I wish I had your vision and abilities to see the whole picture.. I’ve 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!!They’re a few of you guys on TH-cam who really teach me something! Thank you for sharing
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
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.
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
Americans have to many permits and codes for buildings, how dose any small company make money or get started lol make it easy for people so the country can make more money no? Good job mate, must of been mad talking in front of people like that
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. 👏👏👏👏
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 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. 👍
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!!
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
This was awesome! Im trying hard with the support of my girlfriend to open up a saltwater only store here in Cornwall,Ontario,Canada ! I literally have a very small pet depot that has very very limited salt selection & a pet smart that sells nothing for saltwater except a bit of equipment. Im just working on the startup funds and location ! Thank you for the inspiration !! I subbed It would be awesome if I got a sub back or even a shout out ! Thanks again for the big inspiration ! I know I can do this & be successful!
Every time I listen to this I learn something new. I also wanna yell “SHUT UP!!” To the guys having a conversation throughout the entire talk. Cory has the patience of a saint. Haha
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 it’s 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
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.
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
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.
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!!♥ your the Best !!!
Dude. You really should have called insurance. They DO have people who prevent water from causing damage, and they will be there within an hour. Insurance does NOT want to pay for repairs when they can prevent damage from happening. I have had this exact situation before!
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.
Wasn't expecting that. You are a very good public speaker. I thought the crowd was a bit rude at times though speaking at the same time as you. If you ever come to the Uk 🇬🇧 our local group the EACG would love you to do a talk.
You need to turn this into a package deal, Cory talks about being a fish store owner, and you talk about being the long suffering spouse behind the scenes....
@@dorkula once you and Cory finish the move and setting up the fish farm, have you considered speaking on business start-up planning as a family affair? It seems like you and Cory compliment each other really well, and I suspect that is a pretty important 'secret to success' that too many entrepreneurs fail to consider.
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.
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!!
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 really wish i had a local fish store. Where i live there is nothing not even in the bigger cities a few hours away. If i want fish i have to bare the risk and the price of buying online.
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 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 came upon your video while looking at other videos. You know how it is. You start watching one video on TH-cam 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 TH-cam. 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!
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
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.
If I wanted to work/help out at a lfs, would they only consider me if I bred fish? I don't particularly want to breed fish at the moment and don't have the funds or space to appropriately support it (though i have bred mystery snails in the past and currently breed MTS and bladder snails as a food source)
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
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 “Cory’s plants”, not just, “here’s some plants I bought online”. I can tell friends, “I buy all my plants from Cory and his people. They always send good stuff”. Even though we’re on opposite ends of the continent, it feels like a community.
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.
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.
Another great video Cory! Talk about a rough beginning! So happy everything is go well now😃 Its nice that you have the support from your wife and family. Looking forward to the next video!
Have watched this like 3 times. Thanks for your great videos and for being so open and honest
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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.
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.
Wow! This is great insight Cory!!! To me it is so remarkable how your perseverance through times, best and worst. Also, all tips given are very helpful! Overall it was REAL talk that not everybody is willing to do, that kind of sincerity is hard to find, I applaud your efforts man! Great job! :D Even though I do not own a fish store now and IF I ever start to run a business... I would rather run it as good as you do! Congrats!
I'm not sure why everyone is afraid to give the real talk. But I do know I couldn't find anything like this when I was thinking of starting my own store.
Perhaps, we only want to highlight our triumphs instead of our failures. Sometimes talking about how you failed may be very embarrassing and all... but as long as you can learn and and bravely talk to others about what you did to get over that fail and make it a triumph... Not everyone is willing to put themselves out there like you did, so that's the REAL talk lol. I really admire you for that! You ever got a few laughs here and there, that's like "making the best out of any situation" kind of personality! Like I mentioned, I got to learn lots! Thanks!
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.
I would say the vlogging helped the confidence for sure. I think all the research I put into public speaking/presentations helped the most. The best tip I found was, only show pictures, then it forces me to tell stories. It turns out I'm a decent story teller without ever having known it.
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.
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
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.
