Thinking of Changing Careers and Opening a B&M

[herfdog]

A friend of mine work for a hélicoptère manufacturer: he told me he'd share any sales bonus I send his way.

 

[Griz]

Once you get in to that B&M money you'll be able to buy a different heli for every day of the week!

What have you been putting in your pipe? Some days I could use some of that stuff for some sampling. Hahaha
I doubt that a B&M in this area would stay afloat very long.

 

[Mikenice81]

I'm not sure what your previous experience is, but beware that running a business is a lot harder than it looks and takes a lot more work. You'll need to figure out space (rent/purchase, construction, remodel, permits, zoning, liability, etc), inventory (what distributors sell in your area, what are the minimum annual purchase amounts, are minimums higher if you also want to carry limited editions, etc), Regulations (smoking indoors, selling tobacco products, etc), hiring, bookkeeping, insurance, etc.

Good luck, and definitely keep us posted on your decision/progress.

I would take it a step further and recommend working at one for a while to learn the business. I read an article years ago about people starting franchises. The ones that turned out the most successful were the ones started by people with management experience in the field. Their advice was to never start a business if you haven't spent time actively working in the industry.

 

[Cigarth Vader]

I would take it a step further and recommend working at one for a while to learn the business. I read an article years ago about people starting franchises. The ones that turned out the most successful were the ones started by people with management experience in the field. Their advice was to never start a business if you haven't spent time actively working in the industry.

Very true. One of the B&Ms I frequent is a nice setup but I can't help but feel like they really not quite sure what to do with themselves as far as marketing, promotions, etc.

 

[stin187]

Very good point about working in one first. That's probably the best way to learn the ins and outs.

 

[cgraunke]

@smokinbrew here's some research material for ya, as well as further info links on the first page. Best of luck to all those making the attempt!

 

[boltman]

I have a buddy in Riverside that opened a B&M in the last 2 years. Let me see if he'd be willing to provide some information on what he had to deal with. This is in California, so a lot of what he had to go through may be overkill compared to other states.

Amen, brother. If you can jump through all the hurdles that Calif requires of a business, you can do it in any state in the union. I would love to pack up my entire extended family and move to Texas. That's where I belong.