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evobatman
Jul 30, 2006

it means nothing, but says everything!
Pillbug
What's your projected revenue, gross profit and net profit for year 1, 2, and 3?

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SlyFrog
May 16, 2007

What? One name? Who are you, Seal?

evobatman posted:

What's your projected revenue, gross profit and net profit for year 1, 2, and 3?

What's the square root of this apartment? What's your net operating margin following add-back of depreciation but before LIFO adjustments?

YOU ARE NOT READY OP!

Foma
Oct 1, 2004
Hello, My name is Lip Synch. Right now, I'm making a post that is anti-bush or something Micheal Moore would be proud of because I and the rest of my team lefty friends (koba1t included) need something to circle jerk to.
Have you considered opening your bookstore on a houseboat? I bet you could save a ton on rent.

OctaviusBeaver
Apr 30, 2009

Say what now?
If the dead tree store doesn't pan out I suggest you open a typewriter repair shop that caters to print journalists.

22 Eargesplitten
Oct 10, 2010



Lots of people posting about how print is a dead medium when one of the first five posts shows that print book sales went up last year.

ohgodwhat
Aug 6, 2005

Good point. If OP sells tapes too, there's no way the business could fail:
https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/23/cassette-sales-2016/

I brought my Drake
Jul 10, 2014

These high-G injections have some serious side effects after pulling so many jumps.

I found out a couple days ago that one of my cats has cancer so my liquid savings are shrinking.

This definitely isn't something I'm going to do this year, let alone this week. I'm still fine-tuning a survey that I can advertise on campus and in various other hipster places. I'm baffled as to why there isn't an independent bookstore new or used in this area. There have been three attempts in the past fifteen years and I'm still assembling the details on those from public records.

I know I need more money for this venture, that's not lost on me.

I also believe that physical media will be relevant for some time to come. It would be my job as a seller to stock a shop with stuff that people can't buy with two clicks and free shipping. Hence schlepping my cheap specfic titles to the vintage market.

Suspicious Lump
Mar 11, 2004

quote:

I'm baffled as to why there isn't an independent bookstore new or used in this area. There have been three attempts in the past fifteen years and I'm still assembling the details on those from public records.
Because this is one of those ideas that sound nice, most people will compliment you "oh great idea!" but won't actually buy your merchandise. It's always nice to have a book store to go into and browse, but are you gonna actually buy something? Nah.

The only places I have seen succeed are cafes that just happen to sell books. But the location is super important. I think if you're near a university then you should consider a hangout place for those hipsters.

P.S Are you srsly going to give your cat chemo?

I brought my Drake
Jul 10, 2014

These high-G injections have some serious side effects after pulling so many jumps.

Yup. There's a pill-based chemo so I'm doing that rather than something more invasive. She's a great cat and if I can give her a few more months, it's worth it.

I'm not sure if people would buy the merchandise or just read it while hanging out in the cafe.

ohgodwhat
Aug 6, 2005

Open a cat cafe. I imagine it's a completely untapped market in your area.

therobit
Aug 19, 2008

I've been tryin' to speak with you for a long time

queserasera posted:

Yup. There's a pill-based chemo so I'm doing that rather than something more invasive. She's a great cat and if I can give her a few more months, it's worth it.

I'm not sure if people would buy the merchandise or just read it while hanging out in the cafe.

Is the chemo gonna make her super sick though?

Suspicious Lump
Mar 11, 2004

queserasera posted:

Yup. There's a pill-based chemo so I'm doing that rather than something more invasive. She's a great cat and if I can give her a few more months, it's worth it.

I'm not sure if people would buy the merchandise or just read it while hanging out in the cafe.
WHAT. Worth it for the cat or you?

Most people do not get chemo if they have a few months to live, they get doped up on drugs and told to enjoy the remaining few months left.

Killstick
Jan 17, 2010
If you're going to do this, consider doing commission sales as well as regular sales. Give the students an opportunity to turn in their books to the store for sale and then you take a % when they sell. https://en.campusbokhandeln.se/ This store is very successful in using that model.

Adar
Jul 27, 2001

queserasera posted:

I found out a couple days ago that one of my cats has cancer so my liquid savings are shrinking.

This definitely isn't something I'm going to do this year, let alone this week. I'm still fine-tuning a survey that I can advertise on campus and in various other hipster places. I'm baffled as to why there isn't an independent bookstore new or used in this area. There have been three attempts in the past fifteen years and I'm still assembling the details on those from public records.

