OT: I'm starting a business

[nikkipigtails]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I figured that OT was safe.

So, after working at the local fish store for a little while, I have noticed the need not only for reliable aquarium maintenance, but also for an honest, dependable aquarium store.

The store I work at is on the Eastern Shore in Daphne (3 out of 5 customers drive all the way from the beach). The next nearest store is in Mobile which is 20 miles away and is known for having uneducated employees who don't know how to properly maintain the livestock the store has. The next nearest stores are in Pensacola which is about 40 miles away and there are only two. The beach is 20 miles south of where I live and has high rise condominiums and restaurants that have sw aquariums in them and they are paying through the nose for maintenance from the stores in Pensacola. Then there are my real estate friends who only deal with the multi-million dollar home sales who would be my first real contact with installing home aquariums.

So, this is the plan: I was going to do research for the rest of the year and start a maintenance business in January, but the store I'm working at is already cutting down my hours because their business is doing poorly (people are starting to get the idea that they don't know what they're doing) so I'm working on getting the appropriate licenses so I can get incorporated and begin asap. I'm going to start out doing aquarium maintenance and will also have a retail license so I can purchase equipment for my customers directly. I'm going to be working out of my home and won't have a store or hardly any overhead. My five year plan is to open a store in Gulf Shores or Foley (Foley will be cheaper for insurance).

Anyway, the point is, that I'm stumped as far as a name goes. I want something a little quirky and fun so I need some suggestions. No suggestion is a bad suggestion.

HELP PLEASE!!

(Also, if you want to pass on any words of wisdom, please feel free to do so.)

 

[sambrinar]

Well good to see you again Nikki... Good luck to you..

The name is sometimes the hardest.. how about

Nikki's fishies LOL

What do you want it to reflect?? Aquarium Maintance, fish care, general fish/aquarium supplies etc.

That might help with some name suggestions

 

[nikkipigtails]

I want a general name. I don't want "maintenance" in there anywhere because I don't want to build a reputation under one name and open a store under another.

Something like: Aquascapes or Reef Dreams

I really wish I had thought of the name of the store I work at. It's pretty cool.

 

[Reefreak]

I want a general name.
Something like: Aquascapes or Reef Dreams

I really wish I had thought of the name of the store I work at. It's pretty cool.

Mix the two..... how about Aqua Dreams

Good luck to you!!!!

 

[BigJay]

Great idea. Remember you can sell them livestock too. Some business want only certain size or to change livestock often. I know a guy who left an LFS to open a maintenence company and was actually doing more retail sales then the LFS was that he was working for. But he also had to have lots of personal tanks to take in unhealthy fish and corals since the businesses didn't want to have ailing livestock in thier tanks.
Good luck with the name its definetly one of the hardest parts.

 

[kathywithbirds]

Cool!!

hm. name. reef, fish, ocean, life in ocean, water, sea, ecosystems, funky splling maybe? diving,

ok not going anywhere. How about going to look at articles, pictures, etc. of reefs and see if anything grabs you?

 

[Intranick]

Nikki -- i have a very surprising amount of business contacts, along with studying it myself. if you have any business questions at all and I cant answer them, I will find you the answer, so ask

oh and why are you incorporating? would you do an S-class or a C-class? there are advantages and disadvantages to both -- another one you might want to check out, is an LLC -- that would give you the limited liability that a corporation has, but its a little more flexible and for a lot of things is treated more like a partnership or sole proprietorship

 

[sambrinar]

Mix the two..... how about Aqua Dreams

Good luck to you!!!!

Above is good.. How about ReefScapes, Ocean Scene, Home Ocean, Ocean front, Personal Reef, Special Reefs??

What is the name of the store your working at?

 

[faust]

reef dreams caught my eye

 

[CATALYST]

You can always incorporate under a general name and then do another name with a dba once you start to figure out the direction you end up going. We started out our business as private label with our incorporated name. Then we came up with our own line of products and created a dba name that was more geared to our parts.

 

[sambrinar]

Or Alabama Reef? (Hillbilly Hell Reef... LOL ..JK)

 

[nikkipigtails]

Thanks for all the ideas guys.

ReefScapes is already taken. That's one of the big stores in Pensacola that I'll be competing with.

I'm meeting with the attorney I used to work with on Monday to get some help with the Articles of Incorporation and to pick his brain about what kind of corporation is best - sole proprietor, sub S, llc, etc. I already have an idea of what I want, but I still have a lot of tax questions. Luckily, my neighbor is a retired accountant.

Thanks for the suggestion, Jay. My plan is to start maintenance this year (a business license is cheap for the rest of the year) then get a retail license so I can order livestock and supplies direct from the wholesale companies beginning in January. I'm acquiring tanks cheap (and on the fly from my job and on craigslist) and am working on building some kind of system in my extra bedroom until we can close in the garage. I'm definately going to quarantine livestock before I put them in my customer's tanks.

 

[nikkipigtails]

Ok...

Reef Logic

Fish Bowl

Fish Bones

Reef Dreams

Aquascapes

what do you think?

 

[BigAl07]

Reef Logic



Reef Dreams

and LOVE Hillbilly Reefs

 

[sambrinar]

Reef Logic



Reef Dreams

and LOVE Hillbilly Reefs

I'm with Al on all. I also like AquaScapes

 

[kathywithbirds]

Hillbilly Hell Reefs is awesome!!! he he.

 

[Intranick]

Nikki, for the record, SP, Partnership, LLC -- are not corporations. I think you will find that you will want either an SP or an LLC -- I actually /think/ an LLC -- LLC you can "elect" to be taxed as a SP, S-class corp, or C-class corp, and limits liability. You having a kid, and a hubby, prolly dont want too much liability incase you get sued or a few other cases.

you're off to a good start consulting an Attorney, but also.. May I recommend a couple books?

 

[BigJay]

The only thing I'd worry about in the name is getting it clear on what your doing or the services your offering. Its one thing when you have a store front. But if people are looking you up online or in the phone book its got to be a name that lets them know what your all about.

 

[Intranick]

i think name is as important as a website and mission statement -- and if you need a loan for anything, you're going to want a detailed business plan -- and honestly, I would get all of them done //right away// so you know the direction your headed..

 

[nikkipigtails]

Nikki, for the record, SP, Partnership, LLC -- are not corporations. I think you will find that you will want either an SP or an LLC -- I actually /think/ an LLC -- LLC you can "elect" to be taxed as a SP, S-class corp, or C-class corp, and limits liability. You having a kid, and a hubby, prolly dont want too much liability incase you get sued or a few other cases.

you're off to a good start consulting an Attorney, but also.. May I recommend a couple books?

I'm consulting the attorney I used to work for. We used to do incorporations and everything has to be incorporated, except an SP and has to file Articles of Incorporations with the Secretary of State.

Thank you for your input, but I'm only going to take the advice of an attorney on this issue.