I often get told how lucky I am to own a tackle shop, turning a hobby into a business, etc. So I thought I would give you a small insight as to what go’s on behind the scenes.
Depending on the day depends on the time I have to be at the shop, if a maggot delivery is due then I will be there for 7am, they all need to be riddled and placed into clean sawdust and this can take an hour or more depending how they arrive.
The most unpleasant part of the business is the paperwork and the stock as well as the trade shows, they start in early September and this is the time that many tackle dealer’s hate. It is the time that we start to view what is new on the market for the following year, as well as ordering a good chunk of the years stock, and depending on how many suppliers you have, depend on the amount of Trade shows you need to visit, number 1 & 2 are all good fun as you tend to catch up with other dealers you may not have seen for a year, but then they all get a bit boring, after all they want you to spend with them rather than a competitor.
The paperwork is just an ongoing procedure, what with all the invoices and day to day running the paperwork pile never really seems to be getting lower, then there is the V.A.T and the Staff PAYE & National Insurance, I am sometimes still in the office at 10pm but hey it all adds to the fun.
The re-ordering of stock can also be critical, order the wrong product and it sits there on the shelf or in the stock room, order at the wrong time and it does the same, you have to work ahead of the seasons, taking into account Sea Fishing, Coarse, Carp & Pike, they all have there best times and you have to ensure that the stock is there when it is needed, so you have to stay one season ahead to make it work.
Advertising is also a big part of your business, you need to be pro active and not just sit there expecting your customers to walk through the door, I work on my advertising campaigns at least 3 months ahead, as well as supporting local events and organising matches for adults and juniors, it may sound mad to you, but my Sea Angler Advert for 2006 (Winter) was done and booked by January 2006, all I need to do now is add the products and the prices, I have taxis painted up that drive around the local areas all day, as well as a charter boat that operates from Rhyl during the Summer and the Mersey during the Winter, these are great for me and work far better than local press.
Window displays are just as important they have to change with the seasons and are a great way to encourage people to enter the shop.
For all the hard work I enjoy what I do, don’t take this as a tackle shop owner moaning, it isn’t in any way, it is giving you a small insight of what go’s on behind the scences so when you are next in your local tackle shop and the owner seems a bit grumpy, it may be that he has just had the VAT return to do or been to a boring trade show the night before!
Chris Douglas
Chris runs Moreton Angling Centre, located at 87 Hoylake Road, Moreton, Wirral, and also owns the http://wirralseafishing.co.uk website.
