Warning

 

Close

Confirm Action

Are you sure you wish to do this?

Confirm Cancel
BCM
User Panel

Site Notices
Posted: 11/26/2013 9:53:51 PM EDT

so thinking about starting a small business, my father has about 10 acres and i though about putting up a small i guess you would call it a pole building, and doing most of my business over the net and such.

if i where to do this on his property would his property taxes go up at all ?

do i have to have a store front ? or can i strictly sell over the net and avoid a story front ( reloading shop )

and where would i go to  to apply for the business licenes at ?

just a few questions i have been kicking around lately
Link Posted: 11/27/2013 3:21:24 AM EDT
[#1]
Yes they would, it would be considered an improvement.

No you can sell on line from your home.

Depends on where you live.
Link Posted: 11/27/2013 1:37:41 PM EDT
[#2]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Yes they would, it would be considered an improvement.

No you can sell on line from your home.

Depends on where you live.
View Quote



Ok so how does the state get their sales tax if I sell on the net ?

Lee (the reloading company ) said if I wanted to be a stocking dealer I had to show them my ffl or tax Id number so in irder to start a reloading shop I guess I need an ffl ?
Link Posted: 11/27/2013 4:54:15 PM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:

so thinking about starting a small business, my father has about 10 acres and i though about putting up a small i guess you would call it a pole building, and doing most of my business over the net and such.

if i where to do this on his property would his property taxes go up at all ?

do i have to have a store front ? or can i strictly sell over the net and avoid a story front ( reloading shop )

and where would i go to  to apply for the business licenes at ?

just a few questions i have been kicking around lately
View Quote


1. If you build something, property tax will go up regardless of the business. To build something you need a permit. Town hall gives you permit, and then re-assess your property.
2. You don't have to have a storefront. However, some distributors / dealers will not sell to you unless you have a physical storefront.
3. First you need to register your business (make it LLC) with Secretary of State and Department of Revenue services (depending on state name could be different).
4. Unless your state does not have sales tax, reloading is most likely going to be taxable. So, you will need to register for sales tax as well.
5. Any out of state sales are not going to be subject to your state's sales tax.

And don't forget about accounting software. I would recommend QuickBooks.
If you get all things right from the beginning, it will be easier later.

These are general suggestions. YMMV by state.
Link Posted: 11/27/2013 8:42:31 PM EDT
[#4]
so i dont have to show any thing for sales i make off the net out of state, just sales done in the state.

now lets talk capital, and small business loans, i notice that most distribution places require around a 5k "buy" in to start an account, and i have read and been told you can get small grants and such for starting a business any one know any thing about that stuff ?
Link Posted: 11/28/2013 3:16:57 AM EDT
[#5]
Small business loans from banks.  You will have to put up personal collateral until you get established.

Look for government grants online.

Link Posted: 11/29/2013 8:18:03 AM EDT
[#6]
For such a small amount of money you are going to have a hard time borrowing it. In my experience if starting a business most banks are going to want you to have skin in the game. If I was in your shoes I would save up the 5k however possible and then start or start small and work up to it. Same thing with grants. Something that small the effort involved likely is not worth it. They require a ton of paperwork, requirements, etc.



Link Posted: 1/26/2014 4:14:15 PM EDT
[#7]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
For such a small amount of money you are going to have a hard time borrowing it. In my experience if starting a business most banks are going to want you to have skin in the game. If I was in your shoes I would save up the 5k however possible and then start or start small and work up to it. Same thing with grants. Something that small the effort involved likely is not worth it. They require a ton of paperwork, requirements, etc.



View Quote



ya i though maybe get like a credit card with a 5k credit line or something
Link Posted: 1/27/2014 5:14:12 AM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
do i have to have a store front ? or can i strictly sell over the net and avoid a story front ( reloading shop )
View Quote

Are you going to just resell components, or are you planning on buying components, making ammo, and selling it?
Link Posted: 1/27/2014 1:31:09 PM EDT
[#9]
Without typing a mini-novel, let me offer my 2 cents.
This is not a discouragement from starting your own business. I've been self employed since I was 19 years old and I love to see and hear about successful entrepreneurs. I have an online business that I started last year and many of the items I sell are shooting related, however, I offer nothing in the reloading category, so we would not be competition. I want to get that out of the way before someone says I am trying to discourage you because you'd be a competitor.
Again, I'll try to keep this short but the best thing I can say is, the days are over of building a website, putting a few products on it and waiting for the orders to roll in. I'm not saying it was ever easy but it was much easier at one time than it is now. My budget of $25,000 quickly turned into $125,000 and it took a full year of work from my business partner and I getting the website professionally built, finding suppliers, making agreements, inventory loaded in the store and the other 1,000 other lose ends tied up. Yes you can do it for less, a lot less but the competition online is tough. Even if you have the best prices on the internet (hard if not impossible to do) you still have to have people find your store and choose to purchase from you. If you base your whole business model on having the cheapest prices, you won't make it. You've got to make a good margin to pay for overhead and your time and there is always some guy out there working at a loss and selling items cheaper than you can. He won't stay in business long term because he's losing money but there are always new guys starting businesses with the same plan...be the cheapest at all costs.
Also, many large name manufacturers (in all parts of the outdoor sporting goods industry) have Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP). This sets the lowest price you can sell their items for. This is actually a benefit for you in many ways because it helps you make a good margin on the product but it also just lumps you in with the rest of the crowd when it comes to price because most dealers will have nearly identical prices.
I guess my point in all this rambling is this....I'm not trying to discourage you but since your plan is to start small, I'd try to operate on a cash basis. Banks aren't going to want to loan you a lot of money on this sort of venture and for good reason; it's hard to make it work. You can operate this sort of business out of your living room if you want to and that's what I'd probably advise you to do until it grows. Yes many distributors and/or manufacturers require you to have a brick and mortar storefront but you can find some who don't require this. If you are genuinely going to up a brick and mortar retail storefront, then it's going to require even more money and a different business model to run a retail brick and mortar store vs an online only store.
If you have specific questions I'll be glad to try and answer them. I just don't want to see you borrow a bunch of money for such difficult business venture with a really solid plan and get burned.

 
 
 
Close Join Our Mail List to Stay Up To Date! Win a FREE Membership!

Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!

You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.


By signing up you agree to our User Agreement. *Must have a registered ARFCOM account to win.
Top Top