Taking matters into our own hands....possibly

[MsPuff]

Due to much frustration with the pet stores in our area, my other half and I are preparing a business plan to start our very own. We have many ideas already such as an instore refrence library, database of fish compatability and required conditions, specific care sheets for stock, providing new tank owners with cycled filter media/gravel with purchase of a new tank or just for purchase in general and eventually a delivery and in-home tank set up service.

Does anyone have any possible suggestions for us to make this a LFS to be proud of? It will likely be a year or so before we can set it up, but any and all suggestions and tips would be taken into consideration and greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Danielle

[Digital]

Due to much frustration with the pet stores in our area, my other half and I are preparing a business plan to start our very own. We have many ideas already such as an instore refrence library, database of fish compatability and required conditions, specific care sheets for stock, providing new tank owners with cycled filter media/gravel with purchase of a new tank or just for purchase in general and eventually a delivery and in-home tank set up service.

Does anyone have any possible suggestions for us to make this a LFS to be proud of? It will likely be a year or so before we can set it up, but any and all suggestions and tips would be taken into consideration and greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Danielle

Where will it be located? What is your budget?

[MsPuff]

It is to be located in our home town which has a population of around 100,000 including surrounding areas. We currently have 1 chain fish store that has a horrid reputation around town, and 2 lfs that while have quality product seem to be a little lazy in meeting the customers wants and needs. We are thinking about $25-$30,000 should be enough to get us up and running and keep the bills paid for 3 months until we build a customer base.

[ZSandmann]

Hmm I would suggest if you think it will take $25-30K then plan to have a budget double that. Murphey's Law and all that. Good luck in your venture. In my experiences with LFSs it seems that the owners once had a love for aquatics but the day to day of business has killed all their energy and excitement of the practice, don't let that happen and you should do great.

[Dwarf Puffers]

Here are some things that come to mind...

-Don't keep bettas in bowls.

-Have a couple display tanks (or one large one).

-Don't get huge fish like iridescent sharks, pacus, etc.

-Have large tanks ready to buy. If you stock clown loaches, have some 150's availible for purchase.

-Have a list on the wall of all the fish/plant species possible to order. This will attract aquarists who like rare fish.

-Have an awesome name :cool:

-Ask customers about their current tank setups before selling them a fish.

-Name your plants (and please, no terrestrials!)

-Have good caresheets with lots of info.


There're more, but that's all I have for now. Deffinately going to try to plan a trip once you're open! :)

[Sploke]

Speaking as a fish person, the reference library idea is awesome. If I see fish at a store that I like, I'll often just browse through the books they have for sale to get information. Having "store copies" available would be a great idea. Encourage employees to use them as well...I can't count how many times I've asked a question and seen an employee kind of make something up that sounds like it might be close enough.

Speaking as a business person, regarding your business plan - be rediculously exhaustive, and be realistic. Will you be starting this up from your own savings, or getting a loan? Many entreprenues I've talked to said "I had a business plan to show the bank, and a business plan for myself." The private one is basically ok, worst case scenario - how bad could this possibly go? Have an exit strategy. Do lots of market research, visit as many different stores as you can and take notes about things you like and don't like.

One book we used in my entrepreneur class in grad school was this one - http://product.half.ebay.com/Small-Business_W0QQprZ45321199QQtgZinfo Its a really good walk-through on deciding how to start a business and things to take into account when you are writing a business plan. Another good book is called Brewing Up a Business, by Sam Calagione, the founder of Dogfish Head brewery. He talks alot about the personal side of starting/owning a business as well as just the straight numbers side. Great book for entrepreneurs and beer drinkers both.

[Dwarf Puffers]

You should also post an AC advertisement on the front door ;)

[MsPuff]

We have been doing some research kind of in a self-educating manner to help us decide how serious we should be and have found out that there are numerous grant programs available to us where we could get between $1500 and $500,000 of free money to start up. Over the next year we will be working on the business plan and saving money and will top the rest required up with a business loan most likely. We are not looking to come out with a huge store right off the bat but to start small and grow gradually when it can be financially justified.

