Hi all
I am thinking of setting up a surfshop (kite, surf, sup) at a beach where i have a house in the philippines. Just wondering if anyone has any tips. I have not been in retail before. Ie do suppliers give a credit line of product or do you have to buy upfront? Would it be hard to import to philippines? Expensive? Any tips at all would be appreciated. Thanks.

nice one sausage! from all the people I've spoken to in this industry over the years have all come to the same conclusion, very difficult to turn a passion into a profit.
I imagine you'd get sick and tired of frothing over your new gear 10hrs a day

sausage said..
Wanna know how to make a small fortune in Windsurf/kite retailing?........

Start with a large one!

Seems to work with most business

VB MAN said...

ok said..
DONT MIX BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE !
DONT **** WHERE YOU EAT !

Setup a brothel and promote it to the middle age kite / wind surfers they will love a "massage" post session... Plus you won't have to deal with warranty issues or refunds as they aren't gunna go home and tell there wife they bought a dodgy you know what........

Why would Kitesurfers need to go to a brothel ?

My number one tip would be: be discerning about who you take advice from. Opinions about business in places like pubs, bbq's and forums are sometimes cheap and often worthless. Advice and tips from the people who are doing what you want to do will serve you the best. If you want tax advice, ask an accountant etc.

Talk to national distributors to ask about terms or trade. Emails and phone calls directly to the brands can lead you to how you'll need to mange your sales.

Businesses can be tough but so can working for someone else forever...... If you have a go, good luck.

I nearly bought into a windsurfer shop many years ago. That was when my enthusiasm for windsurfing was red hot. When I sat down and thought it through, I gave that idea away. I realized that it can be hard to translate a pleasurable hobby into a business, especially a successful one.

I knew of many windsurfing shop owners throughout the years. Most of them are in it because they enjoy the sport, as well as mixing / dealing with folks of the same interest and mind set. It is my believe that not many of them made a decent living out of just windsurfing alone. They needed to have other extra sales lines such as beach wears.

Another thing I discovered is that they also have to sacrifice their time on water. It is just not possible to shut the shop when wind blows.

By the way, I desist from buying online, and instead pay a little more at the local shops. It is important to keep them viable so that whenever you needed a little spare part like a rubber tendon, or some ropes, they are there for me. Mutually beneficial ?

mrbones said..
I've met many people that have had businesses in third world country's and in the end they all failed because locals got the idea from them and could under cut them because of local contacts. It's a great dream but maybe not a great idea. Good luck if you try

exactly this

cqclay said..
Hi all
I am thinking of setting up a surfshop (kite, surf, sup) at a beach where i have a house in the philippines. Just wondering if anyone has any tips. I have not been in retail before. Ie do suppliers give a credit line of product or do you have to buy upfront? Would it be hard to import to philippines? Expensive? Any tips at all would be appreciated. Thanks.

If you really have a house in the Philippines you wouldn't need to ask