Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/desired-I'm updated!

Discussions about our lives, families, jobs... things may get a little personal
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HTRN
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by HTRN »

skb12172 wrote:A local instructor, in partnership with a gun store,.
This is the way to go. I personally think that if your not somehow connected to some kind of facility, you're pretty much doomed to failure. Much of what you want to do is rep dependent, and being formerly connected to whatever facility you plan to use goes a long way towards that.
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arctictom
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by arctictom »

An add on, been at the range many many times and pointed people in the correct direction.
From the modify Weaver grip, to no no do not fire a 500 Smith single handed my most frightining observation so far has been a young lady with a 458 win mag who could not even hold it on target and was being encouraged by her boy friend, I politely explained that the energy generated would knock her over.
Good luck lad.
You live and learn.
Or you don't live long.
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McClarkus
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by McClarkus »

I am thankful and grateful for having room to shoot on my own land. With the situation here, I could easily get away with giving private lessons on private land. Given that, I would give serious thought to this plan for my situation. As a retired LEO, I could muster up sufficient credentials to begin a program to become worthy of teaching. We now restore antiques in a shop on site. The insurance for one year for a retired cop to fix furniture is about $1300. Bastard insurance company just did an audit and had a hissy fit over my wood stove. Since I refused to get rid of it, it now sits three feet up on the floor on a cinder block platform to keep some city folk, desk driver in some unnamed city gainfully employed. I am curious to what it might take to ensure adequate coverage in the event of serious accident.
One secret to life. Step #1 - Find something you enjoy doing. Step #2 - Find someone foolish enough to pay you to do it.
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Termite
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by Termite »

JAG2955 wrote: I'm thinking of a women's program called something like Lioness program, or Shepherd program.
"Tiger Moms" has a ring to it. ;)

But give Sarah Palin credit........... "Grizzly Moms" projects a positive mental picture. :lol:
"Life is a bitch. Shit happens. Adapt, improvise, and overcome. Acknowledge it, and move on."
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Yogimus
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by Yogimus »

plastic trainer barrels
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Denis
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/des

Post by Denis »

JAG,

best wishes with your venture. It sounds good.

In my free time, I am the administrator/founder of a gun club, and I have taught at least fifty people of both genders to shoot in the past year or so, all of whom would fall nicely into your target demographic.

A few thoughts:

Credentials: get at least the NRA and state ones, in addition to your military experience. I did not serve in the military, but I have civilian firearms training credentials out the wazoo, some of which were not easy to get. The effort was worth it - in this activity, more credentials are better.

Insurance. Get it for yourself and the client. No compromises. You do not want to have to fight a personal injury or professional liability action uninsured. Can't get insurance? See what I said about credentials...

Word of mouth - our club operates solely on this - we don't advertise at all. It works fine. Get known to local gunshops and ranges, ask if they will keep your business cards and brochures on hand to give out to those needing instruction. The same with your local police.

The main client emotions you have to deal with are fear and curiosity. Fear both drives the wish to have a gun (self protection) and fuels apprehension about buying and using one. Curiosity, properly managed, is your ally.

Dealing with fear - ensure that your first meeting with new clients involves strictly no firearms at all! Meet them for coffee (you buy!) and a chat in a public place, nothing more. 25-30 minutes max. Introduce yourself briefly, satisfy them that you are not a nutter, then listen to them. Get them to explain their motivation for wanting to learn to shoot, tell you about any experience they might have, good or bad, ask about any special wishes, etc., etc. Take notes. When they have spoken, briefly explain your safety and training philosophy, emphasizing that the goal is for them to have fun, in a positive and safe environment. Give them some decent printed material to take away - your business card, contacts, a safety brochure, the 4 rules, a short introduction to the principal types of firearm, etc.

If the coffee and a chat goes well, make an appointment during it to meet for a first shooting lesson. In my experience, the theory/safety instruction part of this first session should be as short as is reasonably possible (10-15 minutes max, including familiarization with the first firearm and dry firing), then step immediately to the adjacent range, and get them to simply experience shooting, under close (touching distance) supervision. Start everybody on a .22, whether pistol, revolver or long arm. Keep the session short on time (30 mins max), long on experience and fun, and if the .22 goes well, step up immediately to a 9mm/.38spl or .45 in order to finish off with a few big bangs and plenty of grins. Book the next - proper - session immediately. At the second and subsequent sessions, do the real training - stance, grip, sight picture, trigger control, breathing, etc... and you're away.

