how hard would it be to open a tropical fish shop?

Question

What would be involved, are they usually difficult to keep in the black? What are some steps?

Answer 1

You definitely need experience with a fish shop and the equipment more so experience with tropical fish since they are very difficult to maintain and keep alive. If you've never been in business before, I would strongly recommend that you talk to a business counselor before you do anything especially spend money. I'd call the local office of SCORE (go to http://www.score.org and input your zip code to find the chapter nearest you), the advice is FREE.

The counselor at SCORE will advise you to write a business plan which is very good advice because it will force you to dig out all of the start up details and the costs of starting a tropical fish shop and force you to also understand all of the aspects of this business including the customers you'll concentrate on (your market ) and how you'll go after them.

You'll need to register the business with your state controller's office and make sure that you have any city and county licenses if any are needed where you live. You'll also need to understand which fish you can import and what t he regulations are for quarantines and everything else that is involved. All of this will come out in a business plan.

Try this link :
http://www.ychange.com/small-business-consulting-articles.html and read some of the articles especially the ones about a business plan and starting a business.
Good Luck

Answer 2

. Do you mean, "How much money do I need to start up a new business and NOT make any profit in the first year or TWO and still survive"?
If you haven't worked at a fish shop for at least a year, you will NOT survive! There are laws about what kind on animals you're allowed to sell. And there's the physical problem of just keeping the li'l beast alive to sell 'em. ...proper food for each species and germs, etc.
And who do you buy these things from, and how reliable are they! Then of course it doesn't hurt to have a degree in Business Mangt and Acct. Lotsa luck.

Answer 3

You would need to write a business plan, and save the money or borrow part of the money.
Get a business license and rent a location then buy the hardware, shelves, racks, aquariums, cash register, computer systems, software, cleaning systems, tank decorations and chemicals. Set up the tanks and let the water age, placing one or two cheap fish in each tank, then order all the non fish merchandise and place your advertising and a couple of days before you open get your fish into your tanks and hire your help and train them.

Answer 4

Send me email, maybe you need supply from my tropical country. Thank you