I want to open my own B&M but im not sure where to start. Any advice?

[stj386]

Thanks for all the feedback. Ive got a lot to think about. I think I'm going to brush up on my small business knowledge and look for a bit more capital.

Originally Posted by stearns

one in the same. i work at a shop and we lose business every day to people who can only afford the $3-$4 price range that only the internet can offer the variety of, and thus go to CI and buy the big samplers for small price tags

stearns

I guess we agree to disagree....be that as it may, formulating your conclusion simply on your experience working at one shop, is hardly an adequate sample in proving your point one way or the other.

[cmitch]

Remember that your customer comes FIRST, not your business. For those who balk at this line, let me explain. Without customers, you have no business. You can buy all the cigars you want and make the lounge the nicest one in town but if you piss off your customers, you'll lose your business. So, it's not difficult to understand who comes first in your commitment. It's a balancing act you better be good at or you'll end up giving away the store in order to serve your customer. I'm not suggesting that's what you do to serve the customer but businesses are servants to the customer. The sooner business owners recognize this, the more successful they will be. You have to make money to survive and no one is begrudging a businessman making a living. Businesses have to set limits on what they are willing to do for their customer. But, way too many B&M's put their business first and when they do, they will fail, eventually.

[ninjavanish]

Originally Posted by cmitch

Remember that your customer comes FIRST, not your business. For those who balk at this line, let me explain. Without customers, you have no business. You can buy all the cigars you want and make the lounge the nicest one in town but if you piss off your customers, you'll lose your business. So, it's not difficult to understand who comes first in your commitment. It's a balancing act you better be good at or you'll end up giving away the store in order to serve your customer. I'm not suggesting that's what you do to serve the customer but businesses are servants to the customer. The sooner business owners recognize this, the more successful they will be. You have to make money to survive and no one is begrudging a businessman making a living. Businesses have to set limits on what they are willing to do for their customer. But, way too many B&M's put their business first and when they do, they will fail, eventually.

Clayton,

Customer Service is whats sets businesses apart from GREAT businesses. However, the customer/business relationship is symbiotic. Especially in the business of Brick and Mortar cigar stores. The old saying that the customer is always right is an often purposefully abused excuse and way for a customer to wring the business for as much as they can.

I have often adopted the term "The patron is always right."

Believe it or not, their is a difference between a patron and a customer. A patron has a genuine interest in the well-being of the store and understands that and supports them with their business and in return the business supports them. I would always go the extra mile to satisfy a true patron.

But a "customer" who always comes in complaining of pricing or what is wrong with the business and how he always gets a raw deal on a perpetual basis... I would have little to no interest in satisfying them for the sheer fact that they have no interest in anything other than themselves... this includes the well-being of the business. Threatening a business-owner with "I'll just go somewhere else with better <insert excuse here>" is a sure-fire way to get yourself uninvited from any level of "above and beyond" that a business owner would have otherwise been willing to provide.

The hardest thing to do is to seperate your personal feelings from the scenario. So in short, yes, there are probably other places a guy could go... but if you find a place that you like, or even simply a place that fills a need/want (in this case that need/want is stogies!) you should always remember it's a 2-Way street... because most B&M's have a life's worth of work and investment poured into them... and if you piss of the guy that own's that life's work... he may simply say "good riddance" and focus that otherwise wasted time and energy that was spent trying to satisfy an abusive customer on another good patron who has earned/deserves that high level of service.

So in a way you are correct, it is a balancing act. However, do not confuse the two as being the same.

[Trent0341]

Originally Posted by forgop

Big difference between $2M in NYC vs. many other lower cost cities.

Very true, but like emopunker said, Hawaii is not the cheapest place in the world. Now it would probably make a difference on which island/city he was looking at but I'd think anything on Oahu would be just as much if not more than NYC. Either way I wish him the best of luck!

[mosesbotbol]

How many B&M's are currently in Hawaii? How would you distinguish yourself from them?

[cmitch]

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

Clayton,

Customer Service is whats sets businesses apart from GREAT businesses. However, the customer/business relationship is symbiotic. Especially in the business of Brick and Mortar cigar stores. The old saying that the customer is always right is an often purposefully abused excuse and way for a customer to wring the business for as much as they can.

I could not agree with this more. As a business owner, I know full well the pitfalls of an over expectant customer. As for the symbiotic relationship, it all depends on how much a B&M appreciates one's business. While one B&M may feel that a 'patron' is valuable because he buys $2000 year, there are other stores that might sneer at this amount considering it paltry.

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

I have often adopted the term "The patron is always right."

Believe it or not, their is a difference between a patron and a customer. A patron has a genuine interest in the well-being of the store and understands that and supports them with their business and in return the business supports them. I would always go the extra mile to satisfy a true patron.

But a "customer" who always comes in complaining of pricing or what is wrong with the business and how he always gets a raw deal on a perpetual basis... I would have little to no interest in satisfying them for the sheer fact that they have no interest in anything other than themselves... this includes the well-being of the business. Threatening a business-owner with "I'll just go somewhere else with better <insert excuse here>" is a sure-fire way to get yourself uninvited from any level of "above and beyond" that a business owner would have otherwise been willing to provide.

Threatening a business owner is low class and usually renders no results.

But, if you go out of the way to satisfy a patron and generally don't do much for a 'customer', then it's likely that customer will never become a patron. I started out as a customer and became a patron. Every person who walks through the door is a potential patron of that establishment. This is where the owner or his employees need to plant that seed so that the customer will grow into a regular patron.

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

The hardest thing to do is to seperate your personal feelings from the scenario. So in short, yes, there are probably other places a guy could go... but if you find a place that you like, or even simply a place that fills a need/want (in this case that need/want is stogies!) you should always remember it's a 2-Way street... because most B&M's have a life's worth of work and investment poured into them... and if you piss of the guy that own's that life's work... he may simply say "good riddance" and focus that otherwise wasted time and energy that was spent trying to satisfy an abusive customer on another good patron who has earned/deserves that high level of service.

So in a way you are correct, it is a balancing act. However, do not confuse the two as being the same.

No confusion at all. I generalized 'customer' because there are customers that are worth having. While a patron is, in this case, a better term to describe one who visits and buys regularly. But, you would be appalled at the B&M owners who think the 'patron' owes them everything while not caring too much about service, the overall quality of their establishment nor the attitude of their help.

[Stinky]

ninjavanish offered very sound advice! A cigar store/lounge is a business and must be run as such to be successful.

I'd also suggest you contact the IPCPR for advice too. They have a wealth of information on the business of operating a cigar store & lounge. Their successful members are happy to help and known to serve as mentors for you.

Location, Location, Location! A good location can aid in foot-traffic. Remember; the lowest rent is not always the best criteria to choose a location. A cigar store/lounge is a retail business which thrives on customers ability to see it . . . and/or find the store.