[Dangerdoll]

I think the library and database on the premises is an awesome idea and will set you aside from other stores big time!! Wish you were living in Central Jersey!!!

[ZSandmann]

If I had a Fishie Store I call it "Aquanuts"
I don't really know why but it has been stuck in my head for a while. :D

[MsPuff]

Speaking as a fish person, the reference library idea is awesome. If I see fish at a store that I like, I'll often just browse through the books they have for sale to get information. Having "store copies" available would be a great idea. Encourage employees to use them as well...I can't count how many times I've asked a question and seen an employee kind of make something up that sounds like it might be close enough.



That's exactly why we want to do it that way, I also have some training in building data bases and would like to have a computer in the refrence library with our data base on it for browsing of specs for specific fish (params, tank size etc..) for our customers and employees to use.

Not only do we feel this is the right thing to do to educate the customers... it will also allow us to tell them upfront... your good with 20 gallon tank right now but your going to need to come back within a year to get a 55 gallon. So it will be good for business as well.

We are also planning on keeping a database of customers so that we can track their purchases and offer programs to get free stuff... ie buy 10 of the same food and get the 11th free... which should easily help us steal customers from the other stores. The database will also help us in another idea we have to rent out movies (if we can find any) on carring for and training all sorts of different animals.

Also planing on not selling and cats or dogs but instead setting up a showcase for local animals shelters to help them get adopted.

Hope no one steals our ideas and moves here and beats us to opening our store.

[MsPuff]

If I had a Fishie Store I call it "Aquanuts"
I don't really know why but it has been stuck in my head for a while. :D

We are hoping to get the name Happy Pets but we will have to see what is available.

[DooSPX]

I wish you all the luck in the world....
I think that a good service and correct info would be a God send on the FS market. I also think you should not sell Goldfish bowls, and no betta house things.
tell everything that a betta should be in nothing less than a 1G heated, but a 2.5G or bigger is highly recommended.
also, goldish need BIG tanks and GET big. nothing less than a 29 or so for one fancy, and much larger for anything single tailed goldfish (commons, comets, shubs)

[cam191919]

id put it in sarasota, florida. we need a good freshwater aquarium

[Cheech]

one other thing. Don't smother the customer too much with info . . Some want to come in, do their thing and leave... Not all want to have lengthy conv. about fish and compatibility issues.

try to read your customer, offer help, keep your store clean, but don't forget that as great as it is to want to offer people oppurtunities to learn about great fishkeeping habbits, you have to think about business, and how to keep it rolling.

I hate walking into a store wanting to buy a quick item, and the owner keeps me there for 30 minutes talking about stuff, products, deals, etc etc etc . Sometimes I wanna go in, get the product, and split.

Good luck!

[cam191919]

what cheech said. and dont play collage rock really loud on the intercom. now thats annoying

[MsPuff]

All of our info would be accessible in the reference area, I know how annoying it is to have people all over you with info. Of course we will answer questions, but the refrence area would be there for those who don't want to get into a lengthy conversation...or are self conscious about questions they have.

[Catpicklesdog]

Sounds fantastic. My LFS started up in a similar way and I'm pleased to say that they do get the reference books out if they're not 100% sure. Keeping a database on your customers is an excellent idea (and one I've been working on my LFS to start) not only can you help advise them better when they purchase stuff but it will also help with cross selling.:grinyes:

Will you be doing fresh, cold and marine or concentrating on just one section to start off?

I wish you the best of luck!:grinyes:

[MsPuff]

Likely fresh to start with as I have the most experience with it, and brackish, but there's not a lot of demand for that in my area, so i'd probably do a beautiful brackish display tank to get people interested. I'd have to learn more about marine before putting any in the store, I'd like to do a tank at home here soon so that would be my learning experience. I'd hate to put marine in my store and end up killing fish by the dozens due to inexperience.

