working for yourself....

[ThatVikRinA22]

DH is very very unhappy in his current job and is talking about starting up a business, he would like to open an independent book shop / coffee shop.

i really want him to be happy, but am scared that this could go either way...

do you think this kind of business is viable in this day/age? dont most people use the internet to shop for books?

he is doing research, think alot depends on location, but just wondered what consensus of opinion was on here.

ta...

I live broaing in books stores, you don't get the same on the internet unless you know what you are looking for. he is thinking of doing my dream job.

should read browsing.

ah but fivegomadindorset....do you buy or do you browse!?!

think he is gonna go for it, but really would need it to work. having never worked for my self i dont have a clue where to start.

ive got a business plan model to follow..that is as far as we have got.

Vicar - you already started a thread about this.

aye i know but i think i did it in the wrong place....this one was getting more answers (even if you dont count the one telling me i had a thread already)

Oh I buy, for me, DH and DC, I never leave our waterstones as it is the only bookshop without spending at leat £50.

I love coffee and books so having a cooffee shop and a book shop together is heaven in my world.

But local book stores have been put out of buisness for a reason and coffee shops are ok as long as its an old established shop to start with.

I say this as not a dampner but opening a coffee shop is not easy with all the rules and regulations with the council and then the palnning and then the heath and hygiene, it is difficult becasue one department will tell you you can do one thing and the other department will tell you you are not allowed to do that and then ontop of that you are restricted on tables now as to how many loos you ave (I know startbusck ahas 50 tables and one loo) but that was before the rules changed in october 2008. Also if it is a new food outlet if will have to pay up for a licence and then the planning can reuse a licence and you do not get your money back - at a tune of around 500 quid

Has your dh done any catering before?
The books I have no idea about - just that the margin is low and there aremroe books sold inthis country than bottels of beer.

oh and if he does open up can it be in my town?

I think that it seems to be viable in some places (we have two in our town), but that it probably needs to be essentially a cafe with a small bookshop as an extra. I think that the large bookstores, supermarkets and the Internet have the standard mass-book market sewn up - the successful independent book retailers in our town are either second hand book dealers or selling remaindered copies very cheap.

e.g. www.gallowayandporter.co.uk/bookshop.html

I think that if he really wants to go for it, he should probably try to get a Saturday or evening job in a cafe, and see the practicalities first hand.

I would also strongly suggest working out a business plan, look at the rental costs for the size of shop in the area he would require, stock costs up front (would the books be sale or return or full payment up front), build in that the business is unlikely to make any money for 18 months (so probably no salary in that time). Plus being the owner of the business being ill, having time off is very difficult.
I don't want to put a dampener on it, but running my own business I know how much commitment you need and have seen others fall by the wayside through not knowing the commitment required.

p.s. I'm not saying that he shouldn't start up a business, which I think can be a great idea, but that this might not be the right business to go into.