HEY MD SHOOTERS! NEW BLOOD

Shooters,

new to the board! I am separating from the military soon and am returning back to MD. I am preparing a business plan for my "Boots to Business" class for a Private Outdoor Range (Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun) in which I seek to obtain only 100 members.
The membership is $100/month. Members can train any system and work on anything they want, drawing from holster, shooting & moving, transitions ect. Instructors are experienced special operations, SWAT, and high level Federal LEO.
The Target market is HARFORD COUNTY, do you guys feel there are 100 families that are wanting to be involved in an entire zero to hero shooting environment? The indoor ranges are a total drag and are often too loud to teach wives/girlfriends.

any insights, opinions, or advice for said business plan I'm all ears! I got the shooting part down, we'll see about the business/paper-pusher side!!!

-Stay up D0c out!

Welcome. That sounds like a 'niche' that needs scratching in Merryland.

appreciate it, but the good idea fairy can be lethal. I'd value an opinion on why or why not one would consider membership if you have the spare time!

Not trying to put a damper on your idea but trying to get 100 people at $100 per month is gonna be rough. You'll be lucky to get a 1/4 of that.

Recon_D0c said:

appreciate it, but the good idea fairy can be lethal. I'd value an opinion on why or why not one would consider membership if you have the spare time!

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I would think it would all depend on the setup- classroom facilities and such would be a boon for those interested in running training classes. I'm sure you have a pretty good idea what you want the place to look like. For 12 hunnerd clams a year, the place should be fairly well 'finished'.

Liability will be a b!tch I'm thinking. I am no expert on training facilities, but I do know there is a need for such a thing here. I wish you good luck in your endeavor.

basscat said:

Not trying to put a damper on your idea but trying to get 100 people at $100 per month is gonna be rough. You'll be lucky to get a 1/4 of that.

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kinda modeling it after gyms, thats a pretty average rate for clubs and crossfit gyms.

EDIT- that 100 bucks covers whatever family and friends you choose to bring in as well. kinda like a $100 key that gets you in

It'd be more for people that want to get serious about shooting and can see the value of not standing indoors with 30 other people blasting away at god knows what.

As far as the "finished" part, i really would try to keep it bare bones. I have it sketched as three square bays and an observation section. After going through military shooting packages the best places were always the simplest.
Having the proper steel targets and course of fires/ drill areas is my main focus, however I could be too focused on the training side as opposed to upholding an image. Though I'd imagine the customer would get a lot more out of what their grouping looks like rather than my walls haha

the more opinions the better!

All this and you'd sort of be competing with CTME which is already established in Harford Co

Mark75H said:

All this and you'd sort of be competing with CTME which is already established in Harford Co

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have not heard of them? could you elaborate on services provided please?

I'd sign up if I can get training to go along with it.

Alan3413 said:

I'd sign up if I can get training to go along with it.

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thats the main value point I'm attempting to convey, its unlimited instruction and training. I see a lot of classes taught in a weekend that cost a grand at least. Problem is, you cannot retain what you need to in those two days. This way, its stretched out over 12 months.

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Recon_D0c said:

have not heard of them? could you elaborate on services provided please?

Click to expand...

Exactly what you posted in your #1 post in this thread as far as curriculum and resume. Duh, dummy me, I got the letters mixed up

CMCT

http://www.centermasscombattactics.com

I've taken a class with them, they are the real deal.

Mark75H said:

Exactly what you posted in your #1 post in this thread as far as curriculum and resume. Duh, dummy me, I got the letters mixed up

CMCT

http://www.centermasscombattactics.com

I've taken a class with them, they are the real deal.

Click to expand...

thanks for the info, but what i'm seeing there is the exact problem i am attempting to address in my business plan. 220 bucks for one day. Thats not training, thats information at best.

did see a recon t-shirt though! (my unit) on one of the students, a father i presume!

