Could you do better?

[john5748]

I have noticed over the past few months that there is a massive amount of complains (sometimes deserved) about the LFS / chain store and the inadequate staff and the advice they offer.

Has anyone started their own buisness due to seeing others and thinking "I could do better", I think a lot of people on this forum certainly have the knowledge.

If you were to open up your own LFS, how would yours be better than the competition?

 

[maos]

not have kids workin in them that are just there to earn extra money to drink cider on street corners on a saturday night and know nothing about nothing!

 

[smithrc]

Other than having your own store there is not much money in it for the staff as its just a sales role and the money is not good - (I nearly did it - as much as i would have loved to, I just can't afford to).

Retierment will be when the fish shop comes (if in 30 years time people still keep fish )

 

[maos]

and..i wouldnt sell amphibians and put them in water with a heater and no surface to come out of water and rest

and i would tell people about how a thing called cycling exists and not sell someone an all in one aquarium set up with fish on the same day

 

[john5748]

not have kids workin in them that are just there to earn extra money to drink cider on street corners on a saturday night and know nothing about nothing!

I wouldn't place all "kids" in the same bracket as I have asked some questions on here before and it is normally the "kids" which are very educated and are more than capable of teaching me a few things about this fishkeeping buisness.

You don't say where you are from, though I am guessing the south of England, is that a good guess?

 

[SirMinion]

There was a similar thread to this back in November, and again in May.
here's what I wrote:

If I were to open my own fish store, and assuming I had plenty of financial backing, here's what I would do:

• With enough room & funds, I would actually build a public aquarium into the store and charge admission.
  
• The aquarium would house adult sized fish of all the commonly sold large species, such as Pacu, RTC, TSH, Balas, Mbu, large plecs etc so that people considering buying them could see what they are letting themselves in for.
  Many of the fish in these tanks would be donations from people who no longer have the room for them.
  
• I would have a small photography concession in there too, selling camera films and a small range of cameras & accesories.
  
• I would give admission vouchers as sales incentives such as buy £2000 of hardware, get free admission for a year or spend £100, get two free tickets.
  
• My staff would all be fishkeepers themselves, each having an interest in a different range of species.
  
• Each tank would be labled with the fish's water requirements, it's adult size and it's temperament. There would be tape measures on strings so people could see what 36 inches actually looks like.
  
• Each tank would be labled as to it's suitabilty to the local water.
  
• I would have a separate section for beginner's fish where all the easy to keep fish could be found.
  
• I would have a 'photo wall' where people could pin up photos of the fish they've bought and are thriving - I'm attempting to make the store into a community and build customer loyalty.
  
• I would have a cafe in the public aquarium, surrounded by large fish while you drink your tea. The main lighting in the cafe would be the dancing light reflected from the water in the tanks.
  The cafe would also be hired out as a function room and conference facility.

Recycling is good for the enviroment

 

[john5748]

SirMinion sorry for repeating this topic but at least all you have to do in 6 months time is cut and paste

As for your LFS I think your are talking about opening up a new Seaworld

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I would quarentine fish much more effectivly when they get deseases than my lfs, i would also make sure newb's to the hobby know about the basics at least about cycling and stocking tanks correctly too. I would stock far less fish that grow huge like common and sailfin plecs or oscars etc, i would not sell terotorail or vicious fish like CAE's and i would not sell large growing goldfish. I would not sell tanks smaller than 2gallons and i more try to stock more rare bettas like cronwtails rather than just VT's all the time.
I would take in all types of fish for free or a bit of money and i would also take in and sell second hand tanks and related gear. I would stock more books about good fish keeping and not at such expensive prices- i would also train staff better on fish keeping too.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

everyhing said on here is great but as smithrc said the money is thing to do what ost people on here want as sir minion has said would requir a sitatuion where making profit wasn;t an issue. but lfs have to make profit, and to do so many unfrotualy my cut corners now adn then

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I think if lfs followed my pointers you could still make profit, maybe even more, but it would require a bit more effort and time but then again it would most likely pay off in the long run...
All buisness's take a while to actually start making profit when first starting off and many people's main concern is just making that money asap but with most long lived buisness's, the longer you take setting them up and the harder you work the more likely they are too survive.

 

[Synirr]

I want to go to SirMinion's fish shop!!!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yeah SirMinions shop would be cool to go to but how practical it will be at making profit is questionable- you'd need a heck of a lot of money to set it up and keep it running in the first year of been set up.

 

[Isis_Nebthet]

I want to go to SirMinion's fish shop!!!

Me too

Can you carry landscape timbers and liner too though? I'm having one heck of a time building my indoor pond with no lumber l

 

[glolite]

I want to go to SirMinion's fish shop!!! 

Me too

Can you carry landscape timbers and liner too though? I'm having one heck of a time building my indoor pond with no lumber l

If we all go and work with Sir Minion, with all our joint knowledge and past experience with fish, our customers would start out on a much better basis for keeping healthy fishies. It could work you know.

 

[DMan99]

If i started my own LFS i would give it a personality. Each member of staff would have a piece of laminated paper with their picture and information with regards their expertise and at the front of the shop there would be a big board that says 'Working today..' so customers instantly are familiar with the staff. I would also have a shop pet, sounds silly lol but it would just be one particular fish in its own display tank, it would never be for sale. It would have a name, its personality and in the area around its tank would be book about that species of fish, and information about setting up a home for one. I would have behind the scenes quarantine tanks so that when new arrivals come in, instead of being quearantined where everyone can see them, if the bring with them a disease, having a diseased tank, whether its being treated or not is not great. So by the time the fish are for sale, they would be completely healthy. Each tank for sale would have fish profiles next to them about the different fish in the tanks, Cycling would be emphasized with different products, books and leaflets in the store. Filtration, lighting, heating, decoration would all be very OTT. So as the customers have to notice it, the shop would have to be enjoyable for everyone, have an atmosphere so if everything was easy to see and accessible people would take a greater interest. Newbies find the thought of buying a tank, setting up a filtration system quite daunting, so this would have to be simplified for them so not to put potential buyers off yet all the necessary information would be available. Discounting would come with loyalty. For example the more you visit the shop the more discount you get. It would all be logged, so that a customer who comes in one a week started off with no discount, eventually got 5% and is now receiving 20% however other customers who pop in far less would only be on 5%.

It's a shame there is so little money in the industry as it would be a brilliant and intereting career!

dman