The Truth Behind Opening a Fish Store
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 29. 06. 2024
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â Here's the crazy story of how I opened Aquarium Co-Op, faced disaster, and made it into a success.
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WHO WE ARE
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At Aquarium Co-Op, we focus on your aquariums. We specialize in freshwater tropical fish, aquatic plants, and the overall betterment of the freshwater fish keeping hobby. Our goal is to help you with your first pet fish and graduate you to an advanced aquarium hobbyist. If you'd like to take it to the next level, subscribe to Aquarium Co-Op and check out our weekly videos.
Cory McElroy is employed by Aquarium Co-Op LLC. He also owns Aquarium Co-Op LLC. Therefore, all content is sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.
0:00 - Intro to the video
0:29 - The truth behind opening a fish store
#Aquariumcoop #Aquariumfish #Fishtank
*Want to try selling fish from home first? Watch our "Breeding for Profit" series here: **geni.us/BreedingFishForProfit*
I wish I had your vision and abilities to see the whole picture.. Iâve kept fish for over 38 years and has always been my desire to have my own fish shop or raise koi which I also keep as a hobbyist...but to make it work as a business takes a lot of vision, business sense and savy. How you dissect everything, your market, what time people get off of work. Your a very smart man and props to you. Keep it up!!!!your videos are very informative and it gives me a lot of incentive or better yet inspiration!!Theyâre a few of you guys on CZcams who really teach me something! Thank you for sharing
Iâm going to check out your online too!!!!will do promise
I make pretty decent money breeding and selling several species of fish and shrimp...
I have recently, through and from a friend, adopted the desire to get into the raising and selling at small level (apply for LLC and register with the department of agriculture - requirement where I live) before opening my own larger level business. I truly find your insight extremely helpful and inspires me even more to supply fish lovers with something they'll enjoy. I have watched, even on a binge, many of your videos. Your demeanor is calming to say the least, welcoming and your enthusiasm is wonderful.
Once my website is completely developed, I will be including a link to yours (for purchases) as you have a vast line of quality products. As I mentioned, I'm in the beginning phase (out of garage in a 150sq ft area), and use some of your (yes - stealing/borrowing your ideas and modifying to suit my accommodations). Thanks for all the valuable information.
Great talk! I cringe every time I hear the story about the tank blowing out. It's gotta be in the top five of every fish-keepers nightmares.
I had the bottom corner of a 30 gallon pop out on me a few years back, worst day ever lol. I can't imagine any more water than what I had to clean up
CZcams aquarium fails. It's interesting to watch and it's crazy how it can happen.
Bigfoot and dogman exist in Southeastern Wisconsin lock your windows and doors at night!
One of the things I love and respect most about your videos and you in general is just how open you are. You share so much and it gives us a great insight into many things that we probably wouldn't understand without your sharing.
+Old School Fish Guy I want to provide as much of the information I could t find when I was looking as I can.
thank you for sharing so much experience (good and bad) from your fishstore story. You are such a charming positive person with alot heart for the fishes your are selling. im glad i found your channel. i really love your videos and the way you are talking so open about everything
Old School Fish Guy I agree
+Pakkun I just try to share the experience both good and bad. I find it interesting to watch other businesses as well
Awesome presentation, Cory! I've never understood why brick and mortar stores close at 5pm. Most people have a 9-5 job, those are the people that are spending the larger amounts of money. Why not stay open until 7-8 and cater to all those customers that have enough time to drive from their jobs to visit your store...my LFS is open from 9-5 -_- so I drive an extra 45 minutes on my days off to another town because they stay open until 7. Good for you for thinking about the 9-5 worker and running your business correctly.
EDIT: WOOOOOOOOW @ those online numbers! I'm glad I've contributed to those sales from time to time :)
+Tater thank you for shopping with us, and yes I don't understand why shops close so early.
