Canary_Yellow
Journeyman Pro
Those that can, do, those that can't dish out advice on internet forums.
B and M golf shop in NI
- Thread starter 351DRIVER
- Start date
Dan2501
Tour Winner
This is a badly thought out idea with little possibility for a return on my investment, and it is for that reason.....
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MendieGK
Tour Winner
You come across as properly arrogant in a lot of your posts. So I'd certainly be looking to do business elsewhere.
Your no it all attitude is quite often the reason why people fail
Your no it all attitude is quite often the reason why people fail
Oohmeoldbacksknackered
Assistant Pro
Point 1 - I don't own a golf store.
So you can read this bit or not.....
But I did use to own my own retail shop for 4 years having been in the business managing stores for others and being a partner for over a decade before I went out on my own.
Did well for over 3 1/2 years. Built up a nice little buffer. But ... Hit a brick wall and went bankrupt in under 3 months when Lehman's went bust on 15th September 2008.
I remember the day coz life has been hard since.
Forget the product - you know more about that than anyone. Can you manage a negative cash flow?
How long for? If you have a plan for everything going wrong then go for it - in 10 years you'll have the life you want. But make sure you are being REALLY honest about the potential problems.
If you have a partner make sure they are genuinely 100% with you - you will argue about EVERYTHING for at least two years.
Personally I think primary high street retail is almost impossible for a one man band - rents, rates etc make the overheads darn near impossible. Tertiary positions are best as long as you will get the footfall you require.
Full repairing leases are designed to bite you in the bum as well, so be careful with what you sign up for.
I also think you will need a decent web backup nowadays - whether you go full e-commerce is a big decision. And if you are going to do a lot of trade online, are you better off getting a commercial property in an out of town industrial site with cheaper overheads again? it's all about cost versus footfall. If you are looking at specialist product, you'll need to grab a potentially unrealistic proportion of the few customers you'll get. Or, as mentioned, do you use the physical customer as the minority and really set up to take advantage of the larger virtual audience, but then you'll have to increase your delivery & marketing costs horribly. What sort of advertising budget do you have?
If you already have all these answers in place you are pretty much ready to get started. Just thinking about all the problems is bringing me out in a cold sweat again after all these years (not really, but once you get started thinking about one problem, it always leads on to another, and another...)
HUGE respect and all good wishes if/when you give it a go.
I know I haven't been very helpful or positive but if there is ever a question that you could use my honest opinion on, just give me a shout - I'm probably the failurest guy on the forum so on that side of things I know more than most. If there's anything I can do to stop you making even one of the mistakes I made then I'm all yours.
:thup:
So you can read this bit or not.....
But I did use to own my own retail shop for 4 years having been in the business managing stores for others and being a partner for over a decade before I went out on my own.
Did well for over 3 1/2 years. Built up a nice little buffer. But ... Hit a brick wall and went bankrupt in under 3 months when Lehman's went bust on 15th September 2008.
I remember the day coz life has been hard since.
Forget the product - you know more about that than anyone. Can you manage a negative cash flow?
How long for? If you have a plan for everything going wrong then go for it - in 10 years you'll have the life you want. But make sure you are being REALLY honest about the potential problems.
If you have a partner make sure they are genuinely 100% with you - you will argue about EVERYTHING for at least two years.
Personally I think primary high street retail is almost impossible for a one man band - rents, rates etc make the overheads darn near impossible. Tertiary positions are best as long as you will get the footfall you require.
Full repairing leases are designed to bite you in the bum as well, so be careful with what you sign up for.
I also think you will need a decent web backup nowadays - whether you go full e-commerce is a big decision. And if you are going to do a lot of trade online, are you better off getting a commercial property in an out of town industrial site with cheaper overheads again? it's all about cost versus footfall. If you are looking at specialist product, you'll need to grab a potentially unrealistic proportion of the few customers you'll get. Or, as mentioned, do you use the physical customer as the minority and really set up to take advantage of the larger virtual audience, but then you'll have to increase your delivery & marketing costs horribly. What sort of advertising budget do you have?
If you already have all these answers in place you are pretty much ready to get started. Just thinking about all the problems is bringing me out in a cold sweat again after all these years (not really, but once you get started thinking about one problem, it always leads on to another, and another...)
HUGE respect and all good wishes if/when you give it a go.
I know I haven't been very helpful or positive but if there is ever a question that you could use my honest opinion on, just give me a shout - I'm probably the failurest guy on the forum so on that side of things I know more than most. If there's anything I can do to stop you making even one of the mistakes I made then I'm all yours.
