If you are setting up a fish shop (FS)...

[dawugui]

Hi guys, recently keep on having this idea. WOuld wish to set up a FS in my latter days. So keep on thinking wat would be good. For me, it's more for interest, cos it will then be allowed for me to keep a lot of fishes that i wanted to but cant. Like Marine fishes, turtles blah blah....

Now the question, if u are setting up a FS, what are the things you will consider?

For my part....
location wise, those small town centrals in a big town central. E.g. there's a Tampines East central in Tampines, not as crowded as the Tampines Mall area of town central but still with sufficient residents nearby and quite accessible.

fishes type, what kind of fishes? those that can earn high turnover rate or those cheaper but 薄利多销 (earn a little but sell a lot?) Or those can bring in related part of sales. e.g. marine. for me i would prefer a mixed type. but in this case, the no. of fishes u have in ur shop would def be severly limited. (shop space ... etc)

shop layout, wat kind? try to squeeze everything together? a bit like c328? or like those taiwan type, bigger fishes around the shop, then centre stack up for the smaller fishes? e.g. u can watch the mtv of "Shan Hu Hai" by Jay to get what i mean. I would prefer a more brightly lighted shop though.

stock, to get all fishes from LFS/Local Breeders which is cheaper, or source ard for rarer fish stock from neighbouring countries or even exotic ones like Brazil which cost a lot more~ i prefer getting from LFS first to build up the reputation, before sourcing ard for rarer fishes.

equipment base - a lot or just nice? 2 comparisons. NA or Y934. Y934 got a damn lot of range of products but the bottomline is they have 3 shops. so kinda hard to get a whole big range of equipment.

some additional incentives? like old customer, so boss will always serve personally, source for his wanted fishes, membership pattern +++? still thinking about it, but one idea that struck me was to buy in those unwanted fishes. or should i say holding area. like i charge $1 per day to host ur arowanas that u wanted to sell up to a max of 30 days. people can just come in and choose wat they wan and i will sell for the price that u had fixed. not really profit in this case, but it will gain a lot of customers and a lot of reputation for me, cos pple tend to sell those fishes better than those that are in normal fish shops. Thus people will think --> My SHop --> nice fishes --> higher traffic!

Combination : combined with some shops, fish tank/cabinet makers and plants commercialisers. again, it will fulfil my concept of all in 1 fish shop~~

[AquaObsession]

My suggestion also...
say you have invested $$ for initial start, if things dun go well, see how much of the initial $$ can you recover. This will guide you for your initial setup.

On a separate note: "High Turnover" and "selling cheap and a lot" are the same things...but dun worry we understood what you intended to say.

And last advice... be smart to get traffic..then surely sales will be good.

[dawugui]

oops.. haha, then for those who don't understand what i had meant, my "high turnover" means the profit you will gain back will be significantly higher than say... tetra? e.g. like arowanas, CRS and goldfish~~

yup, i knew the traffic concept, because even your things are the best, as long as no one coming, then you won't gain anything. reputation and high traffic is the most important in my view. but is how to get them~~

thanks aquaobsession for the 1st point, think i never considered that in the 1st place~~

[Jungle-mania]

personally, the world is fast embracing the quatenary industry of knowledge based industry, which means you got to know your stuff and that takes dedication. Aquarium is a niche industry, so you got to find your area of speciality. If you become a 'get all sell all' shop, what makes you different fromm the rest of the common LFS, that customers will keep coming back?

[dawugui]

the problem is whether my shop will attract them in the first place. there are still quite a number of players who will choose to rear different fishes, like me, and find it very troublesome to go to a few places just to get some specific fishes. thus, the get all sell all concept is still workable. c328 is basically a get all sell all type. what i am aiming is actually that kind of shop, but definitely when i really get into this market, my stock and reputation will be significantly low. thus, the need to increase traffic by either word of mouth or variety. i know what you mean by knowledge specific, all the lfs owners won't be super knowledgeable in the very beginning, they should have done a lot of trial and error before getting that kind of knowledge. i stilll have a lot to earn in thatt kind of knowledge. as for what's different from the common ones, well, deco and the location plays a good part, as well as the fishes that are in stock. thus, the thought of creating an atmosphere like those of taiwan. i attached some pics to make it clearer. \

[XnSdVd]

Here's a tip: Don't hire bengs who try to sell you "fish from badis island" $%^@*!!

