want to buy/start a pet shop - where do i begin?

kroberts13

Thank you Caroline, my biggest problem, is that the local education centre offers things like ballroom dancing and cake baking which caters for the needs of the usual bored house wife out here's I tried to find some business course and couldn't. Does anyone know any good distance learning schools?

Savvy_Sue

kroberts13 wrote: »

i do of course expect this, however i'm trying to find out what funding is available to be applied for to assist in purchasing and running this kind of venture, £30k is a reasonable sized deposit.

The Small Biz board has information about starting and running a business, including retail which has its own issues (you generally need staff from the off, because you have to be open when you say you will!). There's very little by way of grants, so whatever you can get from being ex-forces will be a bonus.

Tiddlywinks

kroberts13 wrote: »

i'm not really sure what to say to this, but i am trying ot reply to everyones comments. I am a large supporter of small business and prefer not to use large chains, there are people out there like me.

That might be your position, HOWEVER, in business you must make business decisions based on realistic projections / assumptions.

In times of economic depression, there is less money to spend and people will choose to spend it wherever they can get best value for money... if that involves internet based companies or large chains then that is what they will choose.

kroberts13 wrote: »

see thats something i don't understand, i find pets at home to be grossly unknowledgable when it comes to reptiles, and extortionately expensive in comparrision to small pet shops selling reptiles........ i REALLY don't understand why people buy from pets at home.

You NEED to understand WHY people choose the larger retailers... they will be your main competitors.

Again, just because you wouldn't shop there, don't assume your potential customers could be persuaded to change their buying habits.

kroberts13 wrote: »

my husband doesn't want to work in this field with me, so starting up together isn't something that would happen. he's got 5 years left in the forces, and wants to be a paramedic, so this is going to either be me on my own, or find a helper (i have 2 friends who'd expressed a wish to work for me)

As someone else has said, having a shop with live animals will require someone to attend 365 days a year so you simply cannot go it alone - you will need someone reliable and with adequate knowledge to cover for you for holidays, sickness etc.

I would never recommend employing friends - it's a recipe for disaster and friendships rarely survive.

I applaud you for wanting to start your own business but do think that you are looking through rose tinted specs... My SIL owned a pet shop some years ago - she decided she wanted a change of direction, left her highly paid city job and opened a pet shop (bought as a going concern). She had a wealth of business and finance experience and was very motivated yet she still encountered huge bumps along the way.

For instance, if you have a pet shop, the livestock will be stock - plain and simple. You say you're an animal lover... how will you cope with the livestock that doesn't shift? They will reach an age where they will not sell... what then? Keep them as pets, give them away, put them to sleep?

What about the animals that become unwell? Any treatment eats into your profits - judgement calls will need to be made... will you use your business head or your animal-loving heart?

How will you compete on price with the big guns? They have more buying power and more storage space for bulk purchases. I would never expect a small business to be able to compete with Zooplus.

A lot of feed / litter etc is heavy and bulky... you will need to have adequate dry storage with a reliable supply chain for replenishment - this is not as easy as it sounds. If you run out and disappoint a customer then they will go elsewhere, keep too much in stock and it ties up your cash and the best before dates loom.

What service can you offer which competes against the likes of Zooplus where they can be competitive on price and can deliver in bulk to the customer, post free?

Yes, you may have the knowlege to sell the exotic pets BUT what will keep the customer coming back for supplies?

Finally, we are in a recession and there is less money sloshing around - and there is no light at the end of the tunnel yet. If people are tightening belts then buying new pets becomes more of a luxury than a necessity. Plus, in feeding the pets they already have, people will make decisions on price and this is an area where a small business will always find it most difficult to compete.

You need to look at the reality of your idea - is it viable... start researching profit margins, operating costs (rents, taxes, business rates, utilities etc) and the competition.

Do you have the necessary skills - business / customer relations etc a love of animals is not paramount in running a business (even if it is animal related).

You say that you have no idea about the geographical area yet this is one of the most important decisions - the demographics of an area will make or break your business.

Bottom line? Know the market, know the customer and know the area.

katebl

Personally I avoid pet shops that sell live animals - there are too many in rescues having been abandoned without shops supporting the constant churning out of more from breeders.

Could you just sell pet supplies and offer pet services without having the animals for sale? You would find a lot of support from local rescues by doing so, and could bring yourself a lot of custom. If you plan on offering boarding services you'd have those animals on site anyway for your amusement.

If you were able to offer nail trims, microchipping, grooming services, this could prove popular.

Hillbilly1

The only pet shop I have seen do well recently is owned by a Vet Nurse. It offers all the supplies, not pets, but also does vet treatments that nurses are allowed to do. They also offer pet sittng/food delviery etc.

What makes it successful? The USP of veterinary care without the cost of visiting a vets.

If you choose to offer pet sitting you really should be insured, another £400 p/a.