I work full time in another town and my local fish store closes at 6pm. I agree, with traffic I will never make it before they close even if I leave directly at 5pm. If the roads are clear I will make it with 10-15 minutes til close. :( It makes me feel bad, but a lot of times I have to shop online or go to big box stores - I would much rather shop local. LFSs have a lot to learn from this video.
Most in my area are 12-7. Some take advantage of this an are open from 11-8. If I ran one I would probably also run an 11-8 schedule more or less
I agree! If I opened brick and mortar I would probably do 12-9 and be open 7 days a week. I have never understood why places are closed on the weekends.
damn i watched the whole 1 hour 30 min video n didnt get bored. so much good information. thx alot. great presentation.
+eshol89 thank you, I'm impressed I could your attention for that long as it isn't easy to do :)
a breathe of fresh air, this gentleman has a gift for educating, his enthusiasm for small business is contagious
Great talk, Cory, you're a good public speaker!
I couldn't deal with all the interruptions... lol the African cichlid riot
+LittleLargeMouth I love the interruptions and interacting with the audience
Does he sell fish online I couldn't find any live fish
Ash, no live fish now but I believe plans for high end goldfish and betas in the future. They sell Malaysian trumpet snails and live plants though!
I am now watching this for the 2nd time. Very inspiring. I hope to accomplish owning a fish store someday. I don't want to turn wrenches until the day I die. You are living the American dream. đ
+Jeep Station 002 I hope it works out for ya if it's your passion :)
Cory is following his passion. He also appears to care about the quality service he offers to his customers . Those are a couple of the reasons he is successful
This is a really good talk for anyone interested in opening any retail business, especially the advice of staying open for Sundays and holidays. Those days are always some of our biggest in retail, and even though our employees complain, they can't deny the logic is sound. Opening /closing time is so important too. Opening too early or closing too early in many markets can be a real resource drain on wasted payroll or missed profit opportunity. I too have found that opening later and closing later accommodates the most shoppers in general.
11-8 is a lot of hours but I think itâs arguably the best if you have the employees. Would work from 11-2 or something. Go handle errands, gym, then try to be back around 5-6
I prefer working weekends.
You're busier and the time goes by faster
Cory this is one of the best talks about how to open a fish store business. had so many questions answered. thank you so much! I didn't know you make your own line of products. I'll be sure to take a look
I'm glad it has been well received.
One thing I really like about Aquarium Co-op is that Cory puts his full name out there. Makes the repeat buying experience better for me. I tend to think of them as âCoryâs plantsâ, not just, âhereâs some plants I bought onlineâ. I can tell friends, âI buy all my plants from Cory and his people. They always send good stuffâ. Even though weâre on opposite ends of the continent, it feels like a community.
I was at the live presentation and enjoyed watching a second time too! So much shared here. Thank you!
Thanks for attending :)
Brilliant talk Cory! I have no intention of opening a fish store or any store for that matter, but this talk was captivating. It could have been boring, but your enthusiasm is incredibly contagious. As a Canadian I have to admit I'm a little sad I can't give you my business because you'd have it in a heart beat. I went to my LFS when I was getting into the hobby intent of getting a betta, I was 100% certain that I wouldn't find any of those tiny 1G betta prisons in a proper fish store but sure enough, there they were and while I get what you said about selling that thing to the customer who insists on it, it was music to my ears to hear you say you don't sell anything under 5G. I've been a viewer off and on for a while now and you have all my respect. Cheers!!
Thanks for watching the long video. I find the long videos is where you can really find out what we are all about ;)
When I get out of the military I intend to start my own local fish store. Thank you for this.
Thatâs literally my life plan
my hats off to you Cory,,you have lost of values ,very smart and that makes you an Amazing person i really wish all the luck in the world Cory i really hope you and your business do better each day. đđđđ
+George Calderon thank you, I hope to improve as well.
Absolutely amazing. I appreciate everything that you do. You are truly an inspirational person. I wish we had a local fish store owner like you in my area. There is a decent store in my area but it is thanks to the manager. Last week I spoke with the owner and asked him about a few products they didn't carry and his response was "You spend way too much time on the Internet...". Zero passion and all about the pennies. You my friend are 100% passion and you have been able to impact me all the way in FL and other people around the world. Thanks again.