I'm 13 and I started at the beginning of January for my birthday and I've been hooked to the hobby with 2 tanks and a 10 year plan of breeding and opening my own store. I'll be breeding guppies at Christmas, then I'll go corydoras and Plecos then angels then discus. I'm hoping for my lfs to hire me when I'm older and take my babies as I'll be selling to my local fish group and around Canada.
Well, you've done a great job in marketing yourself. I live in Germany and would love to buy your Fertilizer. i just ordered one from Dennerle, but see there, they reccomend 10ppm Potassium. well their NPK supplies only 1ppm. why? because they probably want me to buy another Product... :-( the Big box stores don't even Carry NPK fertilizer anymore.
lmao, love their Cichlid response....go to a Cichlid Association meeting and say that...what did you expect for response? hehehe, all in good fun though :D
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.
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!
YOU ARE A QUALITY MAN CORY...SUCH GREAT KNOWLEDGE AND PRESENTATION...ASK CORY A QUESTION AND SIT BACK...THE BEST...END OF. LOVE FROM SCOTLAND MCELROY...X. .SON OF ROY I THINK THAT MEANS..MANY THANKS BIG GUY...
It's always annoyed me that Aquarium Co-Op took the name 'co-op' even though they are absolutely not a workers cooperative. Your workers were only making $10/hr in 2017?? 🤮
Hey Cory, I found this video very interesting, despite not being interest in setting up a fish store. My parents have had a retail store since 1985 and we're wondering what to do with it. I note in one of your live streams you mentioned wanting to do more business stuff. I'd be very interested in seeing more of this, particularly in store and online retail. Thanks so much for your great content, keep it up. Come have a Tikka Masala here in the UK!
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.
My grandson moved a huge pump he was 7 a Diatom many years ago 135 gallons on my floor at five in the morning and all my beautiful fish flopping for their lives well we had a wedding the next day that was fun I can’t tell you the stress obviously we couldn’t have it here so everything was moved to someone else home my beautiful daughter has no wedding photo here so sad.save 75% of fish couch was destroy and Gorgeous ruby red almost new carpet plus the subfloor etc. etc. I will say no if it was any good we try to blow it out but the carpet was so thick in house carpet and padding it’s just wet not dry before the mold set in the smell bummer!In years to come when you are old and gray it will not seem so bad a experience in the long run but I do look for those wedding photos 20 years have passed and as I walk in that room the fish are gone and we’ve had two large aquarium store about them a 75 gallon that used to be a Passover bar type thing we replace the aquarium with a 90 gallon use my 9 foot countertop in my bathroom for a gorgeous 40 gallon and I laugh every time my daughter says there’s no room in the bathroom now!How cool it is to take a shower or basically wash floors I’ll be able to watch my fish what a cool place to put a fish tag some people may laugh at this I always keep alcohol pads sanitizers close by because there are those rare people I don’t think I fit should be in your bathroom even when it’s in a great big glass container go figure love your videos Cory keep up the good work and I don’t know how you have time to do the Internet work a store All the business hours etc. etc. etc. and have time to go to Peru take time out for yourself you’ll look back at your life and be happy for it never too old to have a fish if you could put anything on your videos about choir or someone that might know about them I live in Michigan two hours north of Detroit on ten Acres we loaded our half acre pond with Koi Butterfly in normal .We also added a $1500 pump that we installed saving half of the normal 3000 pray they make the winter months ,Pond is 9 foot deep in the middle and we checked the bubbler a couple times a day so I would love to hear anything that you might have the ad or anyone else that you could recommend the pitfalls of ponds in the winter time in a northern state
Dear Corey absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind it’s you by yourself or with a great gentleman Dean did you guys get introduced yourself to college young people Or better yet high school junior high and why not shoot for elementary this is what the Internet supposed to be about educating our youth do something you love to do this would’ve been around when I was young I’m sure I wouldn’t of had a store as you have so much work but I can tell you I would’ve breed fish from my home.I can tell you this I have gone to medical conferences they were far less informative we definitely need to take a pillow Yes it was so boring 3/4 of the people fell asleep you have a way to pull people in on your conversation you were talking to them to Share I feel like I’m in the room and you’re there answering my questions thank you Cory for your outgoing personality you certainly are a dream to all of us regardless if We have fish or not.So glad to hear that you’re up and running if I was in Washington I would definitely stop by and wants your autograph preferably on a fish bag Godspeed and blessings wishing you the best a Constant viewer
My first fish tank was in my apartment…it was an upstairs apt. A retired school teacher had her upstairs renavaded into a nice two bedroom apt. Anyway after a couple months my roommate called to tell me my fish tank exploded and all the water was running down my landlords living room wall! That was a nightmare!
