# want to open a reptile shop!



## Zohan-zee (May 27, 2011)

Im really stuck .. not sure what to do, I'm drastically running out of space, but like most people who start with 1 reptile love them so much i just want to keep going...so the question is do i move from a great house in a great location so i can keep going, I have plenty of time for all my pets and have the money to take good care of them, maybe 1 day i will afford a mansion lmao ... well a girl can dream ... I would love to have a rep shop and where i live would be ideal as the closest 1 to me is around 6 miles (ish) but that just pets at home which dont really have anything and charge stupid prices. I have some savings put aside but haven't got a clue where to start ... What would people recommend as basics to open 1 ... bare in mind everyone has to build up so i am after bare basics just to get me started, Also what kind of licences or training etc will i need? If anyone could help i would greatly appreciate it .. thanks,

Zoe


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## CollaredLizardGal (May 17, 2010)

Hope fully when you say "some savings" you are talking thousands. 
I am sorry if it sounds like I am bursting your bubble but it is extremely expensive and time consuming setting up a reptile shop - you need premises ( rents can be extortionate) you will need a license to sell animals, insurance to cover public liability and your premises and the contents and that is just for starters. 
I have much the same dream and would love to run a reptile shop but unless you have considerable amounts of money you will find you will struggle - i wish you all the best though - live the dream! 

If you have enough savings you couold always consider building an outhouse/ reptile room to save you having to move?


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## Zohan-zee (May 27, 2011)

CollaredLizardGal said:


> Hope fully when you say "some savings" you are talking thousands.
> I am sorry if it sounds like I am bursting your bubble but it is extremely expensive and time consuming setting up a reptile shop - you need premises ( rents can be extortionate) you will need a license to sell animals, insurance to cover public liability and your premises and the contents and that is just for starters.
> I have much the same dream and would love to run a reptile shop but unless you have considerable amounts of money you will find you will struggle - i wish you all the best though - live the dream!
> 
> If you have enough savings you couold always consider building an outhouse/ reptile room to save you having to move?


Hi, thanks for your help when you say thousands how much are you talking about, I do have a couple of thousand i could round up with my saving and family loan hehe but it would only be around 4k to start with unless i was to keep saving till this time next year which is more realistic with all the prep, finding premises etc ... how do i go about getting a license to sell animals and does this cover most species? apart from the obvious "dwa species" 

I will hopefully 1 day be able to even if its 10years away :lol2:

I would love to build a reptile room but with all the kids stuff trampoline, climbing frame etc doesn't really leave me much room :-( 

Thanks again for your reply ... much appreciated


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## em_40 (Sep 29, 2010)

Don't know if you are allowed to link closed threads, so sorry if you are not, but there is some really useful stuff in this post

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/other-pets-exotics/637963-im-gonna-open-pet-shop.html

The first page has a post from Athravan(sp) with some really good advice about costs you need to consider.


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## AJ76 (May 24, 2011)

PM me if you want more advice as I have just done this.

Its not as bad as people make out.

Best 

Alex.


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## Caramelsnake (Jun 6, 2010)

Hmm, seems everyone is having the same idea lately....I have copied, adjusted and pasted my reply from a similar thread so I apologise if any of it is irrelevant to you. 

What licenses you will need depends on the exact details of what you want to do. It's best to write down a plan of action, ie: exactly what you are going to do, where you are going to do it, when you are going to do it and how you are going to do it, then research it thoroughly and talk to your local council about it.

How much money will you need? A lot. You will need livestock, housing, food, UV lighting/heat mats/substrate/heat lamps/water bowls/hides/other various equipment, vet bills, licenses, insurance, extra heating and lighting bills and extra water bills if you plan to have fish and/or amphibians, not to mention water treatments/filters/etc. You will also want to have a cash float so that should something go wrong you can dip into your reserve fund rather than get into trouble with the bank or have to give it up entirely. Personally I would not advise it unless you had £10,000 to get started. On top of all the up front costs you will have running costs to consider, especially if you do not sell your livestock as fast as you'd hoped. 

If you want to do this because of your love for the animals I would also advise you to consider this question very carefully before you decide to go for it- will you be able to provide your animals with a high welfare standard while at the same time ensuring your business doesn't go under? A business such as this will be an investment with slow returns, you will not make you money back in the first year and truthfully it could take you 5-8 years to break even if not longer. Will you be able to make enough money from your day job to support your business and have food on the table each week? 
Whatever your reasons going into business for yourself will be stressful, no matter what, are you going to be able to deal with that stress for several years? 