My brain is now curious, what products were you inquiring about? :)
The Hikari Ultimate and Repashy soilent green. I have been doing a lot of research and watching a ton of your videos because I upgraded to a 20 gal long and soon I'm planning on purchasing a 15 gal Fluval flex. I started with a 10 gal reptile tank and a waterfall reptile filter in the hopes of keeping some fish and fire belly newts. Little did I know I ended up with like 25 fish and nerites and amano shrimp and no newts. Filter only allowed about 4 gals of water. The tank had still not been cycled since I had no idea what that even meant so huge learning curve for me at the time as I'm sure you can imagine. Haha. Now that I've upgraded tanks, I've added plants and modified an internal filter, added more fish, upgraded lighting and I just stated using your Easy Green. Now for the first time I'm actually seeing algae after about 3 years since I started that first 10 gal tank. Very exciting but lots to learn. One of these days when I have a chance I will shoot you an email with my parameters and live stock and see what advice you might give me for the plans I have for these 2 tanks. Thanks again Cory!!
Damn Cory, the more I listen to you the more Iâm so happy itâs going so well for you. Nice to see a nice guy doing well :)
Every time I listen to this I learn something new. I also wanna yell âSHUT UP!!â To the guys having a conversation throughout the entire talk. Cory has the patience of a saint. Haha
just came accross this, i know its a bit old but i loved every minutr of it. such an eye opener. Thank you.
I have no interest in ever opening a fish store but I still watched the entire thing because it's interesting to learn what you have been through to get where you are today, as mentioned by others your open sharing attitude transcends the topic and is inspiring on a "what kind of a person do I want to be"-level.
I work at a chain pet store, I recommend your videos to customers all the time. Great information. Hit the nail on the head with ease for customers. Constantly trying to explain the relationship between nitrates and algae and can't talk a single person into water changes. Tired of selling common plecos to people with 10 gallons or less but the customers always right with corporate.
Corey, you are the James Brown of our hobby; you're the "HARDEST WORKING MAN"! Continue the good work!
I came upon your video while looking at other videos. You know how it is. You start watching one video on CZcams and then the ones on the right bar look interesting so you watch those then others and so on and so on. At any rate, what caught my eye about yours was "PCCA" in the title! I used to live in CA and used to attend PCCA meetings on a regular basis. So, of course, I had to watch your video. I once gave a presentation there as well but it was old school and not with the technology there is today. As I started watching your video I could SO relate to so much of what you were saying! I too opened a fish retail store in northern CA. years ago. Mine was mainly freshwater but since I had a friend that knew about salt water but not freshwater we joined our knowledge and I soon added some marine tanks. We learned from each other. The other thing I was doing at the time was breeding fish. I realized after a year that I made more money breeding and selling to wholesalers than I did with the retail store. I was in a small area so traffic wasn't huge but it was a store front. The name I had chosen at the time was getting me calls asking if I was open and how large of a lake did I have and what species they could 'catch'. Well, since that wasn't what my business was about I had to change the name. Which wasn't much of a problem. I too had a 'leak' from a home tank, a 100 gallon community tank. It was as though one of the corners just 'unzipped' and water went every where! (It was 15 years old.) The dogs came and got me and when I realized what was going on I went into 'save the fish' mode, I would think about the clean-up afterwards. I was so glad I had a 10 gallon shop vac! The living room was completely soaked with 2 inches of water and water was creeping 2/3 rds of the way across the kitchen floor! Yes, I did manage to save all the fish that 'came out' and the ones inside the tank that were quickly losing their water. I ended up replacing that tank with a 75 gallon tank, in 2006, I believe. That 75 gallon tank is still housing 3 generations of goldfish! I no longer keep fish due to my health but still love them. I was very involved in the fish community and the PCCA when I lived in Sacramento, CA.. Thank you for putting your presentation on CZcams. It may seem uncommon to the lay man but there are a lot of people that can really relate to what you went through! I'm glad I stumbled upon your video!