*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.. I’ve 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!!They’re a few of you guys on TH-cam who really teach me something! Thank you for sharing
I’m 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
TH-cam 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!
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.
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
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 :)
Americans have to many permits and codes for buildings, how dose any small company make money or get started lol make it easy for people so the country can make more money no?
Good job mate, must of been mad talking in front of people like that
As a general contractor, trust me when I say this, he did not even touch on half of the regs that are out there.
Because of boot lickers
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. 👏👏👏👏
+George Calderon thank you, I hope to improve as well.
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.
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. 👍
+Jeep Station 002 I hope it works out for ya if it's your passion :)
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!
Best part was the jeers when you mentioned you don't carry african cichlids (not that I disagree with the decision but the reaction was great)
Yeah, I imagine the half baked scene. BOO THIS MAN!
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 ;)
I was at the live presentation and enjoyed watching a second time too! So much shared here. Thank you!
Thanks for attending :)
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
Damn Cory, the more I listen to you the more I’m so happy it’s going so well for you. Nice to see a nice guy doing well :)
This was awesome! Im trying hard with the support of my girlfriend to open up a saltwater only store here in Cornwall,Ontario,Canada ! I literally have a very small pet depot that has very very limited salt selection & a pet smart that sells nothing for saltwater except a bit of equipment. Im just working on the startup funds and location ! Thank you for the inspiration !! I subbed It would be awesome if I got a sub back or even a shout out ! Thanks again for the big inspiration ! I know I can do this & be successful!
Men i think honestly than your are the coolest guy ever i seen on internet... bad for me i live in spain
When I get out of the military I intend to start my own local fish store. Thank you for this.
That’s literally my life plan
Every time I listen to this I learn something new. I also wanna yell “SHUT UP!!” To the guys having a conversation throughout the entire talk. Cory has the patience of a saint. Haha
a breathe of fresh air, this gentleman has a gift for educating, his enthusiasm for small business is contagious
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 it’s 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
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.
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
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.
Corey, you are the James Brown of our hobby; you're the "HARDEST WORKING MAN"! Continue the good work!
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!!♥ your the Best !!!
Dude. You really should have called insurance. They DO have people who prevent water from causing damage, and they will be there within an hour. Insurance does NOT want to pay for repairs when they can prevent damage from happening. I have had this exact situation before!
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.
Wasn't expecting that. You are a very good public speaker. I thought the crowd was a bit rude at times though speaking at the same time as you.
If you ever come to the Uk 🇬🇧 our local group the EACG would love you to do a talk.
+martins rifts Uk I'd love to come speak out in the U.K. I haven't been there in almost 20 years
I would love to watch you live...speak in the UK too. Just so you know.
You need to turn this into a package deal, Cory talks about being a fish store owner, and you talk about being the long suffering spouse behind the scenes....
@@dorkula
once you and Cory finish the move and setting up the fish farm, have you considered speaking on business start-up planning as a family affair?
It seems like you and Cory compliment each other really well, and I suspect that is a pretty important 'secret to success' that too many entrepreneurs fail to consider.
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!!
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...
cory i love your videos, i love this one but hate it because now i want my own store haha.
I really wish i had a local fish store. Where i live there is nothing not even in the bigger cities a few hours away. If i want fish i have to bare the risk and the price of buying online.
I liked watching this even though I don't own a store... Fun stuff.
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
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 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 came upon your video while looking at other videos. You know how it is. You start watching one video on TH-cam 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 TH-cam. 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.
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
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.
congtatz with youre new fish store.
Total respect Cory for you and your work ethic. Personally, I don't think I'd be anywhere near this transparent.
just came accross this, i know its a bit old but i loved every minutr of it. such an eye opener. Thank you.
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.
