Starting My Own Aquatics Centre :)

[jojouk]

With my limited experience, I will go into a shop that has good livestock variety for fish, then buy my bits (apart from food) online. Food I go to the cheapest place. But then I'm a cheapie.

I think good, rare in that area, stock brings in the customers, then your wit, charm and knowledge sells them the rest

 

[Craig89]

If your knowledge is freshwater than stick with that for now, don't bite of more than you can chew. Don't forget people will want advice a helpfull tips which you won't have if your new to marine, that's were a good bussiness plan comes in. Stick to freshwater for the first 2 years whilst you learn new skills on the marine side then if the bussiness takes off and your doing well employ somebody that has the knowledge of marine.

Another thing I would say is invest in the aesthetics of the shop choose colours and lighting that works well with tanks.

Look at setting up the web side of things gives you another stream of income and another avenue for advertising.

Know your customer, make sure you speak to everyone that comes through the door don't try be a salesman all the time don't ask "are you ok there" ask open questions get them talking if they don't buy first time they will come back if you give top quality service.

 

[Jay-93]

Just an idea, but maybe try and start up a breeding project? A whole new business is very risky, but if its just the enjoyment of the fish that you're looking for, look for a rare species, or something that fetches a lot of money, e.g. Zebra Plec, then get in touch with stockists around the country. I think the pressure of running a business may detract away from your interest in fish. But good luck if you decide to do so

 

[Cazgar]

Playing devil's advocate here.
We all know a business is about making money, so here's the scenario.
Someone comes in wanting to set up a new tank.
They choose the tank, stand, filter, heater, food, plants, substrate etc, then they want to buy fish.
They want them now or they won't buy the tank, & everything that goes with it.
Do you be honest & lose a big sale, or do you refuse & tell them about fishless cycling where they'll have to wait weeks to add fish?
That's the reality, can you do that & go against the welfare of the fish?
If not, then the fish business isn't for you.

 

[mhancock]

What an interesting thread! I'd love to set up a store and have often thought through these issues.

Hope it works out, keep us posted!

 

[jojouk]

Playing devil's advocate here.
We all know a business is about making money, so here's the scenario.
Someone comes in wanting to set up a new tank.
They choose the tank, stand, filter, heater, food, plants, substrate etc, then they want to buy fish.
They want them now or they won't buy the tank, & everything that goes with it.
Do you be honest & lose a big sale, or do you refuse & tell them about fishless cycling where they'll have to wait weeks to add fish?
That's the reality, can you do that & go against the welfare of the fish?
If not, then the fish business isn't for you.

You make sure you have a stock of cycled media to sell to them as well?

 

[Craig89]

Playing devil's advocate here.
We all know a business is about making money, so here's the scenario.
Someone comes in wanting to set up a new tank.
They choose the tank, stand, filter, heater, food, plants, substrate etc, then they want to buy fish.
They want them now or they won't buy the tank, & everything that goes with it.
Do you be honest & lose a big sale, or do you refuse & tell them about fishless cycling where they'll have to wait weeks to add fish?
That's the reality, can you do that & go against the welfare of the fish?
If not, then the fish business isn't for you.

You make sure you have a stock of cycled media to sell to them as well?

Just what I was going to say, that would be offering something not every LFS does.

 

[the_lock_man]

Fantastic idea though, if i was to come into any considerable money then it is something i would invenst heavily in...but more a 'bespoke', private tank sale and inclusive maintainence company/group.

Terry.

Taff, you and I are going to have go into business together, VERY soon.....

 

[the_lock_man]

My usual lfs (I have a choice of several in my area) will always take in livebearer fry and they will take them virtually from birth. They give no credit for them - so this gives them 100% profit once they are ready to sell on. This may be something consider doing yourself. If you have a steady flow of regular customers bringing you their unwanted fry it's less you would need to buy in.

See, that's another idea I'd had - set up breeding tanks for the bread&butter stuff, like platies and guppies - and never buy them from a wholesaler.

 

[deftuch]

You would need to mix that good rare stock with 'bread and butter' fish though too. Not everyone wants rare breed fish. A lot of people are happy to have guppies, platies, neons, barbs.
To make a profit you would need to appeal to the widest market possible.

My usual lfs (I have a choice of several in my area) will always take in livebearer fry and they will take them virtually from birth. They give no credit for them - so this gives them 100% profit once they are ready to sell on. This may be something consider doing yourself. If you have a steady flow of regular customers bringing you their unwanted fry it's less you would need to buy in.

I think you'll get quite a few idea's for your business with this thread. We're all fishkeepers so we can tell you what we like and what we don't

yeah offcourse i would stock the simpletons too! and youre right, id be more than happy to take in free fish lol

Playing devil's advocate here.
We all know a business is about making money, so here's the scenario.
Someone comes in wanting to set up a new tank.
They choose the tank, stand, filter, heater, food, plants, substrate etc, then they want to buy fish.
They want them now or they won't buy the tank, & everything that goes with it.
Do you be honest & lose a big sale, or do you refuse & tell them about fishless cycling where they'll have to wait weeks to add fish?
That's the reality, can you do that & go against the welfare of the fish?
If not, then the fish business isn't for you.

You make sure you have a stock of cycled media to sell to them as well?

yes thats a very valid point you made there. and an even better solution. what a great idea to keep stocked filter media. il just charge then £2.50 for a 6 by 6 inch bit of mature media. that way i should be able to explain to them about cycling and sell them the tank and not lose too much money on the media itself!

 

[StandbySetting]

If it were me I'd just give filter media away for free, or for what it costs for the media, it'd allow you to build a better rapport with customers instead of profiting from it. A lot of new fish keepers can be quite ignorant when it comes to cycling and by charging them they'll presume you're taking them for a ride. Loyalty schemes are a good way of attracting new customers and keeping old customers too.

 

[deftuch]

If it were me I'd just give filter media away for free, or for what it costs for the media, it'd allow you to build a better rapport with customers instead of profiting from it. A lot of new fish keepers can be quite ignorant when it comes to cycling and by charging them they'll presume you're taking them for a ride. Loyalty schemes are a good way of attracting new customers and keeping old customers too.

yeah i know what you mean there. however id someone is gunna buy a complete new set up from me and i educate them on the importance of mature media and so on. im sure they would be delighted to take a piece for £2.50 plus keeping mature media is more of a pain than it sounds. youd have to keep constantly replacing the media tyhat your selling and keep tabs on which ones are mature or not. plus the filter would have to be connected to a tank containg fish in, would make thew upkeep of that specific tank harder too!

 

[Liam50]

i would say if you're going to do anything specialist you need to have a mail order fish service. also having a website is critical i work for a tropical fish shop and sometimes our online shop makes more than the actual shop.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Create your own niche market eg. specialise in fish that will thrive in your local tap water. When I discovered how hard and alkaline my local tap water was, I would have loved to have gone to a LFS that stocked a wide range of fish that will do well in such water.

 

[Welshweeks]

And don't forget of course that you would have to give members of this site a nice discount

Seriously tho, good luck I hope you get it off the ground and I would imagine that people would buy equipment from you off here if the prices were competitive.

The mature media is a very good idea.