Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, how many of our members own a pet related business? I'm just curious how much profit can be made with a pet store/online business. Most pet stores are crap. I've been debating on what it would be like to open a GOOD pet store. It would need to be in a fairly big city, I know. And I'd have to compete with the chain stores, but I see a lot of shops that make it. I'm just wondering HOW WELL they make it. I'm not looking to get rich. Just make a decent living. Animals have always been my passion, so it would be great if I could make it work.
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0.9.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.1 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise
0.0.1 Bearded Dragons

I have pondered this same topic. In my area there is a small crappy place. I think the main thing would be upfront money, for inventory.

I would call Ben Siegel and see if he wants to franchise In all seriousness, I would pick Ben's brain, it seems he has done it right.

There is ALOT of overhead when you talk about a store front...employees, taxes, rent, insurance.....wow!

>>There is ALOT of overhead when you talk about a store front...employees, taxes, rent, insurance.....wow!

Yeah, I know. I was kind of thinking of having a smallish store (unless it really took off) and doing a lot of online business as well. "Employees" would definitely not be a concern in the beginning, unless you count my poor wife.
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0.9.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.1 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise
0.0.1 Bearded Dragons

I believe that is the dream of many of us. I think if you do it because you love it it should work,the problem is having a family counting on you for finacial support and actually having the guts to just do it. I had a boss that once told me " I lived a better life once i realized i wouldnt be a millionaire " Do it because you love it and you will find a way to make a living at it. Thats my 2 cents, but i havent built up the guts yet either.

I won't be helping you by my post... but im in the same boat. I'm a college kid now and i have always wanted to opened a really nice pet shop on my side of town... (where there are only pet store gaints... no little small chains or family owned businesses).... I have looked into it some and it seems like the only way to keep the business alive is to be able to sell pet products for mostly dogs and cats as the bulk of sales.... actual 'pet' sales don't seem to count for a whole lot. But i believe that if ball pythons and all the morphs could be shown off in a retail business as a specailty you could create a real frenzy if you lived in the right location... Which is exactly what i would love to do. Just my thoughts.

I agree , there is only one small pet shop here and believe it or not he dont sell alot of snakes and such but he makes his bread and butter off of rats and mice.

It can work. My business partner and I met at our job (college years) at a pet store we both worked at. We decided to team up after college and start our own store. Both of us worked in specialty pet stores for at least 4 year before we graduated and took the plunge. We still have not opened it, but we have our reptile breeding business and we both have our careers. I am a financial broker and my partner is a biologist. We have been on the verge of opening the store several times, but something always seems to get in our way. We have analyzed this industry beyond your wildest dreams, and we have found that to be successful you must have everything right before you make your move. Everything from rent/mortgage, to location, vender's (product and animals), and $$$ must be in "sync", or you can go belly up quick. In college, I became a manager at a store I worked at, and within 12 months I took the store from a 1.3 million gross, to a 2.7 million gross. There is money to be made with "GOOD" stores in certain areas, but you need $$$, connections, and a diverse product/animal inventory to meet the needs of any and all customer base. In my opinion, 50% of sales are based on impulse, so when someone walks into your store, they should get the best service, product, education, and future advice they may need to care for their pet. At the stores we worked at, the owner benefit fell into the 6 figure bracket, which shows, "you get out what you put in". Email me if you want specs on stores we worked at to give you a better idea of what it takes, financially, to get one started, or any other question you might have. Hope this helped.

Raj
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BALLERSPYTHONS@YAHOO.COM
Don't you wanna be a BALLER too?

After managing a moderately successful independent pet store, I and a partner took the plunge and opened our own store. I too advise you only to do it if you really have a passion for it. You will NOT get rich. Also realize you will NOT be able to compete with the "big boxes" as a standard full-line pet store. Find your niche and go with whatever strengths and interests you have and do a specialty store. We decided to specialize in reptiles and hand-fed parrots (most of which we bred ourselves).

A few more "do's and don'ts":

Don't try it unless you can raise at LEAST 75 K in seed money.

Do familiarize yourself with ALL regulations in your state/municipality.

If you don't have any experience in business and accounting-either find a partner who does, take a course, or forget it!

Don't expect to take any vacations or days off in your first year (or two). Also, no holidays off-animals still have to be cared for, even if the store is closed. Also, you won't make much in this period, so make sure you have savings to meet your own bills.

Don't open a store in New York state (probably not CA either). Just trust me on this.

Do realize-at least at first-that the store is your life.

Don't plan on spending much time with the animals-your job is to take care of the business. You'll have employees to take care of, feed and socialize the animals.