I know I need more money for this venture, that's not lost on me.

I also believe that physical media will be relevant for some time to come. It would be my job as a seller to stock a shop with stuff that people can't buy with two clicks and free shipping. Hence schlepping my cheap specfic titles to the vintage market.

You're not really comprehending how much more money it takes to do it properly. It's not 'this or cat cancer treatment', it's 'this or 50% down on a house'.

That's if this were a pristine area where, somehow, none of the people living in a college town previously had the same idea. When you first found out three people failed before you, you should have never thought about this again. The survey is already a waste of time. I'm not even trying to be negative - in all likelihood, the fourth attempt at a bookstore will have a worse ROI and much worse success rate than opening a restaurant.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR
Apr 12, 2010



Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22
I don't think the survey is a waste of time, OP just has to be very careful with how they interpret and analyze the results.

Liquid Communism
Mar 9, 2004


Out here, everything hurts.




Suspicious Lump posted:

Because this is one of those ideas that sound nice, most people will compliment you "oh great idea!" but won't actually buy your merchandise. It's always nice to have a book store to go into and browse, but are you gonna actually buy something? Nah.

The only places I have seen succeed are cafes that just happen to sell books. But the location is super important. I think if you're near a university then you should consider a hangout place for those hipsters.

P.S Are you srsly going to give your cat chemo?

Exactly. I love books, and used book stores, but even then I can only read and house so many. I mean, I'm a 'regular' at the single used book store that's survived locally, and that amounts to maybe 20 bucks a month spent.

20 bucks doesn't even cover the cashier's time for how long I was in there browsing.

Leon Trotsky 2012
Aug 27, 2009

YOU CAN TRUST ME!*


*Israeli Government-affiliated poster
You should try camgirling for a year or two to build up capital and research the market. This way you won't lose all your money or kill your cat.

Or go back to grad school if that really is your dream and a requirement for your career.

Otherwise, just get a job in the industry and try to get there through experience rather than a degree.

(The bookstore idea with CC debt, a cat with cancer, and less than 2k in liquid assets ranks #4 out of 4 of these options)

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

ohgodwhat
Aug 6, 2005

Fourth time's a charm though

Tiny Brontosaurus
Aug 1, 2013

by Lowtax

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

You should try camgirling for a year or two

wtf is wrong with you

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

You should try camgirling for a year or two to build up capital and research the market.

Alternatively, you could try fuckboying a little less.

Sundae
Dec 1, 2005

Tiny Brontosaurus posted:

wtf is wrong with you

I was wondering about that. I had to go back and re-read the thread thinking I'd missed something.

Nope, it's just creep factor out of nowhere.

Leon Trotsky 2012
Aug 27, 2009

YOU CAN TRUST ME!*


*Israeli Government-affiliated poster

Tiny Brontosaurus posted:

wtf is wrong with you

1) Assess their current financial state and feasibility of project
2) Present an objectively unreasonable solution
3) Using hyperbole, you explain that this solution is preferable to their current plan
4) By contrasting their plan with an absurd option, you use irony to present a situation that deliberately runs counter to what one would expect actual advice to be
5) The contrast is so extreme that it highlights the lack of feasibility of the original option and potentially uses humor or irony to indirectly critique the reasonability of the original plan
6) The closing statement "The bookstore idea with CC debt, a cat with cancer, and less than 2k in liquid assets ranks #4 out of 4 of these options" serves to highlight the intended message

Leon Trotsky 2012 fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Mar 13, 2017

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

1) Assess their current financial state and feasibility of project
2) Present an objectively unreasonable solution
3) Using hyperbole, you explain that this solution is preferable to their current plan
4) By contrasting their plan with an absurd option, you use irony to present a situation that deliberately runs counter to what one would expect actual advice to be
5) The contrast is so extreme that it highlights the lack of feasibility of the original option and potentially uses humor or irony to indirectly critique the reasonability of the original plan

It's not humorous to tell a woman seeking financial advice to become a prostitute.

Tiny Brontosaurus
Aug 1, 2013

by Lowtax

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

1) Assess their current financial state and feasibility of project
2) Present an objectively unreasonable solution
3) Using hyperbole, you explain that this solution is preferable to their current plan
4) By contrasting their plan with an absurd option, you use irony to present a situation that deliberately runs counter to what one would expect actual advice to be
5) The contrast is so extreme that it highlights the lack of feasibility of the original option and potentially uses humor or irony to indirectly critique the reasonability of the original plan

Pick a less creepy fuckboy basement troll way to do your rhetorical masturbation exercises, Socrates

Leon Trotsky 2012
Aug 27, 2009

YOU CAN TRUST ME!*


*Israeli Government-affiliated poster

cis autodrag posted:

It's not humorous to tell a woman seeking financial advice to become a prostitute.