[turando101]

Hi,
I am from South Africa (now in Austria) and I want to mention two things:
If you do a brackish water setup take some stout cane (like the stuff you would have got a hiding with at school if you are my age :-O ) cut them to the right length and glue them onto glass. Cure and then place glass under the gravel with the canes sticking up like a reed bed, works amazingly well in a brackish.
OK more importantly, go to a cheap secondhand store and buy a couch for the store. A LFS (and their fish were really cr@p) did this and ended up moving out a six foot display tank to put another couch and a cofee (free) machine in. Loads of fish magazines (bought from a place that sells per kilogram) on a table and a couple of reference books. People used to drop in just to talk about fish and fishkeeping, I did that and forked out a fortune in new equiptment and ordering special fish. WHY? you may ask, easy, it was a relaxed atmosphere and I could come back a couple of times and chat to different people about the same product and get advise from other people just chatting away. It basically became its own "fish club".
...and a third idea, put out planning sheets for tanks, where people can look at the books and plan a tank from size to substrate, from filter to fish. Also you can get some free online programms that you can run on a computer where they can actually create their tanks on the computer and can see what it will look like.
Hope this helps
KarelM
PS: If neither of you have worked at an LFS, get a weekend job soonest! The experience will be worth its weight in gold.

[MsPuff]

Thanks turando, they are some really good ideas I am sure we will incorporate into our plans.

[judgemax]

might I suggest a kid friendly area?..I know as a parent, shopping at the fish store is a pain sometimes, ..maybe hit a thrift store, and in the corner of your reference room, put a kids table with fish color sheets and some older toys, ..lmao( i know it seems like alot to ask, but every time i go, i have to chase the kids and spend less shopping because i am to busy chasing:)

[J double R]

make it freshwater only

[jsayther]

my lfs has a frequent buyer program, i would go nonetheless, but i feel like it keeps me going there more often to see if there is anything to add to my card, it is only 2 percent of your purchase offer 10 bucks. and you can redeem when you get to 10 bucks. so you only get to redeem after 500 purchased which is pretty good. also it makes me buy something that may be more expensive there so i can get the reward of 2 percent of my purchase. just a thought.

jason.

[Easydoesit]

Due to much frustration with the pet stores in our area, my other half and I are preparing a business plan to start our very own. We have many ideas already such as an instore refrence library, database of fish compatability and required conditions, specific care sheets for stock, providing new tank owners with cycled filter media/gravel with purchase of a new tank or just for purchase in general and eventually a delivery and in-home tank set up service.

Does anyone have any possible suggestions for us to make this a LFS to be proud of? It will likely be a year or so before we can set it up, but any and all suggestions and tips would be taken into consideration and greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Danielle

sounds great.. ive thought of bringing the cycled media idea to LFSs and of printing out new and more informative care sheets for them.. but i have so many ideas coming and going that i forgot about it.
that will definitely be an upper-hand to attract knowledgable customers.. same with the referance library.
you should also have things to bring in customers who have never had a fish tank before and so far just like the idea.
if it's possible, you could have a fish tank desk in the front for customer service/questions or something. either that or a big, beautiful display tank for them to see right when they walk in.

good luck and i hope it works out!

[Easydoesit]

and watch out for doing it near a chainstore unless you want that kind of competition.
theres pros and cons to it.. more customers coming in your store..
BUT eventually i bet if the chain store saw you as a big threat, theyd kind of copy your ideas to bring their customers back over.
pros and cons to that.. big chain stores would maybe eventually become better and more informative.. your store might go out of business unless you could eventually franchise it b/c big stores buy in bulk-bulk n have deals and could temporarily have lower prices than you could with 1 store.
or maybe youd benefit greatly from bringing customers from the LFS across the street by getting a big customer base quick that you could start franchising very quickly and get on top of the game fast.
remember.. that when you have a new idea, you have to make it the best. if you dont, others will try and might successfully improve on your idea.

i dont know if thats what would really happen, i dont have any businesses or anything but im sure something along the lines of it.. maybe.
it really does sound great though, so i think you should be thinking BIG! you could change the whole LFS scene completely if you think it all through.

[Notophthalmus]

I think it's very cool that you're thinking of doing this, MsPuff. We need all the dedicated, knowledgeable, caring fish vendors we can get. I don't have much to add to all the good advice you've been getting already, but I would like to mention a few things I would like to see at an LFS:

Free pamphlets on basics such as cycling and water quality for newbies.

