Consulting Projects >> Starting Your First Store

Starting Your First Store

If you are thinking of opening your first comics store but aren't sure whether it is the right thing for you to do, we can help you with that first critical decision.

• Two hours of telephone consulting time, which will help focus your questions and identify areas that you need to work through before deciding whether to go into business or not.  We will provide you with a worksheet that will help focus your thinking and planning.

• A sample budget listing your basic costs to create and open your comics retail business for a small and medium sized location

• A five year financial pro forma which shows what your break-even sales must be, based on your local real estate and labor costs

• A merchandise mix analysis, showing what your daily sales in dollars and units must be in order to break even in Year One

• A quick demographic analysis showing the level of customer penetration you will have to achieve to have a successful store in your target area.

• Maps showing known competitors, demographics

The cost of this service ranges from $600 to $800, depending on the size of the area you are considering opening in and the number of possible locations you ask us to look at.  We normally complete this sort of project in two to three calendar weeks.

Sample Report (PDF)

This work forms the basis of a real business plan, if you decide that the results of this work indicate that opening your own business makes sense.