Thanks for the story and watching my video. Always fun to connect with others.
I know I am late to the party but this video was great! I am not a small business owner nor do I plan to be one in the near future, but I really enjoyed learning about your journey as one and now I have much more respect for you and what you do.
I wish I was as confident as you are Cory! Fantastic talk, never boring always engaging. I could listen to you all day!
My dream is to one day open a fish store in Texas. This video was very informative. I love your channel and watch it all the time. Thank you for the excellent content. You also got me to use sponge filters and now i love them.
I found this conference very informative and entertaining and it never had a dull moment. I'm a high school senior studying to be a graphic designer through a vocational trade in my school and eventually want to apprentice as a tattoo artist, but right out of school I'm going to college for business. I originally hoped to run a strict tattoo business, but after my discovery of the fish keeping hobby and the love I have towards everything in the hobby, I dream to own a combination tattooing business along with a freshwater only fish store. I know it's a stretch and may not even come to reality, but I have everything planned out including the name of the store and location. Thank you for this conference Cory! It has really helped me get some insight on my future plans and shed some light on most things that arent brought up
Always so informative when it comes to the business side of things! I find myself checking these updates whenever they come out. I'd love to pick your brain about breeding some day! Thanks for keeping us informed man
I know I don't want to start a fish store but from that talk I feels like I should strive harder and work harder great talk there needs to be more people that work as hard as u do in this world thanks
This is such a fantastic video. I enjoy your candor, how you lay out the whole journey. I makes me feel lucky to have your store in my community. Thanks again, looking forward to years of hobbying with your store great videos!
Cory, you are a great speaker! Thanks for all the information you provide to us! Keep it up and I love supporting you through your online store!
I have absolutely no plans to ever own my own business, but I loved listening to your talk. It's enlightening to hear what a small business owner goes through and brings home the point that we really should shop locally more. Bravo!
Well, I am only pro shop local, if the local place is serving your needs. I think it's the shops job first to offer what the customer wants etc. Then support them b paying a bit more for it to have it so local if needed.
At the point i'm not sure how many times I've watched this video. I believe it to be one of the most important videos Cory has put out.
Just so you know Cory I'm a mortgage loan officer. I have so much respect for you! You're an entrepreneur and a great example for anyone in any business. Thank you for sharing your failures. You're are an inspiration to me.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences, dude. Truly an eye opener. Some people think it's easy to start a business when it takes so much work in all phases and then once you are up and running, the real hard work starts!
Great and genuine talk. much passion, insight, enthusiasm, forethought, selflessness and effort seem to have gone into your venture so far. You deserve much great success.
Loved your presentation. You're very knowledgeable, straight forward, witty, admirable, and honest. You're definitely going places. Keep up the great work and stay humble and kind. â€â€â€
This is the 1st 1 hour and 30 minute video that I've followed through all the way in youtube.
So many invaluable insights! Thank you cory!
Thanks for posting this presentation, Cory! it's always cool to hear your side and opinion on everything. Hope your shop always does great!
You hit the nail on the head with jobs and employers not paying enough to keep good quality workers.. When some one is good at the job they move on because they do not make enough...
I love talks!
I will listen this while I'm doing maintenance on my tanks!
I watched 2/3 now and I love the photos!
*_Keep up the good work and thumbs up!_*
#TeamAquariumCoOp #TacoUnion #NotificationSquad
Fabulous speech Cory! I appreciate how up front and honest you are with everyone regarding the ups, downs and practical decisions that have to be made when owning and running a fish store. Love your work and keep on being this down to earth guy that garners respect for just being who you are.
+Okie Rogue I will try, thanks for the support.
Great job. Very informative. Not just on fish but on running a business, employee relations, marketing etc.. that can apply across the board to any business.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Once we get a few million things taken care of I'm totally going to hit you up for some consulting time. Not the same industry, but really appreciate your mindset. Thanks a million for this vid
I've watched this about ten times. I love it so much! As someone who wants to open an aquatic store, I really appreciate this!