1:11:10 Hello "The Fish Life" glad you were able to make it to the event
If I wanted to work/help out at a lfs, would they only consider me if I bred fish? I don't particularly want to breed fish at the moment and don't have the funds or space to appropriately support it (though i have bred mystery snails in the past and currently breed MTS and bladder snails as a food source)
I wouldn't think so. Whether you breed fish or not has no baring on whether you'd be a good employee.
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
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 “Cory’s plants”, not just, “here’s some plants I bought online”. I can tell friends, “I buy all my plants from Cory and his people. They always send good stuff”. Even though we’re on opposite ends of the continent, it feels like a community.
My dream is to open Austin Texas best fish store someday and this helped out a lot thanks man!
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.
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.
Another great video Cory! Talk about a rough beginning! So happy everything is go well now😃 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.
I live in southern California so the heat is not a problem
Cory are you streaming tonight?
I was not sure.
+Danny's Aquariums I'm not streaming tonight. Steenfott aquatics and flip aquatics are though
Just an Awesome Video Cory! Well done!
Have watched this like 3 times. Thanks for your great videos and for being so open and honest
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.
I've been waiting for this story for awhile and man my wife would love a chair at our LFS lol
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.
Wow! This is great insight Cory!!! To me it is so remarkable how your perseverance through times, best and worst. Also, all tips given are very helpful! Overall it was REAL talk that not everybody is willing to do, that kind of sincerity is hard to find, I applaud your efforts man! Great job! :D Even though I do not own a fish store now and IF I ever start to run a business... I would rather run it as good as you do! Congrats!
I'm not sure why everyone is afraid to give the real talk. But I do know I couldn't find anything like this when I was thinking of starting my own store.
Perhaps, we only want to highlight our triumphs instead of our failures. Sometimes talking about how you failed may be very embarrassing and all... but as long as you can learn and and bravely talk to others about what you did to get over that fail and make it a triumph... Not everyone is willing to put themselves out there like you did, so that's the REAL talk lol. I really admire you for that! You ever got a few laughs here and there, that's like "making the best out of any situation" kind of personality! Like I mentioned, I got to learn lots! Thanks!
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.
Great talk Cory!!!! Super confident at public speaking!!!! Do you find vlogging has helped?
I would say the vlogging helped the confidence for sure. I think all the research I put into public speaking/presentations helped the most. The best tip I found was, only show pictures, then it forces me to tell stories. It turns out I'm a decent story teller without ever having known it.
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.
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
Great speaking !! we just built & opened a new store in the UK so know your stresses man lol !!
+Dramatic Aquatics thank you!
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.
Epic presentation Cory! You show cased the good, bad and the ugly on what can make or break a new business, Loved it :)
great talk Cory, lotta good info there
+Dwain Kitchel thank you.
This was an awesome lecture.
I'm 13 and I started at the beginning of January for my birthday and I've been hooked to the hobby with 2 tanks and a 10 year plan of breeding and opening my own store. I'll be breeding guppies at Christmas, then I'll go corydoras and Plecos then angels then discus. I'm hoping for my lfs to hire me when I'm older and take my babies as I'll be selling to my local fish group and around Canada.
Well, you've done a great job in marketing yourself. I live in Germany and would love to buy your Fertilizer. i just ordered one from Dennerle, but see there, they reccomend 10ppm Potassium. well their NPK supplies only 1ppm. why? because they probably want me to buy another Product... :-( the Big box stores don't even Carry NPK fertilizer anymore.
+Zip Lynx don't know why they'd do that, interesting
Great video top 5 in my book!
lmao, love their Cichlid response....go to a Cichlid Association meeting and say that...what did you expect for response? hehehe, all in good fun though :D
Love to listen to your talks. You really know your business. I have learned so much from you. Thank you.
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.
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!
I wish I was as confident as you are Cory! Fantastic talk, never boring always engaging. I could listen to you all day!
Great video Cory, thanks for mentioning me at the beginning,
+The Fish Life no problem :)
Really interesting talk, great video.
+insanusvir thank you
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!
Man. I'd definitely buy frozen food if one of my stores offered it
+XvREByrd3vX that is crazy they dont
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.