I agree with alot of the OPs', I'm not sure if currently thsi would be a runner. I'm a VN and would not consider a pet shop liek the one the other VN has set up. She has done really well, but it has been a tough slog. She works 24/7. Without her USP it would not work.

Errata

I think you should spend a great deal of time learning how businesses work, what makes them profitable, what the nuts and bolts of owning and running a business actually are. Without this knowledge it doesn't matter if you'r flogging corn snakes or corn flakes, you'll go bankrupt.

Mojisola

kroberts13 wrote: »

The other friend hasn't a location either, he's currently forces and looking to open a kennels when he leaves the RAF.

Ideally, a kennels would be well away from other people so that the barking doesn't disturb neighbours. It doesn't sound like the best place to set up a shop. Customers would have to be really dedicated to drive out to buy from you.

Tiddlywinks

kroberts13 wrote: »

.... can anyone offer any information about buying a business thats already running?

the benefits from that i can see if that there would already be a client base, the business is already running, the stock is already there. what i would then need to focus on is molding the business into what i wanted.

If you buy a profitable business (why are they selling if it profitable?) as a going concern then it will have been successful for a reason. If you then decide to change it to better fit your ideas then you run the risk of damaging that profitable status as the existing customer base may not like the changes you make.

kroberts13 wrote: »

I have jut thought, I have had offer of a business partner from someone who is looking to start their own kennels, to open a shop on their land rent free, he's looking to start up about the same time as me.

There's nothing else I want to do with my life.

This type of random planning is not ideal really is it? How would he be a business partner?

You need to base you location on sound business research not on the fact that a friend is offering free land.

Savvy_Sue

kroberts13 wrote: »

my husband doesn't want to work in this field with me, so starting up together isn't something that would happen. he's got 5 years left in the forces, and wants to be a paramedic, so this is going to either be me on my own, or find a helper (i have 2 friends who'd expressed a wish to work for me)

Can I just say that you're BOTH going to be going flat out, you with the biz and him with his training, and then you'll both be working anti-social hours. If you have animals this will be relentless, 24/7/365 at times.

I hope that even if he doesn't want to work in this field with you, he's fully supportive (and vice versa!), because if not there's likely to be a lot of strain on the relationship.

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

That might be your position, HOWEVER, in business you must make business decisions based on realistic projections / assumptions.

In times of economic depression, there is less money to spend and people will choose to spend it wherever they can get best value for money... if that involves internet based companies or large chains then that is what they will choose.



You NEED to understand WHY people choose the larger retailers... they will be your main competitors.

Again, just because you wouldn't shop there, don't assume your potential customers could be persuaded to change their buying habits.



As someone else has said, having a shop with live animals will require someone to attend 365 days a year so you simply cannot go it alone - you will need someone reliable and with adequate knowledge to cover for you for holidays, sickness etc.

I would never recommend employing friends - it's a recipe for disaster and friendships rarely survive.

I applaud you for wanting to start your own business but do think that you are looking through rose tinted specs... My SIL owned a pet shop some years ago - she decided she wanted a change of direction, left her highly paid city job and opened a pet shop (bought as a going concern). She had a wealth of business and finance experience and was very motivated yet she still encountered huge bumps along the way.

For instance, if you have a pet shop, the livestock will be stock - plain and simple. You say you're an animal lover... how will you cope with the livestock that doesn't shift? They will reach an age where they will not sell... what then? Keep them as pets, give them away, put them to sleep?

What about the animals that become unwell? Any treatment eats into your profits - judgement calls will need to be made... will you use your business head or your animal-loving heart?

How will you compete on price with the big guns? They have more buying power and more storage space for bulk purchases. I would never expect a small business to be able to compete with Zooplus.

A lot of feed / litter etc is heavy and bulky... you will need to have adequate dry storage with a reliable supply chain for replenishment - this is not as easy as it sounds. If you run out and disappoint a customer then they will go elsewhere, keep too much in stock and it ties up your cash and the best before dates loom.

What service can you offer which competes against the likes of Zooplus where they can be competitive on price and can deliver in bulk to the customer, post free?

Yes, you may have the knowlege to sell the exotic pets BUT what will keep the customer coming back for supplies?

Finally, we are in a recession and there is less money sloshing around - and there is no light at the end of the tunnel yet. If people are tightening belts then buying new pets becomes more of a luxury than a necessity. Plus, in feeding the pets they already have, people will make decisions on price and this is an area where a small business will always find it most difficult to compete.

You need to look at the reality of your idea - is it viable... start researching profit margins, operating costs (rents, taxes, business rates, utilities etc) and the competition.

Do you have the necessary skills - business / customer relations etc a love of animals is not paramount in running a business (even if it is animal related).

You say that you have no idea about the geographical area yet this is one of the most important decisions - the demographics of an area will make or break your business.

Bottom line? Know the market, know the customer and know the area.

Quoting this post because I think kr should memorise it! Very relevant ...