Setting up a rep shop?

[Xiorell]

Originally Posted by DeanThorpe

any business can make a lot of money.
any business can fail.
it doesnt matter what you sell [within reason]

People are making money from the herp hobby.
some more than others.

to say its a dumb idea is.. well.. dumb.
it would be daft to go into anything thinking it will suceed no matter what.
but its dafter to assuem soemthing wont and not go there.
The majority of the sales will be made up of things that do infact just sit there, as in accesories.
however the mark up on livestock is very good, and assuming you dont have the same reps sititng there over a month, 2 months, the food wont eat into the profits too much and plenty can be made on the animals themselves also.

many ppl get jobs/set up businesses because they WOULD LIKE to make money doing that... its a good starting point... from there you have to make it work.

Well said.

As far as the reserch, yeh, do it. Lots of it. Till it hurts.
I spent 18months reserching the pub business and then realised, no, not the area I want to invest in, so now I am looking into other fields of interest, some new ideas, some resurrected old ideas, but I'll do the same levels of reserch into each before I commit to anything, as I did with the boozer idea.

[Snakes r grreat]

Originally Posted by DeanThorpe

well it is as theres a few ppl here who have recently opened thier own reptile shops.

you dont research "step by step opening a reptile shop" on google

Yes, the internet needs to be used, but not for all of the research. Too many people think its too easy to open a shop, never mind a rep shop, they need to go out and speak to people who have dont it, the bank, supplies etc etc etc.

[leptophis]

my advice would be go and spend some time with some reptile shops out of the area and chat to them about how dfficult it can be, it can be rewarding but equally very stressful, certainly you need a wide experience of reptiles,

[BecciBoo]

Most local councils require atleast one of the people applying for a Pet Shop Licence to have a City and Guilds Pet Store Management Certificate! So going back to college would be a start! Apparently not even an ND animal management and a animal related Degree is enough for my local council...


Also you could contact your local Business Link...They have loads of information on setting up all types of businesses and are a great help!

[madaboutreptiles]

Very true about the City and Guilds in Pet Shop Management but my local council has agreed to issue a License (assuming the premise is up to standard) if I am studying for the C&G. They will put a reasonable time time frame for me to complete the exams (2 years).

i have already researched all my suppliers for dry goods and livestock supply, my main task now is to find a suitable premise and hopefully I will be up and running by the end of next year. No point in rushing in to it and having a "half Arse" shop because people will come in once, brand the shop as rubbish and never come in again.....first impressions count for a great deal.

It does take a lot of research but I see no reason why if you have a good shop it will not make money.......but just remember how many shops you have been in and thought "that place was crap, I am never going in there again".........Good Luck

[BecciBoo]

Originally Posted by Palmanda

Very true about the City and Guilds in Pet Shop Management but my local council has agreed to issue a License (assuming the premise is up to standard) if I am studying for the C&G. They will put a reasonable time time frame for me to complete the exams (2 years).

Can I ask where you are studing for the C&G? or does anyone know any colleges that do it?

[WeThePeople]

Originally Posted by Snakes r grreat

The best advice i can give you is research, research, and research. And sorry, but asking on forums is not research.

Why wouldn't asking a forum with plenty of shop owners be good research?

[yellow_rat_gal]

I think he means that you should find out about your area, council rules etc, which you can't really find on a forum!

[Snakes r grreat]

Originally Posted by Snakes r grreat

Yes, the internet needs to be used, but not for all of the research. Too many people think its too easy to open a shop, never mind a rep shop, they need to go out and speak to people who have dont it, the bank, supplies etc etc etc.

Originally Posted by WeThePeople

Why wouldn't asking a forum with plenty of shop owners be good research?

If you had taken the above post into account, then maybe you would see.

If you were the bank manager, would you give a loan to someone who had done most of their research on the net? Over half of new business's fail within their first year, and here we have someone who only seems to have 2 leo's, who seems to think it would be a good idea to set up a rep shop in their local area, on the basis they dont think there are many in the area. So their first port of call is to jump on the forum and ask people to tell them how to do it.

Now as i said, yes, the net needs to be used as part of research, but there is much much more that needs to be done first.

And seeing as you havent actually offered any help either, i will put some offers in.

- Do a survey of your local area for reptile shops, (going about 50 miles out at least), see what they stock, try and talk to them about what they do best on. Try and see for what they dont do, and see if there could be a niche for that which you could fill.

- If you have a local reptile society in the area, join them! These are the local people who will be your customers, and could give you the best advice as to what they would like to see from a local rep shop.

- Contact your local licensing department and find out what the requirements are to hold a pet shop licence.

- Use the internet for research.

- Contact potential supplies (both livestock, and dry goods), explain what you are hoping to do, try and get a trade pricelist, and see what deals they could offer you.

- See your local bank business manager, take all the information you have found out so far so that they know you are serious. They will tell you exactly what you need to do to move things on, and can advise you best on the financial constraints a new business will face.

Thats enough to start with, im sure other people who have done it, or spent the last 7 years researching this could add to it.

[madaboutreptiles]

Originally Posted by mina_the_witch

Can I ask where you are studing for the C&G? or does anyone know any colleges that do it?

I am doing it online as a distance learning course with the Pet care Trust, you do the study with online support and then they book you in for the C&G exam at an approved venue. They sit the exams twice a year I think