This will require a large up front investment and continuous investment for as long as you plan to run it. Pretty much all the money you make in the first few years will need to be fed back into the business to cover your running costs and to buy in new livestock. After 10-15 you could be turning over a good profit but that is only if you manage to survive that long and even then there are no guarantees. 
There are a lot of people who love reptiles but equally there are a lot of people who already sell reptiles. Pet shops, private breeders, re-homing centres, the classified section of this forum, Pre-loved and similar websites- the list is endless. You will have to work very hard to market yourself to compete with existing businesses. 
It is also worth considering that we are still in a recession- if you do not already have that initial investment saved up you will need to go to a bank for a loan. (Or a rich family member.) And in this economic climate you'll find it difficult to get a good repayment rate from your bank. Your potential customers will also not have as much disposable income to spend on new pets.

*Step 1.* Create a *realistic* business plan. This is a lot more important and a lot more complicated than people think it is. This will help you get your head around getting started and once the business kicks off allow you to compare your predicted turnover to your actual turnover and make it easier to see where more money needs to be invested, which livestock generates the biggest profit margin and so on and so forth. Write down which species you wish to stock and how many of each you intend to have. Write down the requirements for each ie: housing, food, lighting, heating etc. How much will each of these things cost? Will you be buying in from private breeders and then selling them on? If so who will your suppliers will be and how much they will charge you? Are you going to be able to compete with them? Are you are going to breed livestock yourself and have you considered the extra running costs will this have? How much will you be selling each animal for? Consider market value vs competitive pricing vs turning a profit. What are your predicted out goings for the first year, both nett and gross? How much will you have to spend on housing/heating/lighting/food/etc? What are your predicted in comings for the first year? Which species are "popular" sellers? Do you intend to have high value animals that you will sell only a few of or do you plan to have low value animals that you will sell lots of? Will you specialise and focus on one or two species with rare colour morphs? Will you opt not to have a focus and provide many species with common traits? Where will you get funding from? How much funding do you need? How much space will your business require? How much time will you have spare each day to devote yourself to this business? How much money do you already have saved up and how much more will you need? How will you advertise yourself? Will you have a website? Use word of mouth? Business cards? Have you considered the legal side of things- insurance, applying for a license, registering as self-employed, will your business be a limited company or will you be a sole trader? And anything else that is relevant to your situation.
*Step 2.* Funding. Assuming for the moment that you are not wealthy yourself and do not have a wealthy family member who is willing to provide funding at a low interest rate you will have to go to your bank. Have your detailed and realistic business plan ready to present to them. I would recommend spreadsheets on excel for this. If you do not have a solid plan for the first year and an estimated plan for the next three years after that they are not going to take you seriously and I doubt they would lend you a penny. You have to prove to them that you are responsible and have thought this through. You will then need to negotiate with them as to how much money you need to borrow and what you want the repayment period to be. As I said before we are still in a recession and now is not a good time to get a good deal on loans.
*Step 3.* Advertising. If people don't know you exist, they are not going to buy from you. How will you sell yourself so that people will buy from you rather than one of your existing competitors? How many competitors do you have? What can you provide that they can't? Will people be able to walk into your home/shop and view the animals and at what times? Will you sell via the internet (and have you researched any licenses you may need)?

Other things to consider- Are you good at bookkeeping? You will need to keep very accurate records for both the tax man and your own ease of seeing how your business is doing. 
What if your business starts to fail? Not a nice thought but one you need to consider- will you try to invest more money to keep it afloat or will you have to cut your losses and admit defeat?

I hope that you find this useful, it maybe pretty negative, but it is also realistic.


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

A petshop license covers you for all animals stated on the license including any DWA animals. You'll also need to do a Petshop Management Course (I think you can do this at a night school)


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## Adams Corns (Aug 5, 2010)

Sorry, just had to post so i can watch this thread as it is something i have thought about for the last 2 year 

although im 17 i have just finished An Animal Care Course Level 2 and am going into level three for 2 years and will go from there although its a long way away yet but Research is better than nothin


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

Adams Corns said:


> Sorry, just had to post so i can watch this thread as it is something i have thought about for the last 2 year
> 
> although im 17 i have just finished An Animal Care Course Level 2 and am going into level three for 2 years and will go from there although its a long way away yet but Research is better than nothin


I've just finished my Level 3 Animal Management. We did a petshop management module. You'll probably do one on your course too, hopefully you'll find it helpfull. Good luck with the course!!


