. But livestock is more personal and the cost & will cost a ton more to ship in for most people.
I'm going on 17 years with my own & about 24+ years in the business. I have been there, done that, herd that & seen it in my days. Not saying I know everything but a lot I do know. Common sense and respect and you do not need a college degree to have these.
You are on to something though. In the trade mags they have been saying that the independents (mom & pop) shops may make a come back because people are tired of the big boxes of crap. Not just in the pet trade.
A business plan for sure even though I did not do mine until about 10 years later?
You need to research your area. Check if you have a local SCORE (retired business pros) that help for someone starting a business etc.. Plus other free workshops. They will tell you to have 6 months of capital to start.
You need to have a nich in your area. Not to hard with a PetCo or Petsmart. These guys make me look real good. Plus the managers of these places actually come & buy from me! They are always sending customers my way since they can not provide the knowledge or service or the variety of cichlids, rare & odd ball stuff. They are stuck with selling the same old & can not do much more then that.
I also agree with a individual tank filter setup. Go old school. Central systems not worth the money!
Also do not plan on getting rich! Also no paid vacations or health care! If you do enjoy it but dont get to greedy. One of the number ONE things you will here with any business is getting good help. They are hard to come by. Because they always do not have the passion as you may. Be a hobbist by blood & it will show when someone walks through the door. But also remeber it no longer is a hobby once its a business! My first year I had two days off (Barely) I basically now I only have two days off a month now. But I enjoy what I do still.
Suppliers (at times bigger pain in the arses) There is a lot of crap going on behind the scenes in this business that will make your head spin. At times I want to say f it because of the all the bull crap. Remember customers can be some of the biggest pain in the butts. But then some make it all worth while.
I'm been thinking of expanding and open a couple more stores but my head starts to spin thinking about it. Biggest problem is someone to run it & trust them and pay them good and have the love of the hobby all in one. I have been asked in the past to franchise but thats a whole another ball game in itself. I have been even offered up to a million bucks in invested in me & my business before! Then i would turn into a corporate puppet and have to answer to someone else or worry about paying that money back!
well I could write a book (which I have considered) but no time.
Your welcome to email me & I can try to help some more. Or add on to this thread later on..
Me Dave
www.SomethingFishyinc.net
I'm going on 17 years with my own & about 24+ years in the business. I have been there, done that, herd that & seen it in my days. Not saying I know everything but a lot I do know. Common sense and respect and you do not need a college degree to have these.
You are on to something though. In the trade mags they have been saying that the independents (mom & pop) shops may make a come back because people are tired of the big boxes of crap. Not just in the pet trade.
A business plan for sure even though I did not do mine until about 10 years later?
You need to research your area. Check if you have a local SCORE (retired business pros) that help for someone starting a business etc.. Plus other free workshops. They will tell you to have 6 months of capital to start.
You need to have a nich in your area. Not to hard with a PetCo or Petsmart. These guys make me look real good. Plus the managers of these places actually come & buy from me! They are always sending customers my way since they can not provide the knowledge or service or the variety of cichlids, rare & odd ball stuff. They are stuck with selling the same old & can not do much more then that.
I also agree with a individual tank filter setup. Go old school. Central systems not worth the money!
Also do not plan on getting rich! Also no paid vacations or health care! If you do enjoy it but dont get to greedy. One of the number ONE things you will here with any business is getting good help. They are hard to come by. Because they always do not have the passion as you may. Be a hobbist by blood & it will show when someone walks through the door. But also remeber it no longer is a hobby once its a business! My first year I had two days off (Barely) I basically now I only have two days off a month now. But I enjoy what I do still.
Suppliers (at times bigger pain in the arses) There is a lot of crap going on behind the scenes in this business that will make your head spin. At times I want to say f it because of the all the bull crap. Remember customers can be some of the biggest pain in the butts. But then some make it all worth while.
I'm been thinking of expanding and open a couple more stores but my head starts to spin thinking about it. Biggest problem is someone to run it & trust them and pay them good and have the love of the hobby all in one. I have been asked in the past to franchise but thats a whole another ball game in itself. I have been even offered up to a million bucks in invested in me & my business before! Then i would turn into a corporate puppet and have to answer to someone else or worry about paying that money back!
well I could write a book (which I have considered) but no time.
Your welcome to email me & I can try to help some more. Or add on to this thread later on..
Me Dave
www.SomethingFishyinc.net