Do get used to the idea that-after several years of 12 hour days and no time for yourself, you may be rewarded with a solid, middle class income and be able to cut your hours down to 50 a week.

Don't even try it unless you can honestly say you are an EXPERT in your chosen specialty. If you open a reptile store, you damn well better know far more about reptiles than any of your customers. You should preferably have at least a decade's experience keeping and breeding a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians. Violate this rule and you're dead before you start.

As I said, it isn't easy, and it's not for everybody-but if you have a real passion for it, the proper level of financial startup, and the right area and location, you can make a go of it.

Me? Well, we did very well for several years, but both of us wanted to spend more time with our animals. We recently sold the store-and now are full time breeders. I look back on it fondly, but have no desire to get back in the rat race lol.....

Brad Chambers

Well, the pet store that I work at did $250,000 our first month of business and our store is about 1200 square feet......
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-David Harrison-
.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
.1 Ball Python "Rocky Ballboa" (Didn't name her!)

"Have you ever tried simply turning off the T.V., sitting down with your kids... and hitting them?"

I have wanted to own a pet store but in my area there are 4 big names and a few small ones and its not a huge city type aera anyways. In my opinion you would need to not specify too much or you would limit your customers. As said in another post you would need to have dog and cat supplies. If I were to own a pet shop my idea was to have a computer with high speed access in the store and customers could print out care sheets for animals they were buying or read about animals they were interested in.

I agree with Brad that you have to be in it for the love of the animals not the money. We opened up on Dec. 16th and I've worked everyday 12 hours a day. Yes this means Christmas, New Years, St. Patty's day (cleaning animals hung over = NOT GOOD LOL) It will be your life and you'll have very little time for family or friends. I managed a store here in NY that did pretty well. So I gained a lot of experience on what to do and what not to do. I also have an Associates in Animals Science. My girlfriend is a Vet. Tech, and my employee has been the pet industry for over 20 years.

I do disagree with some of the posts though. We only sell Reptiles/Amphibians/Arachnids, Hand-Fed Baby Birds, Exotic Mammals, Small Animals, Tropical Fish, and NOW SALT FISH & CORALS as well as all the supplies that go with every animal. We have nothing to do with Dogs/Cats or Supplies. We are the only Exclusive Exotic Pet Store in our area. This is our niche and we love it.

You also have to think about LOCATION. We are lucky. We found a place across the street from a Super Wal-Mart and Target just opened up next door (parking lots attached). It doesn't get better than that. Our store is around 2,000 sq. ft. and I already talked with our landlord and he is going to put an addition on for us. We are way over our projected gross income.

We also do a lot with the internet that adds to the income on days that are slow. Also think about employees. Find people that have a lot of knowledge and give them a test before you hire them. They are NOT there to play with the animals period. We are always doing research to find better products for the animals. Also put aside $$ for advertising.

If you provide your customers with a CLEAN ENVIRONMENT, INTELLIGENT STAFF, AND OF COURSE HEALTHY ANIMALS they will come back again and again. Keep the store freshly stocked with not only supplies but different animals. Change it up and be creative. If you have the same animals all the time people get bored and won't come around as often. We have customers that come in 2-3 times a week because they know we're going to have something new for them to look at. I suggest applying for your USDA permit to carry exotic animals. We have fennec foxes, coatimundis, sugar gliders, hedgehogs. If it's legal we try to get it in.

Last thing is find a Veterinarian that will work closely with you and your customers. We are able to provide a Complimentary Vet Vistit with every animal we sell. It's a basic health check but reassures our customers that we sold them a great animal. Be involved in your Local Herp. Society and encourge your customers to coin the club.

DO ALL THESE THINGS AND YOU WILL SUCCEED. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!! GOOD LUCK AND CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I'D BE MORE THAN WILLING TO TELL YOU ALL I KNOW.
CARL
ACK'S EXOTIC PETS
315 699 4754

Wow, this wasn't the response I was expecting at all. I thought I'd get the usual naysayers and that's all. It's very encouraging to see that so many of you have been successful at this. I know it will be a lot of hard work, and it will be a JOB. But, I already work a lot of hours at a job that I despise, so I think I could handle it. It would at least be something I love.

I've actually already started making arrangements to go (back) to school and take some small business courses. I realize that is my biggest deficiency.

As far as the store, I'd really like to concentrate on exotics only. Reptiles, amphibians, maybe saltwater fish and some cute furries like sugar gliders, etc.

I really feel like it's possible, especially if I also use the internet for more sales. It's just the getting started part that is confusing and daunting.

Anyway, thanks for all the information everyone. I may be in contact with some of you soon.

Thanks again,
Scott
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0.9.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.1 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise
0.0.1 Bearded Dragons