Recon_D0c said:

thanks for the info, but what i'm seeing there is the exact problem i am attempting to address in my business plan. 220 bucks for one day. Thats not training, thats information at best.

did see a recon t-shirt though! (my unit) on one of the students, a father i presume!

Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying, but you would be competing with them just the same.

I agree with basscat, I don't think the population denisty is there to support what you are proposing, esp with the alternative already in your projected market.

agreed, there must always be a challenge. But, the simple fact that center mass exists, shows there is a market.

I'm not clear about whether you plan to offer training or practice...or if there is a difference? I definitely want you to succeed, but also agree with some of the others who say this is going to be an up hill battle. I'm not sure which is going to be a bigger hurdle: Insurance/liability/permits/legal crap or sustaining clientele.

Wasn't there supposed to be a firearm training center in Harford (Abingdonish, I think?) that never cam to fruition? Hazzard countians love their guns...but we also often just shoot in the woods.

I think you would get more feedback posting in another section. Not everyone looks at introductions.

Oh...and welcome

With 100 members limited. I think it will fail. Gun ranges are like gyms. Theres people that show up every day/week and lazy m-fers like myself who haven't gone in 3 months.

With it being exclusively limited to 100 members you're not going to have the bonuses of people just showing up and giving extra money not accounted for in the membership fee.

What could help is (just snowballing here) is maybe making it 150 members with immediate family members shooting free and charge guests like $20 for all day.

You'll also have to figure out how to organize events. If you have a 50% turnout for lets say a CCW class then you have to figure out how to hold either 50 students on the line safely or run relays and keep that organized. Or offer the events on different days which might interfere with others planned shooting.

You'll also have to deal with things like insurance, access improvements (roads and pathways) so an ambulance can get there quickly etc etc. Then there is the fact that MD is horrifically anti freedom and will put an absurd number of roadblocks in your way.

Maybe its me , but I'm seeing two different concepts intertwined.

1- Membership Shooting Range, quasi-Gun Club
2- School offering ( presumably ) high quality training of multiple disciplines and levels.

Further, I *think* I'm seeing implied that members could recieve training in whatever they wish, at anytime they happen to show up ?

Am I the only one to see incipient ethnic fire drill with that? Nice weather, holiday or weekend, half dozen people wanting Elite Instruction in holster work, shooting on the move, and long range-ish rifle all at the same time, and 10 families and groups wanting to self directed shoot.

I would posit you should be primarily one of those things, with a minor in the other.

A quality, non-crowded , membership range without lots of nanny restrictions would definitely be a welcome thing. But $1200 per year is serious coin for that . There might be suckers somewhere paying $100/ mo for gym dues, but my gym is 15.95 , and for as much use as my current schedule permits, $400 for Gun Club full membership is too rich.

People who pony up $1200 will expect to full use of any particular range facility, no waiting, anytime they drive up, sunrise to sunset, 365 days .

Not knowing you personally, for this discussion say that you are an above average Instructor, with wide knowledge and experience, not with national reputation and name recognition of a Clint Smith or Tom Givins.

Looking at the somewhat larger service area of Md thru central Pa, and central Va . There are several Training Providers more or less serving same market . They all primarily offer a menu of distinct classes of typically 1 or 2 days duration, because that's what the market demand want.

If you seek to establish a market for exclusively one on one, on demand, with expectation of ongoing multiple sessions, more power to you, but you would be creating the market from scratch .

Recomendations for sucuess within existing marketplace ;

Concentrate on one aspect or other. Be primarily a quality Membership Range, with occasional concrete Training classes, which would also be available to non-members at non-member price. And at that , would probably get more traction with up to 250 members @ $600 vs 100 @ $1200 .

Or be primarily a training facility , and offer use for self directed shooting in the downtimes. Charging a daily or weekly fee would allow you flexibility and room to grow your Training business without hard feelings of members paying top dollar and not having access.

And of course; Welcome !

Howdy. Join our fight.

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To be honest, a membership fee of $100 a month would be too rich for me. Hard to justify to the family since unlike a gym, not everyone in the family will use the range.

Cal68