Originally Posted by
PlatyPius
Replying to everything posted so far (too many to quote)
1. I have cold water in the fridge.
2. Tourists always get preferential treatment. They likely won't be repeat customers, but a) they know other tourists and b) no one wants a tour ruined because of a mechanical or poor service.
3. I'll only be keeping a few things in stock, as far as larger items (racks, panniers, etc). Nuts and bolts/small parts is what I really need suggestions for. What parts tend to be needed the most? M5 bolts/nuts? derailleur pulleys/bolts?
4. There will be an air hose outside the shop.
5. The shop has free WiFi. Tourists are welcome to use my laptop to catch up/get others caught up.
There is one thing you really need and it's probably more important then anything else. Enough cash that you can operate the shop and still survive comfortably, yourself, for 3 years without the shop making so much as a nickel in profit.
If you count on not making any money in the first 3 years, you will be ahead of the game when you do start making money, probably during the second year. Most businesses start without enough money, and the average one closes within 2 years, leaving the business owner with a truck load of debt.
PM me if you want to know how I know this
Remember you need to be able to draw from the reserves a salary for yourself, and it needs to be an amount you can live on. It helps if your spouse makes 90K or more per year.....
You also need a formal business plan, with sane numbers in it, this is for if you need investors or borrowing capacity. Always count on expenses being higher then you think they should be and revenue being lower then you think it should be.