But yes, knowledge being the key here. Lets look at successful(IMHO) shops where people will go just for the sake of going but end up buying something.

Biotope: Aye! we got new apistos co- *you hear benny revving his engine*

EcoCulture: Aye! I just got back from Borneo i g- *xnsdvd running for the bus stop*

Gratiola(if they were a shop): Puntius hexaz- *xnsdvd running for the bus stop again*

And rarely do people ever go with the intention of buying a $200 - 300 fish. But rarely do these same people walk out of the shop without buying it. Why? because these shops know what they're doing, and cater to people who know what they want. Or at least, a large percentage of their customers. No doubt the bulk will be random passers by looking for fish food and the like.

And another thing, I just can't stand shop owners who give a flat-out "no" when you ask for something they don't have like say... a 6ft FL light. Common sense tells you that it's not that hard to get. And yet this guy just plain can't be bothered to write down a few extra lines the next time his supplier makes a trip? Needless to say that incident + the fact that they sell dyed fish = me never going back there.

[Weirong]

Seriously, I'm quite surprized that you are considering going into this line. Do you know that a lot of very good and knowledgable lfs have recently closed shop?
Management and good PR skills are very much needed in this trade, besides knowledge.

I will also tell you that most of the products available in the shops are controlled by the distributors. Margins are actually not as high as you think. And I'm speaking from 1st hand experience, not some nonsense I overheard.

And if you are aiming to be another C328, I suggest you abandon the idea. Those who are already in the hobby already know that there is a C328. So what is going to make you so special and make customers want to go to you? A good reputation takes a long time to build, especially in the still quite conservative society of Singapore.

If you are really interested in this hobby and are keen to keep that many fishes, build a fish room/house. You can still trade/breed/keep fishes and it doesn't hurt your pockets that much.

Just my 2-cents.

[rtcc86]

yup i was thinking of setting up FS in my latter days too haha...knowing that in the east good LFS are rare. but alot of things to think about.....and there is quite a high risk involved.i have a marine fish shop in the neighbourhood which closed down after barely a year..we may keep visiting a FS initially to get our stuff but after our tank is stablized,we wont keep going back to a FS. that is a problem to solve...how to get customers to go back..

[celticfish]

don't forget the internet mass media like this forum.

"new arrivals" (with pictures i might add - very important for credibility, or should i say, backing up your claim of "super select, "grade A" etc). notice how some fish or plant "sightings" are sought or spread.

possible "special discounts" for customers who quote seeing your specific advertisement at XYZ website.

email reservations of new stock (ala budget airline bookings).

payments by internet bank transfers.

this would make it convinient for the seller and the buyer to get what each of them wants. particularly for people who have leisure time challenged...

[Wackytpt]

Give it a serious consider before jumping into this business in the future.

You really need to do alot of market research, get contacts and source for the stuff that is not in the market or stuff.

To setup a LFS in singapore is not diffcult. But to do a good one & maintain it, it is a totally different ball games.

It is always good to dream. But to achieve your dream be prepare to put in alot of hard work.

This is my 2cents worth of opnion.

[dawugui]

haha, guys, i think u all misunderstood me le, i just saying in my latter days. so that means i have a lot of time to think about it. it's like just thinking to see how can i make a aquarium to be a better shop place. but nice comments all of u~~

[Nicky]

Market situation and customer preference/profile can change rapidly with time. I feel that in the current market condition, many LFS are barely surviving. On one hand LFS owners has to deal with cash-on-delivery terms from supplier. On the other hand, they face customers whom are highly mobile. 5c different will send send some customer going to the other shop. And with the China being the world's factory, whatever that you keep stock today may become obsolete or overpriced tomorrow.