Pricing. I have the luxury that the gun club sponsors the cost of the first lesson for all beginners, supplying the firearms and ammunition, PPE and targets. We don't charge anything at all for the first time, but second and subsequent sessions are charged at the usual club rate. It is very rare we have someone take advantage to get a free lesson and never come back. Even if that happens, we mark it down to advertising and goodwill.

Firearms: I start pistoleros on a .22 Browning Buck Mark or Colt Huntsman (for small hands), starter revolver is a .22 S&W K-17. Rifle is a .22 Browning T-bolt. All with iron sights. Start at 10 metres, moving the target closer if absolutely necessary. As mentioned, if the .22 is going well, finish the session with a few shots of a bigger caliber - we generally use CZ75 or BHP 9mm pistols, or an Uzi for S&Gs.
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JAG2955
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/desired

Post by JAG2955 »

Alright. Got the NRA pistol instructor. Bam. Easy. Highly recommended just for the discounts and availability of NRA Instructor insurance-cheap, and good for non-NRA courses then as well. Looks like I can do NRA RSO online. Easy. I'll do it, and probably sign up to take NRA rifle then as well.

Then...

Giant punch in the dick today.

I had a "meeting of neighbors" (not an official meeting) that was myself and the 3 members of the HOA board. I had three pages of notes that I presented to them, detailing what I wanted to do, how little impact it would have on our street, and why I was actually asking for permission.

You name the cliche, it was brought up. Little old ladies who don't want there to be a "gun dealer" on the street, to "if we let you do it, then we have to let everyone else do it too." You sell a gun to a guy, he tells his ten friends, who tell their ten friends, before you know it, you have a line of folks waiting in your driveway. When the ATF visits, what if they visit in a vehicle with a big ATF logo on the side! Everyone will talk, talk, talk!

Despite the fact that I want an FFL to buy stock to use for training. The only time my business plan/notes had me selling to an individual is when I wanted to replace worn guns used for training.

I'm pretty pissed, because at the "meeting", it was admitted that lots of folks in the development have businesses. It's just that if asked, the HOA board plays dumb. Since I wanted to do the right thing, and since I knew the ATF would ask, that's why I went to them first. They told me that I'm free to start a training business, as long as it doesn't come to the visibility of the HOA board. Fucking hypocrites.

The board president is going to ask the HOA lawyer about it, and I emailed him a copy of my notes to get the lawyer up to speed. I'm guessing that he's going to say that there's not a chance. Scumbags.

I'll check to see if I can write up a plan for the ATF to see if I can get an FFL just for training-no sales. Maybe see if that can happen. Maybe I'll just apply anyways and see if I get a dumbass agent that doesn't check with the HOA. Short of that, I figure that I'll run for the board, and do my damndest to nuke and pave our restrictions. Maybe start to call out all those who have businesses that they run from their home. At least our subdivision will be charged the lawyer's fee.
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Netpackrat
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/desired

Post by Netpackrat »

That sucks. We could probably fill a whole thread with chicken shit like that.
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JAG2955
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/desired

Post by JAG2955 »

Yep.
JAG2955 wrote:We un-ejected. We're making an offer on it.
Greg wrote: Comes back to availability. To find something with all of:
-nice house
-nice lot
-not halfway to Kansas
-no HOA

is simply not possible without blowing our budget. Even getting 3 of the 4 is largely impossible.
Quoted for truth and experience.
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JAG2955
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Re: Business idea-critique, advice, and thoughts welcome/desired

Post by JAG2955 »

Okay, this may become an epic HOA thread.

I had another meeting with them, and gave them plenty of time to contact the lawyer, because there were some extenuating circumstances with the HOA president's son's health.

Basically, they're not going to give me a variance. They said that I'm free to apply, and if they never get asked, they're good with it, but if they do get asked, they will refer the ATF to the covenants. The lawyer (fuck be upon him) says that as long as there's no "signs, sights, smells, or sounds", they can't prove a business. Which was part of my plan. They're just not willing to give me a variance.

So two of the three members of the board had admitted that they worked out of their homes, but they were "home offices", not "home businesses." Integrity...am I right? So anyways, I was waiting for some stain on a bookshelf to dry today, and I did some googling. It's amazing what's out there, isn't it. I found professional licenses, one CPA, one HVAC designer, for those two. Each with their addresses on my street.

Now...how best to use this information? :lol:

Blackmail?
Exposure?
Set up fake appointments using Google Voice and then surprise them?
Call the HOA management company on them?

(Also found at least two other businesses, and that's out of 46 homes)
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