Her plan requires a large capital investment to immediately get off the ground. She has CC debt, a cat with cancer, and no income.

Saying, "Hey, your plan will only work if you become a prostitute for two years or you can attempt to break into the industry through a job with a reliable income and gain experience." is a snarky way of saying that they should get a job in the industry before undertaking this plan that could sabotage their long-term ability to do so.

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Her plan requires a large capital investment to immediately get off the ground. She has CC debt, a cat with cancer, and no income.

Saying, "Hey, your plan will only work if you become a prostitute for two years or you can attempt to break into the industry through a job with a reliable income and gain experience." is a snarky way of saying that they should get a job in the industry before undertaking this plan that could sabotage their long-term ability to do so.

Actually it's super misogynist because you would never make that "joke" toward a male poster.

Leon Trotsky 2012
Aug 27, 2009

YOU CAN TRUST ME!*


*Israeli Government-affiliated poster

cis autodrag posted:

Actually it's super misogynist because you would never make that "joke" toward a male poster.

I actually made that exact same joke to SlowMotion when he described his plan to finance his lifestyle 100% through bonuses that he had yet to earn and had proven that he wouldn't earn over the course of the past year.

His plan was also bad and we found out that he dramatically screwed himself in the long-run by undertaking it.

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

I actually made that exact same joke to SlowMotion when he described his plan to finance his lifestyle 100% through bonuses that he had yet to earn and had proven that he wouldn't earn over the course of the past year.

His plan was also bad and we found out that he dramatically screwed himself in the long-run by undertaking it.

So then your defense is that you think sex work is funny?

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

Pryor on Fire
May 14, 2013

they don't know all alien abduction experiences can be explained by people thinking saving private ryan was a documentary

You can just ignore the shitheads instead of going on a 3 page useless derail

Leon Trotsky 2012
Aug 27, 2009

YOU CAN TRUST ME!*


*Israeli Government-affiliated poster

cis autodrag posted:

So then your defense is that you think sex work is funny?

Ouch, don't hurt your back hauling that goalpost all the way over there.

The joke is that black market services (like prostitution) are quick ways to get cash and considered unseemly. SlowMo and the OP both had very ill-thought out plans that would require them to rapidly get cash in the (near certain) event that it failed and presenting a bad scenario as the better option to highlight the badness of the original idea.

But I think you probably knew that!

The people telling her to kill her cat or open the store on a houseboat aren't being serious either.

potatoducks
Jan 26, 2006
This thread has already run its course. OP hasn't posted here in a week and was never going to do it in the 1st place because they're broke anyways.

Jeb Bush 2012
Apr 4, 2007

A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Ouch, don't hurt your back hauling that goalpost all the way over there.

The joke is that black market services (like prostitution) are quick ways to get cash and considered unseemly. SlowMo and the OP both had very ill-thought out plans that would require them to rapidly get cash in the (near certain) event that it failed and presenting a bad scenario as the better option to highlight the badness of the original idea.

But I think you probably knew that!

The people telling her to kill her cat or open the store on a houseboat aren't being serious either.

hi, welcome to earth, glad to have you here, quick tip tho: on this planet that thing you just did is considered creepy and gross so maybe don't do it and also don't try and play it off as being the same as houseboat jokes

pig slut lisa
Mar 5, 2012

irl is good


This is normally the kind of thing I would send via PM, but because I'm still relatively new I think there's value in posting my thinking publicly so people can see where I stand on this sort of thing.

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

You should try camgirling for a year or two to build up capital and research the market.

You say made this joke towards BFC superstar Slow Motion. Without seeing the exact context, that was probably fine! Why is it not fine in this case? Here are a couple thoughts:
1) Slow Motion was a multi-month fuckup who kept ignoring good advice over and over. In contrast, this thread is on its second page. I'm guessing you took a little longer to drop that joke on SloMo than you did here.
2) Upon reading your post, queserasera would have no way of knowing that you've made this joke towards a male poster before. I'm guessing it would feel pretty misogynistic and pointed, even if your intent is to make this joke towards people of all genders.


cis autodrag posted:

So then your defense is that you think sex work is funny?

