Aquariums are beautiful and they are hard work and this hard work is why many aquarium owners have difficulty keeping up with them. Fish, while beautiful, are wasteful and it can be difficult to remember water changes and scrubbing the tank. Because of this, fish may meet their demise or the aquarium may not look so great anymore.
Fortunately, an aquarium maintenance service allows aquarium owners to enjoy their tanks without having to worry about getting down and dirty with it. If you have experience in aquarium maintenance, then you are the perfect candidate for this type of business. You can easily charge $40 to $75 an hour and make a good living. First, there are some things that you need to know about starting your aquarium maintenance service.
Learn Everything Possible
Once in business, you will find how important it is to know everything you possibly can about aquariums. The reason is because most individuals looking for your services are individuals not willing to educate themselves. You will need to answer all of their questions and may find yourself providing a lot of the answers for free.
Keep in mind that you will be working in an industry that does not recognize aquarium maintenance services as a legitimized business, so don’t expect any help from them. This is another reason why you have to read the books, use the Internet, and even work under other aquarium maintenance professionals.
Evaluate the Competition
If you find that there are no other aquarium maintenance services in your area, it is a good idea to find out why. A good indicator is if the pet stores in your area are small and they possess average knowledge of fish and how to take care of them. Chances are there are not individuals coming into those stores buying high-end aquariums.
If there is existing competition, then you need to take a look at their service offerings and determine what you can offer that they don’t. This information is going to come in very handy if you need to seek out a small business loan. You have to determine if your knowledge goes well beyond theirs, if you can offer competitive rates, and what their guarantees are and if you can do better.
You Will Need Startup Capital
You should have at least $10,000 to $20,000 in startup capital to acquire all of the equipment you will need. You may even need a vehicle to help you transport your equipment. To obtain financing, you will have to have a very solid business plan that shows the bank what your business has to offer that the others in your area don’t. If you cannot show that, you are better off saving the money or seeking out investors because the bank may not view this as a legitimate business, depending upon where you live.
Insure Yourself
Although you will most likely know what you are doing within your business, mistakes do happen. You do not want to have to pay out of your pocket for those mistakes because they could be very extensive and affect your bottom line. Don’t rely on incorporated status to protect you because it most likely won’t. The only way to be truly protected is to invest in insurance, which is a requirement that some of your customers may have.
Get the Word Out
After you have educated yourself, evaluated the competition, acquired your startup capital, and have insurance, it is time to start getting the word out. You can advertise in newspapers, local magazines, inform local pet stores of your services, and create a website and utilize social networking. You may want to offer a special when you are getting started so that you can acquire customers easier and start building a list of references. If these customers are satisfied, they will tell their friends and that is exactly what you want.
