Money Made By Fish Store Owners
- Thread starter JCA
- Start date
i know the owners of several lfs stores and i would say they do pretty good but none of them drive mercedes its not that sweet of a job u just got to love doing it and i know they put in lots of hours to get where they are.
Every pet store owner I know that isn't exclusive to fish says the same thing... The money is all in dog food.
As armac pointed it, it depends on who you're talking about.JCA;522793;522793 said:
Independent fish store owners vs franchisees: one tends to be hobby related, spends most of his financing on deposits and stationary then struggles to find the money for inventory; the other follows a proven plan, is typically well financed and goes in with a business plan.
Let ME point out that there's a distinction between running a fish store and owning a fish store.
You may be technically the owner because it's your name on the paper work but if you have to show up each day for the fish to get fed and money to come in, you're also the primary employee. You don't really own the store the store owns you. Even if the store is closed on a holiday, if it follows a regular closed day, like a Sunday, someone comes in to feed the fish and/or pets. Guess who?
If you're the REAL owner of a business, any business, the show goes on and money comes in whether you're there or not.
Most fish store "owners" just get by, floating between solvent and insolvent. They build the business, approaching retirement, hoping they can sell it with enough money in the sale to give them a retirement income. Some do, some don't. Most make about the same income they'd make as a teacher or street cop, but without the insurance and promise of pension. That'd be a little more than a musician that worked with a band that also taught lessons to supplement their income.
Also, you can't indiscriminately mix and compare fish stores and pet stores. They appeal to mostly different clientele. alot of LFS customers wouldn't enter a store with the animal and urine smells of a common pet store, although they wouldn't claim to be elitists. When I'm hit with that at the door, I normally close it, get back in my car and drive away.
A normal pet store customer wouldn't be satisfied with the offerings of the typical live fish store either. They'd be bored. "Where are the snakes?" " Do you have puppies?" "Isn't that cute."
It basically boils down to the reason you chose the business. If you started the store because you "loved the hobby," you'll probably make less. If you were looking for a business and chose a fish store, you would have made more if you'd chosen another type of business. Hobbyists are not normally good businessmen. Businessmen don't normally react well in dealing with hobbyists and their hobbies.