Rate My Fish Tank

Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:50 am GMT   Reply      

opening my own petshop soon...


srsly...











my boss and i are going to partner up and try to open up a petshop soon... damn it's alot of stress though... we're trying to do it as cheap as possible... but damnit... it's expensive... i might have to get a equity loan and try it that way... i need at least 20g's to start it up... and WAY more "g's" to get it started the way i want it to... damnit... this sucks...


anyways... anybody have any advice... lol... i allready have distributors down... but man i would really like to have a walk thru or something... i'm literetly doing this by myself... for a person that has no bussiness sense... it's a very hard experience... especially since i'm getting hassled by the city lately... they're making me get rid of all of my ponds... that totally sucks...



oh well... life sucks, and i have to get over it somehow...

so yeah...

i also need a name... i was thinking about "upscale aquatics" or "black market: custom aquatics"... we allready have a bussiness named black market...

we kind of want custom aquatics because we are starting to fabricate very fancy metal hoods and stands... we're making a 180g acrylic tank for jesse james right now... it's going to be in the west coast chopper's office... dope but expensive... i'm charging him 9 grand for it... lol... but it's going to be HAWT!!!...

Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:05 am GMT   Reply      

I know nothing about business, but I know right now it's really hard for ANY business or person to get a loan because of all the crap going on with the banks... I would wait at least a few months to see where the market goes, see if it stabilizes, and it might be easier for you to get more money for a better rate.

Sounds like you guys are already pretty successful, though, so it might be easier for you. Way to go on the Jesse James tank, too. Pics!

Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:12 am GMT   Reply      

yeah... we just started autocad'ing the designs this weekend... i have to convert all of that into numbers for the punch and fadal machine... yay fun... *roll eyes*...


but my work is pretty cool... hopefully these expensive over exsagerated tanks catch on and all of the rich hollywood type people start buying they... that would be awesome... the tank at work in our conference room is going to have titanium piping and all kinds of stuff... you'll see...

Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:15 am GMT   Reply      

G,
find something spiritual.....a word ...a phrase...a symbol, and build a name off that. For example, some word or something that means "all knowing" from your passion in Koi etc and incorperate it into the name ......I have a tattoo of a Hawaiian symbol of a turtle a "Honu" meaning peace, prosperity, good will, etd

it sounds redundant, but if your going to aproach a bank for money go to barnes and noble or someplace like that and get a program for building a business plan, i used one for my business, took about 3 weeks to get through but it makes you put things like finacials plans, employees, targets and goals on paper where you can see them and touch them....good for you and your partners and great for loaning institutions because it gives them something to touch and see, not just a dream or idea in your head, i think my buisness plan cost me like 100 bucks

good luck man..................you'll do great!!!

Boss

Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:39 am GMT   Reply      

Hey maybe I don't really know what I'm talking about cause if I did you'd have probably thought of it already..but doesn't the government give grants for small business owners trying to get on their feet?

I've actually had the thought of starting my own aquarium store (after I get some verse in saltwater and a house and kids, etc) and I wouldn't be entertaining it if I didn't believe the goverment can't give you something. That is before they start taxing the hell out of you.

I'm not sure if you could use that in combination with a loan but I know banks are very eager to loan money for promising small businesses (its always just a matter of the interest). And we all know you can make a lot of money in aquatics...Hell I've spent well over $1000 on 3 tanks One of the tanks themselves I didn't even buy and none are over 30gallons lol. Granted I didn't take a very smart approach. lol And of course as you say you'll have to spend a ton to get things started.

Goodluck.

Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:07 pm GMT   Reply      

thx... i'm looking into that... i need a couple of more g's i think...

Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:31 pm GMT   Reply      

you know there is a lfs here in kansas that is amazingly huge.... and they just keep hetting bigger.....and bigger and bigger
it is set up in an old tire shop and in the back is a massive 5000 gal "pond" that they have sharks in
one of the petco's here just went out of buisness and they bought up all of their old equipt
and are adding even more tanks,
i love that place and proof that there is lots of money making to be done in this