Business Proposition

[bluestarultor]

Well, to put it this way, running a business is complicated. There's a reason most of them fail within the first year and almost all within five. What you need to do is find an investor of some sort, because start-up costs are going to be killer. Converting a salon is going to cost money.

The FIRST thing you should do, though, is some market research. There is a reason the two local shops failed, I assure you. You need to find out why. Is there interest in a comic shop? How much? Enough to keep you afloat? What else will you need to stock to keep cash flowing in? GameStop, for example, isn't really big on table-based games, at least not in my area. You may need to delve into board games and cards to bring in an audience. In that case, it might be a good idea to set aside time and space for people to play so you can establish them as a loyal customer base. But then you have to consider whether that's the direction you want the business to take.

Also, you can probably expect to lose out a ton on unsold merchandise. If comics don't get sold, there's only so much you can do with them, and if it's anything like the book industry, you're going to be taking the hit.

Then you have to establish hours, staff the place, and provide an atmosphere. Your customers are going to want your staff to know comics, but more importantly, they're going to expect them to be helpful and provide great service. You're going to need to hire carefully. Knowing comics off the bat isn't going to be as important as hiring people who are willing to learn as they go, often from the customers, and do it quickly and with a smile. You'll have some leeway when you open on the knowledge base, but if your staff doesn't have a good base by the end of the first month, you're going to lose business.


This is just stuff I can think of off the top of my head after one business class, mind you. I'm just saying that it's going to be complicated and giving basic examples.