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## Adams Corns (Aug 5, 2010)

Thanks


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## Marcs Reptile Ranch (Jun 17, 2010)

Zohan-zee said:


> Im really stuck .. not sure what to do, I'm drastically running out of space, but like most people who start with 1 reptile love them so much i just want to keep going...so the question is do i move from a great house in a great location so i can keep going, I have plenty of time for all my pets and have the money to take good care of them, maybe 1 day i will afford a mansion lmao ... well a girl can dream ... I would love to have a rep shop and where i live would be ideal as the closest 1 to me is around 6 miles (ish) but that just pets at home which dont really have anything and charge stupid prices. I have some savings put aside but haven't got a clue where to start ... What would people recommend as basics to open 1 ... bare in mind everyone has to build up so i am after bare basics just to get me started, Also what kind of licences or training etc will i need? If anyone could help i would greatly appreciate it .. thanks,
> 
> Zoe


Hi Zoe.. I'm currently opening a reptile shop in northfield just up from the pets at home. If your near pop in and have a chat I'm Hopi g the doors will be opening in the next week or so... The Animal Cove... our address is on there.
Hope all's well. Kind regards
Marc


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## Lord Monty (Jul 1, 2009)

pet shop license doesnt cover you for dwa?:S

and honey im sorry but 4k really isnt enough i mean our heating bill is more than that anually, but we talked about a complete restocking and they thought do to the dry goods and fill 20 of our vivs we could do it for 4.5:/ so you do neeed alot

the pet shop management thing isnt nessicary but it would be really handy 

also you need good relations with your stockist! its a must probably the most important

oo and staff you can trust


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

A Petshop Licence does allow you to sell DWA animals if these animals are stated within the licence. It allows the shop owner to both keep and sell DWA animals within the shop. The shop owner must ensure that the buyer has a DWA licence for the animal before you sell it to them.

Also, at least one staff member within the shop (This might have to be the owner/manager, but I'm unsure on this) must hold a Petshop Management certificate, otherwise the shop will not be issued with a licence.


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## Lord Monty (Jul 1, 2009)

but you can only keep DWA under a pet shop license under really painful condictions, like making the shop your home address and passing very strict fire inspections AND changing your home address to the buisness premisis means that council tax water rates etc will also increase, and its hardly ever worth it, 

Our old shop got a pet shop license without a pet shop management course but the owner was a listed breeder and stockist of marine inverts?


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## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

hiya
i do belive that a psl licence allows u to have dwa providing u inform the concil and they are happy with how there being kept, u would ned extra insurence for dwa tho.

why do u think dwa breeders/sellers say dwa or psl licence only

so providing u have extra insurence, u can keep them properly and the concil are informed u can have dwa under psl:2thumb:


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## kelsey7692 (Jul 28, 2010)

Lord Monty said:


> but you can only keep DWA under a pet shop license under really painful condictions, like making the shop your home address and passing very strict fire inspections AND changing your home address to the buisness premisis means that council tax water rates etc will also increase, and its hardly ever worth it,
> 
> Our old shop got a pet shop license without a pet shop management course but the owner was a listed breeder and stockist of marine inverts?


I think the thing about having a Petshop Management certificate has only come into place quite recently, but I think other quals might also be accepted as long as they are along the same lines at the Petshop Management qual. Of course it may vary between different local authorities.

I'm not quite sure what you mean about changing the adresses to your home address. I just know you can keep DWA animals within a petshop if they are stated within the petshop licence.


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## Lord Monty (Jul 1, 2009)

The regestering the home address thing was, when my boss was looking into it they said he could do it but the shops address would also have to be his home address? like he would have had to live in the flat upstairs?

ahh right thats probably why we dont ahve the pet shop management thing haha! half of us coast with a little knowleage and alot of luck


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## daniele1272 (Apr 14, 2010)

i hve been reading this post thouroughly so some people are saying you need a qualification to open a pet shop and others are saying no you dont what is the facts somebody please as i am also considering it one day and yes i have worked with DWAs in the past and have a reasonable amount of expereince but would like some more


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## gmccurdie (Jun 1, 2012)

Marcs Reptile Ranch said:


> Hi Zoe.. I'm currently opening a reptile shop in northfield just up from the pets at home. If your near pop in and have a chat I'm Hopi g the doors will be opening in the next week or so... The Animal Cove... our address is on there.
> Hope all's well. Kind regards
> Marc


This is the best advice here:2thumb:

Visit to a pet shop with an owner who is sympathetic to what you are trying to achieve.

See all the other stuff involved in running a shop/business.

If you know of somewhere you can get a part time job (hint hint).

You might like dealing with animals but opening a shop involves dealing with people the intresting and the infuriating.

A golden opportunity to find out if this is what you really want.:2thumb:


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## gmccurdie (Jun 1, 2012)

Marcs Reptile Ranch said:


> Hi Zoe.. I'm currently opening a reptile shop in northfield just up from the pets at home. If your near pop in and have a chat I'm Hopi g the doors will be opening in the next week or so... The Animal Cove... our address is on there.
> Hope all's well. Kind regards
> Marc


Can't get your link to work.

