I agree with all of this when I go to stores I like to see normal animals with just a few exotics. And keep everything perfect and clean and go out of your way for customers to make them happy.Mike D;2493220; said:KEEP IT CLEAN!! ANIMALS HEALTHY!! AND HAVE GOOD EMPLOYEES!!
Those are the most important. ive been driven away from many places due to lack of these things.
I like tanks clean! tanks arent clean= me turning around and taking my bussiness else where. keep fish tanks nice and clear and fish nice bright and active. Also keep animals looking healthy. keep sick/ not so good looking ones in the back. this goes for fish and herps. my eyes ussually go right for those. they stick out like a sore thumb
Keep good employees on hand. i hate going into places and having employees who know NOTHING! i hate getting fed bullsh*t when they think you know nothing. it just makes me want to leave. i like going in and getting noticed right away to, makes me more apt to buy something if the help is there right away.
keep care sheets everywhere as well. employees that know there stuff are good but having tangible info is a huge plus. let people walk around and read it while they shop around. helps them come up with better questions which in the end would help with a better transaction.
I wouldnt keep alot of high end stuff on hand right off the bat. you will loose money. think about the feeding, electricity, and other expenses that will go into each animal. more cost consuming with herps than fish. keep a real good variety of beginner fish and intermediate fish. you can keep some high end fish as well. but keep more mainstream ones. keep the high ends to special order. its nice to have a place to go to who can get you what you need with a quick phone call.
ive been dealing with a little hole in the wall shop for years now. i get great service, get greated as soon as im there. sometimes i end up talking with him for an hour or more everytime im there. i can call him on the spot and he has what i need. if he cant get it he sends me where i can.
also take some accounting classes in high school and college if you go. you dont have to be the accountant but it will help to know some of it.
And good luck with it all. i hope it all works out for you
thinking about buying a herp/fish store
- Thread starter dzb912
- Start date
some show animals that are not for sale, i know at my local pet store they have some painted turtles oout in the open which brings in alot of people, also a tucan. Im not saying buying a tucan for show, but maybe a nice panther Chameleon can bring in some people 
LBathory;2489924; said:
Awhile back I thought about a Fishfarm here in S.Florida with unusual fish esp cichlids and some herp pens like tortoises,turtles ,tegus but your right its a business and what I want and the market/public want are very different things.
go to school. get a college education. I'm sure you know a lot about the hobby now, I'm not doubting you whatsoever. But if you're getting a formal education in biology, studying fish or herps or whatever, it's going to attract more business. Think about it, at Petsmart, the associates rarely have a strong knowledge of fishkeeping. If I went into an LFS with an owner who not only was a hobbyist, but had a degree in what he was selling, I'd be sold. I'd never go anywhere else.
Keep in mind that we're in a recession too, that means that money is going more toward essentials, less toward hobbies. I think the best advice any young person can get is to get an education, get as much as you can. I'm a graduate student, so I'm practicing what I preach.
Either way, Good luck, theres nothing more exciting than someone who knows fishkeeping, opening up their own store!!
Keep in mind that we're in a recession too, that means that money is going more toward essentials, less toward hobbies. I think the best advice any young person can get is to get an education, get as much as you can. I'm a graduate student, so I'm practicing what I preach.
Either way, Good luck, theres nothing more exciting than someone who knows fishkeeping, opening up their own store!!
I'd offer the really colorful small fish like killies, exodons, pygmy gouramis, etc. as well as the monsters.