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

Hi, welcome to BFC! :wave: I can appreciate you parachuting in because you saw something problematic. Thank you for saying that it's not humorous to tell a woman seeking financial advice to become a prostitute and for reporting the post. That would have been a good place to leave things, though. This is not the venue to have a long drawn-out fight about it. Respond once, report if need be, and move on.

pig slut lisa fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Mar 14, 2017

cowofwar
Jul 30, 2002

by Athanatos
Find a book niche online. Don't open a retail location for books in 2017 unless your parents own the physical land and property and your wife has a high paying job. That way your costs (-$3k/mo) will match your revenues (-$3k/mo).

I brought my Drake
Jul 10, 2014

These high-G injections have some serious side effects after pulling so many jumps.

I'm still here, don't worry. Nothing all that new to report. Finished the sbc.gov business plan, visited the local small business development center to talk with one of their counselors, and now I'm redoing the finance page. It was an eye-opener going through the figures. Reading through The E-Myth Revisited. Not the most thrilling thing I've ever read.

Researched the other bookstores that closed. A bookstore in 2003 that opened in a space with very little parking and books that sold for 1-2 bucks. Now an online seller of rare books in another part of the state. Bookstore that closed in 2012 had at lease two different addresses, one of them being a hole in the wall with very little parking. The Goodwill bookstore closed last year so their career development center could have the building and the stock moved to the main Goodwill store. Books-A-Million had very little visibility at its location before it closed, plus local competition from B&N, plus BAM is terrible.

Put together the survey. Not quite sure how to spread the word about it. Friends suggested social media, I'm thinking about posting flyers around campus, at Starbucks, etc.

evobatman
Jul 30, 2006

it means nothing, but says everything!
Pillbug
So how many parking spots are you going to need?

I brought my Drake
Jul 10, 2014

These high-G injections have some serious side effects after pulling so many jumps.

A few dedicated parking spaces would suit me fine. Trouble with a college town is that no one wants to pay a lot for convenient parking or a little for slightly inconvenient parking, so all the dollar-two-hour spots get snorked up super fast as well as all the free spots. To survive in the college town main shopping area, a business has to rely on foot traffic or dedicated spaces where the business can tow a car using the space if the driver's not currently at the business in question.

That or find a place in some strip mall with a parking lot, dunno.

Decided to run my survey during April. Gonna see how it goes.

legsarerequired
Dec 31, 2007
College Slice
Instead of getting a permanent brick-and-mortar store, I would just do temporary pop-ups and table at festivals and events.

My city has a pop-up used book store that focuses on lesbian-centric zines/books/etc. The owner sells at cost, but I still rarely see anyone buying books--I admit that my main motivation is that it's one of the few lesbian-focused places in my city that doesn't serve alcohol. They do one-day pop shops at book festivals, rent tables at LGBT events, sometimes table at coffee shops and indie bookstores with the owner's permission, etc. The owners just set up cheap plastic shelves, put out their books, and spend an afternoon talking to people about books and politics. It's pretty much a weekend thing because the owners have to keep their day jobs, but I guess they really enjoy what they do, and maybe doing pop-ups is something you could consider before jumping into renting a storefront.

legsarerequired fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Mar 23, 2017

I brought my Drake
Jul 10, 2014

These high-G injections have some serious side effects after pulling so many jumps.

I'm already doing that with vintage speculative fiction (horror, sci-fi, etc.) at the vintage market. I've investigated pop-up shops at the mall but the mall's pretty much dead and it's not worth the cost, even in December. We have one of those head-up-the-rear end farmers markets that won't let people sell goods that weren't produced in a 20 mile radius of town. I've scoped out the consignment shops and flea markets within a two-hour drive of here and they either have an established book dealer or the clientele doesn't seem interested in books. I suppose I could try renting a space at one of the latter ones so I have an experience to work from rather than speculation.

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Elephanthead
Sep 11, 2008


Toilet Rascal
Hmm can you get a peddlers license to have a book mobile but you sell books instead of lending them? Like a food truck but you sell books instead of e coli. I would imagine your customers only shop for books periodically and not daily, so you can have a set route where you are there once a week or month. You can rotate the inventory or have theme days so the store is always different. I am assuming you can rent storage to fill with cataloged books that people can request online and you put it on the truck for them to pickup plus browsing impulse purchasers. Really once you find the people that are addicted to book shopping it might even make more sense just to park in front of their houses.

http://www.vehiclesuccess.com/used-specialty-vehicles-for-sale.html

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