[22906]

I'm getting bored of studying, and I woe to think of how the rest of my life is going to feel like if I'm getting bored already!

I think I should just follow my passion for audio reproduction and start a small shop where I can sell headphones, speakers, amps, and sources.

People would come in and I would greet them warmly. Then they could have seat in comfy leather chairs and sofas and audition some of my finest wares.
Lol... just a dream...

 

[tru blu]

Well, with Internet-direct commerce growing at the pace it is, hi-fi shops seem less necessary—at least that's been my experience. I upgraded my system last year, and acquired pretty much everything online. Because it's always best to test equipment in your home living environment, I've had pretty good experiences auditioning and sending things back within a trial period. I've also found that surfing and posting questions in audio forums has allowed me access to a pretty sizable knowledge pool, and the best thing (by contrast to audio shops) is that "business hours" don't exist. Getting into shopkeeping right now would require a pretty sound business model.

 

[22906]

Wouldn't people want to audition equipment locally in a shop rather than going through the hassle of shipping it back and forth to online stores?

I'd imagine this would be more the case with speakers rather than headphones though. I'd love to go and hang out in a hifi store if there was one near my school.

 

[breakfastchef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by m3_arun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wouldn't people want to audition equipment locally in a shop rather than going through the hassle of shipping it back and forth to online stores?

They would probably use you to audition equipment and then search online or at other retailers for the best price leaving you with no sale.

 

[chesebert]

is it a small rich town?

 

[tru blu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by m3_arun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wouldn't people want to audition equipment locally in a shop rather than going through the hassle of shipping it back and forth to online stores?

That's kinda what I thought until I realized how little hassle it actually is. Now I've come to believe that there's nothing like a home audition, where there aren't the same number of variables you'd find in the optimized listening room of an audio store. And if you make your home comfortable, you're not really looking for places to hang.

 

[gilency]

Problem is.......People rather save a couple of bucks (internet businesses don't have as much overhead therefore can be cheaper---hard to compete with that)....... You would have a hard tome competing against them.....big outfits who can buy larger quantities at a lower price, lower overhead....hhmmmmmm... better look for another business model....

 

[Lazarus Short]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilency /img/forum/go_quote.gif hhmmmmmm... better look for another business model....

How about selling power amps door-to-door?

...or from a white van?

Laz

 

[bhd812]

you could make money on it like anything else but its not going to be easy...like anything else.

in order to have the business just stay open you will need to think of the business side of this business and it always looks very different on that side then where you are now coming up with your ideas/thoughts.

maybe get a part time job at a local audio store to get in on that business side to see if its something really worth it to you.

 

[ericj]

Depends how small of a town you mean.

A friend of mine has run a shop for years in a city of about 39,000 people, an hour's drive from the nearest big city.

And he struggles. And local yobs come in and offer him $20 for stuff that costs hundreds.

 

[uraflit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhd812 /img/forum/go_quote.gif you could make money on it like anything else but its not going to be easy...like anything else. in order to have the business just stay open you will need to think of the business side of this business and it always looks very different on that side then where you are now coming up with your ideas/thoughts. maybe get a part time job at a local audio store to get in on that business side to see if its something really worth it to you.

even though i'm still a greenhorn in life experiences, bhd812's quote is IMO the best advice

get some real world experience with it first before you dive into it. it will save time, money, stress, and heartache that can be easily avoided.

 

[nikongod]

finish school. Engineers are always in demand. if you REALLY find engineering that borring, perhaps you should change majors.

a BIG part of what you need to know about businesses is right here:
nobody knows about the failures. there are too many to count but all anyone looks at is the success. sort of like gambling. the odds are stacked HIGH against you, but you still put the money down. you might be better off gambling than entering some business ventures: it only takes a 30 seconds to loose all your money playing "00" at the roulette table. in business, it often takes several years of hard work. the possibility of reward is similar, and the rewards are great if you hit but the likelihood is the key.

 

[cash68]

I think home theater installations in rich people's houses has a brighter future.

 

[GordonFreeman]

People will come to your place and check out equipment and then go and search for it on the internet and buy it online and this will continue until you have to liquidate and padlock the door. If you are in a big city, even with cheap rent, then it will be a struggle.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Most of the hi-fi shops in Los Angeles have shut down. Interest in audio is dying among the general public. Keep in mind that it has been dying even during what was an economic boom. Now that the economy is turning... I think the high-end will survive only as niche and with small players.

Sorry for the doom 'n' gloom, but the public seems content listening to compressed crap music on crap gear. Look at the stereo separates for sale at Circuit City and Best Buy - those reflect buying trends. If they want the "best," they buy Bose. Maybe they've heard of McIntosh, but they don't know where to buy one and gag at the prices.

If you want your own shop, I'd recommend opening one for general electric/electronic repairs. People will still want appliances and other electronics fixed. Part of the business could be selling a few audio goodies, and/or having a shop where you built custom amps.