# Trying to open a pet shop



## daniele1272 (Apr 14, 2010)

thanks to everyone on here i have had posts in the past and people have helped so much so thanks again well i have applied and applied for job after job to work with reps and inverts and no luck have had tons of expereience and know my way around handeling a number of species so now i am on a new venture i am considering opening a pet shop whic will eventually have dwa and non dwa species but i am after advice on some parts what is the main hurdle to come across would presume council as they like to lie and bend the rules or is it general things such as getting livestock and being able to move them on sorry if it is the wrong forum but help and a little advice is all i need sorry about punctuality aswell as i was rushing


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## aidey07 (Nov 16, 2008)

I think you would be better off asking your local council.

Aiden


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## blood and guts (May 30, 2007)

why do all the new wana be shop owners have to have dwa? not trying to be rude or argumentive but this comes up so much and in allmost all these cases the person has no dwa experience and just hopes the psl will let them work with some, really not the best way to go about it and also not the best business sense clogging space with slow to non selling stuff.


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## daniele1272 (Apr 14, 2010)

i have probably had a lot more expereince that most people at the age i am from working abroad on to occasions in the field i am not or never would be complacent or get in over my head and i have worked with venemous reps out in SE asia and Cocst rica i understnad what you are saying but can you understand were i am coming from i would like to make a living out of my passion and learn as much as i can and if it aint goint to be in the field as they are highly competeive why not out of a business


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## penfold (Sep 9, 2007)

how many people in ur direct area have a dwa licence as these are ur customers


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## Jeffers3 (May 18, 2010)

If you look at the activity on this forum, it gives you a rough guide to the interest levels, which should give a reasonable estimate of the level of business that you could expect. There were 2,148,604 posts on the snake board and 47,015 posts on the DWA board. Based on this, you could expect 0.22% of the market to comprise of DWA species.

The counter-argument could be that you would be a specialist, so could expect a large chunk of that small market segment, but that isn't the case. Just looking at the nearest reptile shops to me, there are 4 that sell DWA.

Having said the above, though, I think it's a good idea to specialise a bit. If you become known as THE place to find something, you will draw people from wider afield. You can't neglect the "bread and butter" local business, though.


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## daniele1272 (Apr 14, 2010)

*pet shop management*

hello i am in the beggingings of opening a pet shop got the licence application from my local council sandwell it is and they have mentioned you would need to have or be willing to acquire a pet shop management course within two yrs not a problem but would like to know for sure any one who can help thankyou


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## craig1985 (Aug 8, 2012)

If u want to make large profits then you may want to try something else, reptile stores are lucky to break even in most cases when all bills are paid out etc.


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## herpzane (Apr 1, 2008)

Having run a reptile shop there is very little money to make. To the general public they are nothing more than a zoo. The money you make on the animals rarely covers the cost of feeding it for the time you kept it. You need diversity. 99% of sales are all dry goods anyway not livestock.


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## Peytone (Aug 16, 2012)

I am very happy that I am opening a pet shop but I have decided to keep only dog food supplements, dog health care, medicines and dog furniture. I am also planning to give heavy discounts on these.


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## daniele1272 (Apr 14, 2010)

i understand all of that and livestock would not be my only service i will be offering boarding, educational talks, and removal and believe there could be profit in it or people would not have them and profit is not my may persuasion in doing this anyways i have done a huge amount of work abroad and within this country and have been back a year next week and i have applied for every singlae animal job i have ever seen its my passion to work with animals and if thjis is the way to do it then bonus unlesss any one on here know of any jobs lol


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

As Jeffers said- you need a hook. 

Reptile shops are ususally spread out geographicaly. You need to be able to convince me to drive 1 - 2 hours to your shop. 

Educational talks are great - but you need decent facilities to do so. Also it can't just be on a 'how to care for your corn' kind of level. Talks and debates from external speakers are vital to making people like me come. It could be worth meeting up with your local branch of IHS or affiliate to arrange these. The ability to use your shop as a meeting place will be mutually beneficial. 

I would suggest a dedicated room with a projector and seating for 30 - 40 people if you went that route. 

The species you stock will make a difference. Kings/corns/royals will probably make up the basis of what you sell on a regular basis. 

What would work well is instead of stocking lots of rarer species (which will sell rarely and take up room) is to work on your contacts to be able to source any species. Being known as the guy who can get stuff will be far more valuable then anything else. 

One vital thing will be a decent website - pay money and get it done properly. This is how people further afield will first experience your shop and decide whether its worth the trip. An up to date, detailed stock list is vital - idealy updated daily. 

Just my tuppence.


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## Revobuzz (Nov 8, 2011)

I think it's great what you are planning but just make sure you get all your figures sorted out in a realistic business plan. You need to make sure you have a viable business for your plans to work out.

The costs of running a shop are enourmous and varied - Rent, business rates, service charge, insurance for building, contents and PI, utility bills, repairs and maintenance, dilapidations, solicitors fees, surveyors fees, shop fit out, bank charges, buying initial stock, accountants fees, staff wages, website design and hosting, advertising etc. etc. 

Make sure you get good advice too. I see loads of people in my job who sign up to a lease and have no idea what they are in for. If you have an FRI (Fully repairing Insuring) lease make sure you get a surveyor to advise you on condition and consider attching a schedule of condition to the lease if the shop is in disrepair. If it's IRI Internal Repairing Insuring) make sure you understand what is your liability and what is the Landlords. 

Also as a start up business you won't have a good covenant, so Landlord's will not be keen to give you a good deal unless you can muster up a wacking rent deposit. 

You need to be an expert in whole lot of stuff- not just animals. 

I reckon you've got a lot of hard work ahead of you. I do wish you the best of luck though.


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