Clear info on adult size, diet, and other needs of each fish.

Lots of live foods. (That's something you might get started on now, to help you build up some capital; daphnia, worms, etc. are cheap and easy to raise and may not be available in many smaller markets)

Also, I agree with J Double R that it is better to stay away from SW; if you're not comfortable with it, don't do it. If you decide to branch out, herps and small mammals might be a better direction to go; much smaller initial investment for cages and such, and they're generally in high demand.

You also should meet and talk to as many local aquarists as possible. You have to know what they want if you're going to provide it to them!

[MsPuff]

we do plan on having all kinds of free info available, and I actually have a snail farm going now, will be starting shrimp as soon as or if any of our current lfs ever get any that is...

I don't know about keeping any exotics (lizards & such) as the stock in other local stores doesn't seems to go well. I am going to raise food for exotics though, pinky mice, crickets, eathworms, meal worms, super worms and the like. It's mostly going to be fish and accessories and foods for other pets. Probably hamsters and things like that (not for food, lol).

We do plan on putting sheets up on the tanks stating juvie tank sizes and adult requirements on all of our tanks so people know how big their little fishy is really going to get and what exactly they're getting themselves into.

Someone mentioned a childrens area, and that's a great idea. I have a young daughter and it is a pain to bring her to the store because she wants to touch everything. We could even display the pics they color up on the wall :)

I think it would also be a good idea to have contests with coustmers tanks for store credit and perhaps an annual draw for tank of the year for a free tank setup, or their choice of stock perhaps. Definitely drive in customers.

[jm1212]

have used media available for sale. you'll make a bunch if you can give the customer a product that will acctually cycle the tank in a few days.

think about ordering sand from other sources. get pool filter sand, play sand, etc. instead of that moon sand stuff they sell at Petsmart. it will keep prices down for the customer and you'll be able to mark them up a bit more from the prices at the hardware store while still remaining competative with other products at other LFS's.

everybody loves platies.

everybody loves neons.try to get fish that people wont normally see at large chain stores. Apistos, festivum, shell dwellers, scwhatz's corydoras, flagtail catfish, uaru, flagtail corydoras, and calvus come to mind. there are plenty more.

try to get in a green kissing gourami or two every once and a while. yes, they get big, and yes, they can be nasty, but green kissing gouramis are so cool looking when they are fully grown. plus, it will be a bit different from the regular pink ones.

as always, stay away from dyed fish, even if they may be financially appealing.
it isnt such a big deal with balloon mollies

dont stock common plecos please. if someone really wants one, let them special order it. rubberlip, bristlenose, otos, and siamese algea eaters a much better alternatives.

no CAEs or golden algea eaters

keep an invert tank!

[Rbishop]

- Have some tanks with the most commonly sold mistakes, full grown so the customers can see the future. Kissing gouramis, channel cats, clown loaches, Oscars, red devils, pacu.....the sight of them is more impressive than a fact sheet, especially when they start spouting other places saying a 29 gal is fine.

-Take some accounting/business management courses if you haven't. You might want to include courses learning the labor and unemployment laws in you area.

-Have some tanks set up with good recommended stocking levels so they can get an idea of what they can do.

[Lady G]

Sounds like a fun adventure!! Would make a wonderful LFS.:grinyes:

[judgemax]

i think a coding system labeling fish from beginner to expert and a level of care rating would be cool. Some fish really are more hardy, but i hate when its phrased that way.

[MsPuff]

i think a coding system labeling fish from beginner to expert and a level of care rating would be cool. Some fish really are more hardy, but i hate when its phrased that way.

I hate when stores say this too, I mean it would be one thing to explain it out that yes these fish are a lot more tollerable to not so perfect conditions, but I find most of the stores use it as a gimmick to get lazy people into the hobby by making them think they won't have to do any work.

