knowledgeable and passionate about fish, then you might want to think about starting an aquarium business. Aquarium setup and maintenance generally pays between $40 to $75 an hour – A very nice pay grade by anyone’s standard. Here’s how to build a successful aquarium business quickly, from the ground up.
First, Know Your Stuff
You need to know how to setup and maintain both freshwater and saltwater fish. Much of your business will come from saltwater aquariums, because they tend to be a little tougher to setup and maintain.
Both fish and aquariums should come second hand to you. If you don’t have in depth knowledge of the industry, then consider opening an aquarium franchise instead of starting from scratch. That way, you’ll get training before you jump in.
If you already know your stuff, then read on.
Building a Loyal Customer Base
Much like any other business, you will get a lot of your business through referrals after a period of time. After all, people who can afford to have pet fish also tend to know other people who can afford to have pet fish.
That said, in the beginning you have to create a very good system for finding customers, or else you won’t get off the ground.
Here’s how.
First, build relationships with aquarium stores and fish stores in your city and neighboring cities. Strike deals with store owners. Offer some sort of commission.
For example, offer to do all their setup for free. Normally, they might have to charge customers extra or you might charge $150 for it – But you give it away for free. As a result, you get to meet fish owners and have a chance to sell your maintenance service.
Or, you might offer some kind of revenue split. They get 20% of everything you make from customers they sent you.
Come up with a compelling offer that works for both sides. Fish stores, pet stores and vets are all great bets.
Differentiating Yourself
How is your competition doing? There are three places you should look to see what kind of prices and strategies your competition is employing: Yelp, Yellow Pages and Google.
First, start by Yelping your competition. See what kind of reviews they have and who is ranked highest. Believe it or not, being ranked #1 on yelp in aquarium maintenance can single handedly result in a very successful business.
Then, lookup aquarium maintenance in the Yellow Pages. Try calling some of them and asking about their prices and how they work.
Finally, Google your competition and check out their web pages.
Once you know what your competition is up to, ask yourself: How can you differentiate yourself and set yourself apart? What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? Answer this question well and you’ll soon be #1 in your area.
That’s the basic strategy behind starting a successful aquarium business. Initially it takes a lot of work to get started, but once you get rolling you’ll have a very profitable business in an industry that you already deeply enjoy and know a lot about.
