Need some advice

[huggytree]

Ok, ok you havent failed.....your failing......thats a better choice of words....you havent failed until you give up or lose everything you have

are you paying yourself a wage? or does -no profit- mean your working for free?

what is the expected profit from a store like this?

I went 1 month w/o profit......I cant imagine going 18 months....yes out businesses have nothing in common, but 18 months with nothing is too long

you don't need to compromise your principles.....you need to find a way to make money with your principles.....if it isn't possible then you need to try a new business....

I struggled for my first 6 months to some degree....I tried several things during that time.......you need to be trying new things every month....

change your name? raise your prices? change your products? change your advertising? change your store layout? do something and see what happens

how much a month do you need to increase in sales to make the profit you want? $5k? $10k?.....figure out exactly how much more product you need to move to make that happen....

[tinker9696]

thinking of a new name for the business that lets people know we are not just birds...BirdBrain Parrots & Paws? BirdBrain Parrots & Critters? any ideas?

[huggytree]

you need to decide what you are

is having the name BIRD important in your name? will focusing on BIRDS ever bring you profit?

id change the name to PET something....or pick another niche market if birds aren't working

[Toby Milroy]

I believe there is something more "fundamental" required here.

Business is about 2 things....and 2 things only (to be facetious...).

#1 - Attracting Customers.
#2 - Persuading them that they should buy your stuff.

I have clients that are VERY successful selling ONLY "bird" stuff...(in fact one client that sells AMAZING cages and enclosures, MANY units costing $2,000 and up...we've even begun selling a $10,000 unit that's plated in white gold, and we're looking at Rhodium, Platinum and some other more "exotic" options).

I also work with lots of clients in the "traditional" pet niche.

My only point here is this.....
I'd be looking at this as a "marketing" problem BEFORE I'd be looking at it as a "product mix" problem.

How do you currently attract customers?
What is your current customer list? (ie. How many active buyers?)
What is your "relationahip" with the list?? (ie. How much "contact" do you have with them?)

[justin-coreassistance]

When I read "BirdBrain Parrots & Critters" the name "Feathers & Fur" immediately popped into my head, but a quick Google search shows that many other people have had that idea as well. Still, I wanted to mention it just in case it sparks further ideas.

I think Toby makes some excellent points. If you want to focus on high-quality products for a select group of pets your only option is going to be the high-end, high-margin part of the market. Those are the customers that are going to sustain you as a business. If all you really want to do is sell great birds and bird products you're going to have to come to terms with the tradeoffs that entails, and adjust your marketing accordingly.

[michaelstark61]

For any business, profit the main thing to have. Try any business, Bird foods or other stuff to should earn more and more profit. That is the main cause or reason for setting up the business.