:thup:
You will be pleased to know I never deal with customers only brand owners
I also try to post on areas I happen to have some experience or knowledge with, if someone is discussing shaft flexes on the latest TM driver you will not hear a peep from me as I know nothing about it.
Hey and sorry if you are offended, but i asked for people with experience so i could hear their input, if that is not you and you answered well, that is your issue is it not
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D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
So are you already selling these items online and you are looking to add a store front to sell to the passing customer ?
What is your "unique" angle
And having a warehouse isn't the same as having a shop to sell to people.
I understand that you don't want to sell TM etc but how much of the market to TM , Titleist , Ping , Callaway , Mizuno , Footjoy etc have - they have 99.9 % of the market
99% of golfers look towards those brands for their equipment
Then 1% look for the Non OEM stuff and do you believe that is enough to satisfy a shop front ?
Look in city centres around the UK and it's all the big stores - you don't find sport stores - simple reason why , the demographic for people walking around a city centre isn't people shopping for niche golf makes and items.
I really do think you need to do market research and that means asking golfers
What is your "unique" angle
And having a warehouse isn't the same as having a shop to sell to people.
I understand that you don't want to sell TM etc but how much of the market to TM , Titleist , Ping , Callaway , Mizuno , Footjoy etc have - they have 99.9 % of the market
99% of golfers look towards those brands for their equipment
Then 1% look for the Non OEM stuff and do you believe that is enough to satisfy a shop front ?
Look in city centres around the UK and it's all the big stores - you don't find sport stores - simple reason why , the demographic for people walking around a city centre isn't people shopping for niche golf makes and items.
I really do think you need to do market research and that means asking golfers
Point 1 - I don't own a golf store.
So you can read this bit or not.....
But I did use to own my own retail shop for 4 years having been in the business managing stores for others and being a partner for over a decade before I went out on my own.
Did well for over 3 1/2 years. Built up a nice little buffer. But ... Hit a brick wall and went bankrupt in under 3 months when Lehman's went bust on 15th September 2008.
I remember the day coz life has been hard since.
Forget the product - you know more about that than anyone. Can you manage a negative cash flow?
How long for? If you have a plan for everything going wrong then go for it - in 10 years you'll have the life you want. But make sure you are being REALLY honest about the potential problems.
If you have a partner make sure they are genuinely 100% with you - you will argue about EVERYTHING for at least two years.
Personally I think primary high street retail is almost impossible for a one man band - rents, rates etc make the overheads darn near impossible. Tertiary positions are best as long as you will get the footfall you require.
Full repairing leases are designed to bite you in the bum as well, so be careful with what you sign up for.
I also think you will need a decent web backup nowadays - whether you go full e-commerce is a big decision. And if you are going to do a lot of trade online, are you better off getting a commercial property in an out of town industrial site with cheaper overheads again? it's all about cost versus footfall. If you are looking at specialist product, you'll need to grab a potentially unrealistic proportion of the few customers you'll get. Or, as mentioned, do you use the physical customer as the minority and really set up to take advantage of the larger virtual audience, but then you'll have to increase your delivery & marketing costs horribly. What sort of advertising budget do you have?
If you already have all these answers in place you are pretty much ready to get started. Just thinking about all the problems is bringing me out in a cold sweat again after all these years (not really, but once you get started thinking about one problem, it always leads on to another, and another...)
HUGE respect and all good wishes if/when you give it a go.
I know I haven't been very helpful or positive but if there is ever a question that you could use my honest opinion on, just give me a shout - I'm probably the failurest guy on the forum so on that side of things I know more than most. If there's anything I can do to stop you making even one of the mistakes I made then I'm all yours.
Thanks, this is useful
Canary_Yellow
Journeyman Pro
Is this intentionally ironic?! :clap:
Glad you mentioned that, i did not want to appear like a NO it all.
Foxholer
Blackballed
Have you considered a 'Unit' rather than a Retail store? I've no experience myself, but someone I know reasonably well has had much more success operating from a Unit as opposed to the (golf oriented village) High St store. The 'integrity' of having a 'real location' can still be achieved.
Good Luck!
selwood90
Head Pro
Your looking in the wrong place for people with experience in your requested field. I'm pretty sure 99 percent of us on here are in the consumers bracket. This thread comes across as a bit of brag to me after people have posted genuine questions. Nothing I have read from anyone else warrants the tone you appear to be taking with everyone. You put this idea on a public forum and honestly expected nobody to question it? Since you know the owner of Game Golf perhaps he would be a better person to ask, rather than us mere mortals. Good luck!
