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rightisright
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by rightisright »

BDK wrote:Perhaps get one of those laser based systems for doing the "in home" portions?

I think there is a market for training which "doesn't scare white breads," or at least a need for it.

Just shot one of those at a LGS (in Green Brook, for my fellow NJ denizens). They even have a CO2 powered "gun" that gives you a little recoil. They are still setting it up, so it had a few glitches (I wasn't charged. They let me try it while I was waiting for NICS to come back). But I think it will be a great training aid for experienced shooters and newbs alike once they work out the bugs.
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Netpackrat
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by Netpackrat »

rightisright wrote:For all its downsides on a personal level, Facebook has outstanding targeted marketing for business. For my construction business, I regularly run successful ads that specifically target females 35-60 in wealthy towns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeXjBWN8LO8
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Mike OTDP
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by Mike OTDP »

blackeagle603 wrote:Market it as pre-paid gift vouchers. "Give the gift of quality firearms training."
This FTW.

A few points...

First, you'll need some sort of credentials. Being an NRA Instructor is OK, attending some of the high-profile schools is better. Serious competition credentials are better still. This helps build a reputation, which is the ultimate credential.

Second, I might make a point of training with the unusual. There aren't that many truly unusual guns out there. This could be a marketing point, BTW.
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blackeagle603
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by blackeagle603 »

I like that for many reasons, payment up front, with the possibility of them never collecting on it. ;)

ding, ding, ding. That's the hidden profit in all those Starbucks cards. It's also the way to run a fundraiser carwash. Get the money up front and then don't have to wash the no-shows.
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BDK
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by BDK »

+1 on needing some real credentials. I know some very poor shots who are NRA certified instructors.

I have met some folks doing what you describe, who are former military shooting instructors. Not sure if you have such qualifications.

If you can - although the price would have to go up by quite a bit, having a lawyer teach the self-defense portion may be a good idea. Even the talking head shooting shows these days seem to have gotten smarter, and have attorneys make the legal comments.
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Weetabix
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by Weetabix »

+1 on charging up front. Besides gift cards, you could charge their credit card when they make the appointment. If they cancel, you keep the money and give them a rain check. It's up to them to redeem the rain check.

Get a .22 semi auto handgun that you like, too. Cheaper to start training on and less recoil.

Learn lots about dry fire practice and do it with them. Again, cheaper and supposed to be quite effective. Maybe with a gun equipped with Crimson Trace.

Maybe market it in such a way to suggest that needing training is no shame? For example, every kid can run, but trained runners do orders of magnitude better.

Incorporate airsoft or CO2 in the in-home portion with targets and a portable trap for the early sessions? Less intimidating to the newbie.
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BDK
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by BDK »

Something along the lines of "learn to excel", and that you do the "fundamental" training to ensure that everyone trainee has the same terminology/etc.

Don't imply that they don't "know" the basics, merely that we need to establish the same terms for the same movements/etc.

"Synchronizing" everyone's backgrounds?
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skb12172
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by skb12172 »

A local instructor, in partnership with a gun store, has done this very thing. He is doing very well with a local, radio celebrity doing his commercials on WHAS, our 50,000 watt AM station. I say go for it. If you'd like me to point you in the right direction to see what he is doing, I would be glad to help.
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
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JAG2955
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by JAG2955 »

BDK wrote:+1 on needing some real credentials. I know some very poor shots who are NRA certified instructors.

I have met some folks doing what you describe, who are former military shooting instructors. Not sure if you have such qualifications.

If you can - although the price would have to go up by quite a bit, having a lawyer teach the self-defense portion may be a good idea. Even the talking head shooting shows these days seem to have gotten smarter, and have attorneys make the legal comments.
Yes, technically I am. My resume reads something like "0933 Combat Marksmanship Coach, 0570 Foreign Security Force Advisor, and recipient of the Combat Instructor Ribbon", and so on.

So I'm rather torn on the credentials, and dumping money into the NRA courses if it means that I'm stuck with the NRA-approved curriculum.

Lawyers? Yick. You should have heard the bonehead lawyer [strike]advertising for Texas Law Shield[/strike] [strike]scaring individuals[/strike] doing a short law session prior to my CHL class. Blah, blah, blah, printing is brandishing and illegal, while I'm trying to figure out if the full-size pistol on his hip is a Glock or an M&P, judging by the outline on his shirt.

Weet, I like the idea of the .22lr pistols, but I'd probably go one step further and get .22lr conversion kits for common pistols if I can. Walk, crawl, run, from the SIRT trainer to the .22lr suppressed, to the full-sized pistol. All the while the manual of arms is all the same, sights are still the same, grip is still the same, etc.
skb12172 wrote:A local instructor, in partnership with a gun store, has done this very thing. He is doing very well with a local, radio celebrity doing his commercials on WHAS, our 50,000 watt AM station. I say go for it. If you'd like me to point you in the right direction to see what he is doing, I would be glad to help.
Does he have a website? Imitation is the highest form of flattery.
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skb12172
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by skb12172 »

If I can't find it through Google-fu, I will write it down the next time the commercial is on, which will be soon.
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
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