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Unread 10/25/2005, 12:11 PM   #3
Anthony Calfo
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 5,436
my best advice is not to be a common reseller of imported livestock my friend. You are likely the least (work/age) experienced to handle this most risky and volatile (profit) competitive (!) niche in the market. To succeed... you will need a remarkable amount of capital to work with.

Farm corals instead for your highest profit, lowest risk. Then you will not be at the mercy of CITES, airline delays, weather, etc for the the things that make your livelihood!

Above all... start with writing a business plan. There is software out there to help with this such as Business Plan Pro

This will reveal the world to you my friend: how much moey you need to start up, how much profit you can make... when/can you afford to startup, etc.

Some of the info you will need to finish a business plan can be found in the industry trade journals such as Pet Business, Pet Age and Pet Supplies marketing. Also form the industry lobbyist group PIJAC. Subscribe to these orgs for the info that will make the difference between you succeeding or just becoming a statistic.

If you do not make a good and thorough businessplan... you are almost certain to fail

Please do not underestimate this!

If/when you do write this plan... you will see exactly what I mean about avoiding resale in an online market. And you will learn which questions really need to be asked first

Also... check with your local universities that have business schools. They often have free or cheap counseling for small business entrepeneurs like you. They can give advice on writing plans, seeking loans, grants, etc.

Work hard at this and you will be rewarded!


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