MendieGK
Tour Winner
Let's not start on the grammar when you've got a similar mistake in your signature that is on every single post. 😉
I asked if owners or people with experience could offer advice, pretty simple request i thought, as i say you post about Taylor Made adjustable drivers, you will not hear a peep from me as i do not know enough about them to post in this case i said BUSINESS OWNERS and one has responsded, the rest of the thread is a waste of energy, it should only have a single reply, to which i would have said Thank you
You can clearly see the difference between the posters who have no experience v the guy that posted having done it., the difference is night and day, his info is useful!
I was trying not to drop names and was trying to focus this back on the original point but it was necessary as it is clear when some people get involved they are in it to the death and i used his example to show why his input is not exactly useful, consumers know things, people on the other side of the transaction have a different perspective and that is what i am looking for.
Foxholer, there seems to be many many options and i am not sure which would work better, i did see a place beside a Domino pizza, seems like this would catch walk ins waiting for pizza and has the benefit of being beside a Dominos
I hate dropping names, i hate forum boasting
I asked for input from owners as i have no experience of B and M stores that is what i expected might appear
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Very few on here will have any golf retail experience perhaps bar working in a pro shop which is a million miles from what you seem to be looking to do. I understand your concept but I'm afraid I can't see it working based on what you are planning to sell. Perhaps an option would be to get somewhere that allows consumers to hit into a bay and see the monitor in action.
Location, location location will also be paramount. When I moved to Bracknell there use to be an independent golf store. It was tucked off the main retail path, not far from the station, and had limited parking. It struggled as a result to get enough people in at any one time and that was one of a number of factors which eventually saw it close.
Even then, I simply cannot see you making enough to cover overheads and turn a profit without carrying standard golf stock as well and that would mean agreements with the usual suspects. Perhaps using a bay and a golf simulator so customers could play a few "holes" with demo models may be a niche other outlets wouldn't offer. I'd never knock anyone for having an idea and if it's something you decide to pursue I wish you well despite my personal scepticism.
Location, location location will also be paramount. When I moved to Bracknell there use to be an independent golf store. It was tucked off the main retail path, not far from the station, and had limited parking. It struggled as a result to get enough people in at any one time and that was one of a number of factors which eventually saw it close.
Even then, I simply cannot see you making enough to cover overheads and turn a profit without carrying standard golf stock as well and that would mean agreements with the usual suspects. Perhaps using a bay and a golf simulator so customers could play a few "holes" with demo models may be a niche other outlets wouldn't offer. I'd never knock anyone for having an idea and if it's something you decide to pursue I wish you well despite my personal scepticism.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
The good thing about this forum is there is a vast range of expirence and opinion in regards the game of golf
You have posted up in regards opening up a golf store - no one on here owns golf stores - we are golfers - that should be quite clear to yourself
So when people see you are opening up a golf store they will then see themselves as the customer and the target audience of such a shop
People have offered nothing but friendly advice and an opinion in regards your idea and they have done it in a pleasant way and a respectful way towards you
Now you can ignore what they say or just say thank you and maybe take on a bit of free market research you are getting from your customers or you can be agressive and rude
You posted on a golf forum about a golf shop - it's quite clear when you do that people will offer an opinion
If you want advice and an opinion on retail shops etc may I suggest that you ask on a forum that will specialise in that
You have posted up in regards opening up a golf store - no one on here owns golf stores - we are golfers - that should be quite clear to yourself
So when people see you are opening up a golf store they will then see themselves as the customer and the target audience of such a shop
People have offered nothing but friendly advice and an opinion in regards your idea and they have done it in a pleasant way and a respectful way towards you
Now you can ignore what they say or just say thank you and maybe take on a bit of free market research you are getting from your customers or you can be agressive and rude
You posted on a golf forum about a golf shop - it's quite clear when you do that people will offer an opinion
If you want advice and an opinion on retail shops etc may I suggest that you ask on a forum that will specialise in that
Weren't you an assistant Pro Homer?
A very, very long time ago. In those days there was limited stock available to pros (and most pro shops were very small) and certainly nothing like the technology and gubbins we have now
D
Deleted member 18588
Guest
The OP made it very clear from the outset whose advice he was seeking and maybe this is not the place where he will find it.
However, it was also obvious that he was not undertaking market research and whether you think he should is irrelevant.
Those of us without the relevant experience should just "butt out" and leave it to the experts. Sadly some find that too difficult!
davemc1
Journeyman Pro
Oh, this thread has made me smile 😆
Do you know the guy who owns golf depot? Yous seen to have a lot in common 😂😂
Do you know the guy who owns golf depot? Yous seen to have a lot in common 😂😂