Cory this talk was really helpful. I have actually been thinking about opening my own fish store later in the future. If you could ever do anymore talks or "tips" about owning a fish store that would be great. But all that aside this is an amazing channel and lots of helpful information.
We have a podcast episode on it.
Another great video Cory! Talk about a rough beginning! So happy everything is go well nowđ Its nice that you have the support from your wife and family. Looking forward to the next video!
+Aquaticfish7 I'm very fortunate to get all the support from everyone.
Dude is genuine and exoteric about his business. Well done.
This is actually a great video for starting a business in general. Cost, benefits, timeliness, local market, scheduling, door turns in relation to staffing, emergency expenditures, etc.
You are awesome for sharing your EXPERIENCE! Well, you were already awesome for being so personal and genuine. So, now you are super awesome ^_^
Thank you for sharing the video
Hats off to you Cory for sharing your experience. It takes guts to take the plunge. I have been reading Cal Newport's book So good they can't ignore you and I would encourage anyone thinking of starting any business who want's their 'freedom' to read it. One of the main themes is you have to develop 'career capital' that is you need to be very good at what you do by putting in the hours learning from someone else. What you knew as an experienced employee and a hobbyist was your career capital and then you were ready for the Next level.
Dude, I just watched your entire 90 minute video... and I don't even plan on opening a fish store. Lots of great info. Thanks.
1:11:10 Hello "The Fish Life" glad you were able to make it to the event
I think you always give out a lot of great information.Thank you for sharing your ups and downs and your business mind, to me it seems like you have a lot of integrity. Thank you so much Corey. đ
+Zoraina Nunn I try to have integrity, and share as much as I can :)
Really awesome video and I really appreciate your transparency of how you run your business. Alot of business should watch this not just fish stores because you make really good points about building a business and customer relations. And THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I WILL BUY FROM YOU OVER AMAZON!!!! So many other businesses need to take ownership like this and they will beat the no love giants because customers will be loyal to them.
Epic presentation Cory! You show cased the good, bad and the ugly on what can make or break a new business, Loved it :)
Total respect Cory for you and your work ethic. Personally, I don't think I'd be anywhere near this transparent.
heyy corey love what you said at the 49.47 minute mark......friggin awesome i worked at a couple places and i was feeling that i was bieng scammed by the investor/owner of the place as i am an aqascaper working there for 150dollars a month (im from india)..... really very thoughtfull of you!! the name of your store and the things that you actually did that got you to where you are just took me aback !! salute to you brother! also im a good friend of your brother who runs racoon creek aquatics! Just awesome work and thanks for all the info you revealed to us who are planning to have aquariums and aquarium stores!!â„ your the Best !!!
You're literally an amazing human being. Very wise amongst many topics. It means nothing to you but I'm proud of you!
I have no intention of ever opening a business of my own, yet I watched this whole thing without getting bored. Gave a lot of insight into your way of thinking and now I feel like I almost know you. Much appreciated.
Love to listen to your talks. You really know your business. I have learned so much from you. Thank you.
This was an amazing video! Glad I knew you before the store and got to see your journey.
Thank you so much for this video Corey, gave me a wonderful ideas to do before I start the process of buying and gathering equipment for an aquarium store. I've been doing research for years, and I've been subscribed to you for about the same time and never seen this. I've already got fish that are breading and a propagate about 10-15 different species of plants.
Cory i really liked your speech very informative and a good motivation to get others more interested in the hobby i recently just bought some intake sponges bio rings and sponges from your web site not here yet but you are the only place i can find the right ones cant wait for them to get here. I was always skeptical buying stuff online but definitely seems worth it thanks for all the work you do dont stop the videos plz.
Thank you for the support. I think shopping online is a great alternative to get things you can't get locally normally.
