Also just a thought what would it take to start an aquarium store? Anyone know of any suppliers ? Just curious
Been there, done that. Had a 10,000 sq. foot grow facility, I was a lucky one, built it and sold it, but I will tell you, you will need at least $350K to startup a shop, properly outfit it so it doesn't look like you are doing it on a shoe string budget, be willing to eat packets of sugar and water for a year, put everything back into the business, and hire a couple of very knowledgable employees that have the same passion you do. That was key for me, the day I hired Josh was the best day of my life b/c he ran the shop like it was his when I wasn't there the 1 day a week I spent time with my wife and kids. Look Pure Reef, they are the gold standard for what a shop should look and operate like, then ask yourself when was the last time you went in and Jorge or Angela weren't in the store working, I have only NOT seen Matt there a couple times. It will CONSUME you! Premier Aquatics esthetically is a great looking shop, but I would change everything about their fish and coral section.
Now, Maintenance and LED's is where I can have a great balance. I did speak with my wife, and had I lost my full time job b/c of COVID-19, I would have opened another shop, b/c I do miss it. I miss the people the most. Strat small, see if you can really see yourself doing it. There are a few corals guys on here that seem to sell a lot of corals on here, so if you just want some extra income, start with 2 lowboys, spend about $4k on mother colonies and start growing, cutting, growing, cutting. Nobody wants stuff ripped out of the ocean, and that is a good thing, so try and buy as much non-wild as possible.
I have a ton of contacts if you are serious and want to order corals, or equipment.
