Going to get rich!

[Mike Cavanaugh]

All I have to do is throw two snakes together that I find at a local flea market... and a couple weeks later I can sell the babies for thousands of dollars right? Certainly it is a get rich instantly idea! I'm all in!

LOL

Seriously, As some of you know, I am considering opening a reptile shop in the future. It will sell snakes, other reptiles, supplies, and feeders. The research I have done so far shows that the feeder sales would be the backbone of the business. The biggest start up costs would be the rent and the display cagng... But so far it seems totaly doable.

I am sure there are others out there with similar plans... I am sure their are some out there that have already made this dream become a reality. Please share your thoughts! List the thousands of things that I am not thinking of that are key to consider!

Mike

[elevatethis]

Don't forget about all of the paperwork you'll have to do in order to start a legitimate business. There will be substancial fees and other costs that the state or county will charge in order to open a business.

After that, you'll have to begin upfitting the store which will also require permits for anything beyond shelving. Permits cost money and also take time to obtain. Also don't forget to check your local wildlife agency to see if you need any special permits to carry some of the animals in our hobby.

And your lease - many places want businesses to sign on a for a number of years. Make sure that you have the funds available to pay your rent for at least the first year UP FRONT because new businesses seldom make enough to cover all of their expenses in the first year or two of operation. Some take longer.

I don't see how even a small pet store could open with anything less than $50-75k in startup capital, so make arrangements accordingly.

[Colin Vestrand]

true true, i wrote up a biz plan for a small herp shop and the cost was right at $55k.

[Freakie_frog]

Wen I did my business proposial for Wildmorphs. my starting capital needed was 15,000.00 and that was home based. That has gone up cause of renivations and additional animals added.

[snakelady]

I wouldn't want to do it
but good luck to you if you decide to go for it.

[nevohraalnavnoj]

As the internet becomes more and more prominent, won't the need for pet stores decrease?

JonV

[starmom]

Well, we'll see.
The internet is exceedingly prominent and with shipping costs going through the roof (fuel shortages and expenses) I'm not sure how well that will hold up....

[ctrlfreq]

The internet is exceedingly prominent and with shipping costs going through the roof (fuel shortages and expenses) I'm not sure how well that will hold up.

Brick and mortar businesses are just as, if not more, susceptible than internet businesses to the impact of high shipping costs. In addition their proprietors have to pay the increasing energy bills, payrolls, and assorted taxes associated with maintaining a physical presence outside of their home.

[Colin Vestrand]

the internet can be as prominent as you want it to be, but the fact remains, as the hobby grows, the larger the cross section of people who would rather do business face to face will grow. if your prices are comparable then you'll succeed because your service will almost invaritably be better.
its just like banking - people love the convenience of internet banking, but when it really comes down to it, 90% of the customers would still like to go into the branch for most banking functions.

[nevohraalnavnoj]

the internet can be as prominent as you want it to be, but the fact remains, as the hobby grows, the larger the cross section of people who would rather do business face to face will grow. if your prices are comparable then you'll succeed because your service will almost invaritably be better.
its just like banking - people love the convenience of internet banking, but when it really comes down to it, 90% of the customers would still like to go into the branch for most banking functions.

I guess that will depend on how much of your business you expect to do locally. If I opened a shop in my area and had any ball python morphs over $200, I would expect to sell very few if any. There's just not a local market for that here.

JonV