You need to fix it so the students can register:whistling2:

:lol2:


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## pk93 (Jan 26, 2010)

In the current economic climate its hard to open any business, £4 grand just wont cut it as stated before. I would suggest keep saving and build it up, back in the day of a stable climate you would of walked into your bank and got a loan at fairly competitive rates, however as everyone well knows banks just aren't lending, unless you have a really wealthy relative you'll have a tough time doing so. I am sure people are setting up new businesses but just not in the quantity that they used to be.

Keep planning and keep hold of your ambition, and who knows in a few years the banks might start lending again.

Good Luck anyway. :2thumb:


Cheers

PK


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## Caramelsnake (Jun 6, 2010)

pk93 said:


> In the current economic climate its hard to open any business, £4 grand just wont cut it as stated before. I would suggest keep saving and build it up, back in the day of a stable climate you would of walked into your bank and got a loan at fairly competitive rates, however as everyone well knows banks just aren't lending, unless you have a really wealthy relative you'll have a tough time doing so. I am sure people are setting up new businesses but just not in the quantity that they used to be.
> 
> Keep planning and keep hold of your ambition, and who knows in a few years the banks might start lending again.
> 
> ...


This is good advice! 

Until the recession is fully over (realistically 3-5 years) you would be better to focus on your conservation interests and look at retail when the economy picks up.


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## daniele1272 (Apr 14, 2010)

i am very happy with the people replying but as i said it is crazy how many jobs i have applied for with reps and inverts and at all kinds of establishments is there anyone who can help me in any other way point me in the right direction please


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## davy27 (Jul 17, 2011)

hi i live in brum and have some good news for you scales and tails in oldbury if for sale as it is all vivs and stock and reps £6000 just to put that in the mix lol :2thumb: go for it you only live once


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## Jeffers3 (May 18, 2010)

davy27 said:


> hi i live in brum and have some good news for you scales and tails in oldbury if for sale as it is all vivs and stock and reps £6000 just to put that in the mix lol :2thumb: go for it you only live once


This says a lot - why is it up for sale? Very difficult times to be opening up a store.

Could you set up a breeding / on-line business instead? Whatever you do, I think specialisation is important. Build up a reputation in a particular area and you may have a chance.


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## davy27 (Jul 17, 2011)

Well iv looked in to it it's priced a 25000 he has just had enough and wants out the game every one on here now that reps are over priced in shops so if you got stock from here you could out price the rest if I had six grand I buy it today ........


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## gmccurdie (Jun 1, 2012)

davy27 said:


> hi i live in brum and have some good news for you scales and tails in oldbury if for sale as it is all vivs and stock and reps £6000 just to put that in the mix lol :2thumb: go for it you only live once


Pet Shops for sale in the UK, buy a Pet Shops in the UK on BusinessesForSale.com
:hmm:

Find your USP (Uniqe Selling Point) what have you got/can you do that they couldn't?


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## ajminstrel (Apr 5, 2010)

Have you thought about starting out online, building a website, and moving foward from that toyour own premises... Sorry if someone else has already said this but i couldnt be bothered to read all replies


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## StaneyWid (Jun 2, 2012)

4 Grand??

Hope u build a reputation quicker than Mr Bolt can run down his stairs then cos thats a sore 1 to start on ive got more stock in my bedroom :lol2:

Good luck to you tho and wish you all the best im in the same situation as you but im joining another company (Cant sadly say just now case a jinx it) but all lookin good! Not cos i need finances i need a courier on my side as well as stated above economys crap and slight expansion is needed!

Serious hole in the market in Scotland,why im going for it,looks like competition is fearce down ur way!

Again best of luck

(Wrote this after 11 stellas so some credit due cheers :lol2


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## daniele1272 (Apr 14, 2010)

well thanks everyone at this point i am now doing an intenseive business course and will get all the relevant skills needed to run a busines such as the money and advertising side of things and will hopefully get a little bit of funding after it to help me on my way and also will try to boost my expereince with all kinds of reps in the mean time so bare with me early next year hopefully can only hope


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## gmccurdie (Jun 1, 2012)

daniele1272 said:


> well thanks everyone at this point i am now doing an intenseive business course and will get all the relevant skills needed to run a busines such as the money and advertising side of things and will hopefully get a little bit of funding after it to help me on my way and also will try to boost my expereince with all kinds of reps in the mean time so bare with me early next year hopefully can only hope


:2thumb: and good luck


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