Originally Posted by loyrun
I am interested in starting a running / cycling shop where i would sell the basic items, like shoes and bikes
My first bit of advice would be "Don't mess with shoes." They are the ultimate loser. There are lots of different sizes to stock so you have to keep a lot of inventory. They are a low turnover product and they take a lot of sales time. You'll never be able to match the mail order competition's prices. Ultimately you invest a lot of money to become the unpaid local service agent for somebody else.