I feel one of the way to have a better chance of making it (meaning at least not losing your pants and money) is to focus on service. You can always buy a Made-in-China product (in fact what is not MIC nowadays) but few will fly to China for a haircut, for example. Selling local-farm product or a few general hardware here and there is not going to get you anywhere.

Focusing on service will also not ensure success, if one is not very very cost/expense-conscious. No point having a super-big and air-con shop that earn praises from the various 'bros' here and there when they drop by and sit and chat when you are paying for the aircon/rental every min they are there.

These are facts of doing business, especially at the startup.

Every one bleed during the startup. The speed it takes to stop the bleed differentiate a winner from a loser.

[Benjaminchia]

is it good to setup a website to attract people to a shop wat type would you recomend

[dawugui]

Website have its pros and cons. Usually they only advertise their service. But rarely do they put their fishes and price inside. maybe it's just to alert some people that your shop is around~

it's true that a lot of lfs bleed. but u cannot deny the fact that some do earn quite a lot. so actually we are partly finding out what is their secret behind~

[Jungle-mania]

The secret? Dirt cheap, tons of variety, long opening hours and accessible. Sounds familiar? Somehow I think Dawugui wants to be the next C328 or Y618for the east side. Don't think it is impossible.

[XnSdVd]

yes PLEASE have one for the east side... we've had nothing but "badis island" and CO2+Air pump clowns since... forever! And if these guys can make it when their shops are so close to the farms I don't see why a more knowledgeable, better prepared shop won't.

[lorba]

If knowledgable, well stocked, good quality, air coned, clean, well equipped LFS is what you are looking for, then do your part to substain and support it. All of above means high running cost, more expensive product. With only subtainable sales and salary, will the shop owner put in his extra miles.

Support not equals to :
1. Going in for a long chat hoping to learn about a fish, then take a 30min MRT down to another place to buy because its $1 cheaper. After your long chat and not buying the fish, how many others customer could the boss have offended or unable to serve?

2. Going in and check all the prices and later tell the boss, hey cheaper la, other shop sell $0.50, why yours $0.70. ...And you are just considering to buy 5 pcs.

Good services come from a happy salesman, not because he is so into plants or fishes that he spends 30min explaining why a red swordtail is red.

[dawugui]

guys you will have to wait quite long for this north version of c328 to come out. it's just a concept thought up by me. but may or may not have the capital yet~~

lorba, you are almost there. Except for the aircon part. First, expensive... Secondly, not all fishes like cold water, kind of hard to put heater for everyone(fish)>? but i agree with you on the sales part. in order for it to be a success, the customer have to play a part too.

[lorba]

Dawugui, air con is for the customer rather then fishes, if you want them to feel shiock and comfortable shopping there. That's subjective.

Think of something that can make money, otherwise, your passion will burn out in just a few months time when you beat a lot of flies in the shop.

Good and commendable Sevice is what everybody wants, but not many is willing to pay the extra cents for it. At the end of the day, the pay does not accumulate from the number "thank yous" and "smiles" you recieve.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with "badis island" and "co2+pump". Afterall, its pay peanuts, get monkeys.

[Jungle-mania]

Dawugui, air con is for the customer rather then fishes, if you want them to feel shiock and comfortable shopping there. That's subjective.

Think of something that can make money, otherwise, your passion will burn out in just a few months time when you beat a lot of flies in the shop.

Good and commendable Sevice is what everybody wants, but not many is willing to pay the extra cents for it. At the end of the day, the pay does not accumulate from the number "thank yous" and "smiles" you recieve.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with "badis island" and "co2+pump". Afterall, its pay peanuts, get monkeys.

Here here, I second your thoughts too. Although I thnink XnSDVD and I would agree that the east sorely needs a shop like C328 and Y618. My wife knows something is amiss when I gravitate towards Clementi, Yishun and Tiong Bahru on our outings.

Dawugui, IMHO, follow your dream. No matter how bad it may turn out, you did it your way. Plus, I save on petrol going to your shop.