[Hooked Newbie]

PM me. I've been in the planning stages for about 6 months now. Perhaps we can bounce ideas and benefit all. The Aquatics business section of www.wetwebmedia.com (http://www.wetwebmedia.com) is a great resource.

[cam191919]

scientific and common names.

[Sploke]

One thing that one LFS near me does is, once every few months they will sell a tank setup super cheap. I got a 75gal with stand, glass tops and a T5 single strip light for 200 bucks. They then give you a coupon for 10% off liverock/livestock for the tank. So, you might not make much on the tank setup, but its a good way to snag a new customer and get some repeat business.

[Dwarf Puffers]

and watch out for doing it near a chainstore unless you want that kind of competition.
theres pros and cons to it.. more customers coming in your store..
BUT eventually i bet if the chain store saw you as a big threat, theyd kind of copy your ideas to bring their customers back over.
pros and cons to that.. big chain stores would maybe eventually become better and more informative.. your store might go out of business unless you could eventually franchise it b/c big stores buy in bulk-bulk n have deals and could temporarily have lower prices than you could with 1 store.
or maybe youd benefit greatly from bringing customers from the LFS across the street by getting a big customer base quick that you could start franchising very quickly and get on top of the game fast.
remember.. that when you have a new idea, you have to make it the best. if you dont, others will try and might successfully improve on your idea.

i dont know if thats what would really happen, i dont have any businesses or anything but im sure something along the lines of it.. maybe.
it really does sound great though, so i think you should be thinking BIG! you could change the whole LFS scene completely if you think it all through.

I know of a few good pet stores, and believe me, the chains aren't copying them. Really.

[Sploke]

Chains are run by large corporations, which trickle down their business practices from far-off corporate offices to retail locations. The likelihood of a big box pet store of adopting ideas like a "research room" or a coffehouse-type area is for all intensive purposes, zero. Its a non-value-added feature to their target market. Given a choice, how many experienced fishkeepers here would buy their livestock at a box store rather than a nice privately owned LFS? I'm guessing very few if any. The target market they are after are the people that areon't going to do research, that come back and buy fish every 2 weeks because they can't keep them alive, etc etc. Its sad, but thats where the money is. How is it profitable to sell someone a few fish then teach them how to keep them alive for *gasp* five or ten years? I know it sounds cynical, but its business.

[Easydoesit]

true.. so the box stores tell you as little as they can about the fish so that theyll die quicker so youll have to come back and buy more fish?
seems like one of those things where its not said, but it applies.
shiesty...BUT
if what youre saying is true sploke, then the big box stores are kind of screwing themselves after they get those first purchases.
id say its more profitable to keep someone in the hobby for a while by making it enjoyable to them(giving them proper info so their fish dont die right away) than to just have them make a few purchases and have their fish die and give up.

im just thinking that if a fish store were good and had better care sheets and info, customers would come back to your store instead of the big box store that doesnt really care. i would atleast, and a lot more people care than you think. potential customers would probably also start to hear good things about the store... but like i said those are the customers who are into fishkeeping already, or know people who keep fish.
thats why i said you should have a way to bring in customers who just like the idea of a fish tank, like a big display tank right when you walk in or something.
then the customer might ask questions, and if not.. just give them a lil info if theyre making purchases.. maybe give them some info packets or whatever to bring home.
its not a law that people cant buy fish without knowing what theyre doing, so i doubt youd deny the few that come in and dont want to learn at all, but want to have fish.
youd still sell to them. the point is, you are giving/offering the info needed and trying to set your customers up to have a good fishkeeping experience... most chains around here dont do that.. none do actually.

if it wouldnt be considered competition as just a better store across the street, it would if it got franchised some day for sure.. but by the time that would be realistic it will have already be seen as a competitor im sure.

thats if prices were right.thats what im saying. im too cheap really, ill go wherever its cheaper unless it's not really a big price difference.
thinking big doesnt mean thinking unrealistically. yeah, not everything works out, but if you look at it from all angles and research all the time in different ways and areas, i think this really could be a big thing.

edit:: second to last paragraph, last sentence..
i dont mean as a competitor to the whole company of the big LFS that might be across the st, i mean just to that store location only