Cory you are a great person!! I REALLY wish I lived in your town. I would love to shop at your store. It is rare to find someone honest and trustworthy with morally good intentions. đ
+Jena Tucker I try to provide what I want in a store. I let that guide me and it had worked out pretty well so far
Have watched this like 3 times. Thanks for your great videos and for being so open and honest
This is gonna be very helpful. Thanks Corey!
Hey Cory, Nice to see you are still doing good. I use to come in all the time, now i live in Virginia so glad i looked at this video.
This was amazing, i watched every second from start to finish and took notes
Running any type of pet store during the pandemic is a difficult ride. Going I know of several that closed their doors. Over the last year. Going into the field, you really need a great customer base prior to going into it. Customer service had better be top notch as well as a guarantee selling quality is a absolute must. We have a great breeding program here set up and a lot is being launched next month also. But we have been in the wholesale retail setting for over 20 years and selling wholsale to a small pet shop chains and we are building our retail base nearly daily also. But it's for sure a difficult buisness to run during this pandemic without question.
I love the waiting area idea! Fantastic Video Cory a real eye opener.
This is just amazing information, in the beginning have you ever thought you'd be so successful that you'd be teaching others to be so as well? I love how you're not only passionate about fish, but how you care for your workers so much and pushing to give them a good wage to live on, you're so kind. Congrats on more and more success
+Muhammid Najieullah I honestly thought I would advance further than just a local fish store doing my own thing
Thanks for sharing this great presentation Cory! I really enjoy it.
awesome down to earth presentation. Liked it & wish you all the best & more importantly higher revenues!! keep it up man !
Just an Awesome Video Cory! Well done!
Cory, this was a great talk. Bravo.
Great video Cory, thanks for mentioning me at the beginning,
+The Fish Life no problem :)
Amazing presentation !! Thanks Cory !!
Love it Cory, you always have great stories to tell.
+KG cichlids thanks, I don't think they are much cause I live em lol
What a story! Thank you for posting.
This was great Cory! Thanks for sharing with all of us.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Great information. I appreciate the inside scoop on small businesses and how you grew your business.
Just saw this, great info. Thanks Cory!
You are extremely smart my friend more power to yah have a blessed one
Cory, one of the best video's yet. So informative. It was awesome. Appreciate the upload Sir.
Don't drive angry! czcams.com/video/WLT1FdjbaWw/video.html
Fantastic presentation. Well done Cory.
great bunch of information. Thanks for sharing.
What a great story! I enjoyed every minute. Congratulations on yet another very entertaining presentation, you are a natural!
+Bernice White thank you :)
cory i love your videos, i love this one but hate it because now i want my own store haha.
Fantastic talk inspirational just starting in the hobby
This is such a helpful informational video! Thank you so much!â€
It's funny In SanJose my brother in-law had the fish store market cornered owning 5 of the stores in and around it. Fantasea was the first and best but sadly he just gave up on fish all together well before I was old enough to take it over. Now 15 years later I'm on the road to get the ball rolling on my own store and custom tank business in the Portland metro area.
Thanks Cory truly inspiring
awesome video Cory! so much info and knowledge!!!!
+Shannon Lee I'm glad people are enjoying ;)
Wow. Just wow. Excellent job!!!
That was an awesome video! Love the q&a
Old video but thank you so much!! This helps alot.
Great talk Cory. Wish I had start up money, you have done what myself, and I'm sure many others have dreamed of. The fish store that I always pictured my self doing is all fresh water too, I've never had an interest in salt. Glad to see someone living the dream.
+Jason Buck thank you for watching
I enjoyed your entire presentation! Love all of your videos too. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I wish I had done all of this research before I stated this hobby though. I have 3 aquariums in my home (29 gallon of Koi, 55 gallon of cichlids, and 90 gallon of cichlids). Also have 5 Plecostomus. It's almost a full time job keeping those tanks up, lol. The African Cichlids are beautiful, but they are too sensitive, and I have lost a dozen in the last two months. I still have 2 dozen left, so hopefully, they all thrive. The Koi seem invincible, and that's why they are my favorite.
This is a good video...really detailed and informative