Just bought my first aquarium, would never start an company.. still interesting to watch and im 52 min in :P
YOU ARE A QUALITY MAN CORY...SUCH GREAT KNOWLEDGE AND PRESENTATION...ASK CORY A QUESTION AND SIT BACK...THE BEST...END OF. LOVE FROM SCOTLAND MCELROY...X. .SON OF ROY I THINK THAT MEANS..MANY THANKS BIG GUY...
You’re so good at business!!!!
It's always annoyed me that Aquarium Co-Op took the name 'co-op' even though they are absolutely not a workers cooperative. Your workers were only making $10/hr in 2017?? 🤮
Hey Cory, I found this video very interesting, despite not being interest in setting up a fish store. My parents have had a retail store since 1985 and we're wondering what to do with it. I note in one of your live streams you mentioned wanting to do more business stuff. I'd be very interested in seeing more of this, particularly in store and online retail. Thanks so much for your great content, keep it up. Come have a Tikka Masala here in the UK!
The point where he says I'm a young guy confused me, I genuinely thought he was late 40's easy.
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.
Again, nice work!
+Susan Stark thanks ;)
Yet another 10 out of 10 Video Cory, thanks for sharing👍
+Gambi Arran well thank you for the comment
My grandson moved a huge pump he was 7 a Diatom many years ago 135 gallons on my floor at five in the morning and all my beautiful fish flopping for their lives well we had a wedding the next day that was fun I can’t tell you the stress obviously we couldn’t have it here so everything was moved to someone else home my beautiful daughter has no wedding photo here so sad.save 75% of fish couch was destroy and Gorgeous ruby red almost new carpet plus the subfloor etc. etc. I will say no if it was any good we try to blow it out but the carpet was so thick in house carpet and padding it’s just wet not dry before the mold set in the smell bummer!In years to come when you are old and gray it will not seem so bad a experience in the long run but I do look for those wedding photos 20 years have passed and as I walk in that room the fish are gone and we’ve had two large aquarium store about them a 75 gallon that used to be a Passover bar type thing we replace the aquarium with a 90 gallon use my 9 foot countertop in my bathroom for a gorgeous 40 gallon and I laugh every time my daughter says there’s no room in the bathroom now!How cool it is to take a shower or basically wash floors I’ll be able to watch my fish what a cool place to put a fish tag some people may laugh at this I always keep alcohol pads sanitizers close by because there are those rare people I don’t think I fit should be in your bathroom even when it’s in a great big glass container go figure love your videos Cory keep up the good work and I don’t know how you have time to do the Internet work a store All the business hours etc. etc. etc. and have time to go to Peru take time out for yourself you’ll look back at your life and be happy for it never too old to have a fish if you could put anything on your videos about choir or someone that might know about them I live in Michigan two hours north of Detroit on ten Acres we loaded our half acre pond with Koi Butterfly in normal .We also added a $1500 pump that we installed saving half of the normal 3000 pray they make the winter months ,Pond is 9 foot deep in the middle and we checked the bubbler a couple times a day so I would love to hear anything that you might have the ad or anyone else that you could recommend the pitfalls of ponds in the winter time in a northern state
Crying watching the destruction caused by that tank explosion. So horrible.
learned a ton, plus really interacting!
+TankOn I love it :)
Dear Corey absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind it’s you by yourself or with a great gentleman Dean did you guys get introduced yourself to college young people Or better yet high school junior high and why not shoot for elementary this is what the Internet supposed to be about educating our youth do something you love to do this would’ve been around when I was young I’m sure I wouldn’t of had a store as you have so much work but I can tell you I would’ve breed fish from my home.I can tell you this I have gone to medical conferences they were far less informative we definitely need to take a pillow Yes it was so boring 3/4 of the people fell asleep you have a way to pull people in on your conversation you were talking to them to Share I feel like I’m in the room and you’re there answering my questions thank you Cory for your outgoing personality you certainly are a dream to all of us regardless if We have fish or not.So glad to hear that you’re up and running if I was in Washington I would definitely stop by and wants your autograph preferably on a fish bag Godspeed and blessings wishing you the best a Constant viewer
That's was a awesome video this guy loves what he does I hope one day my business will be this successful. God bless and keep up the good work.
Excellent business presentation!
+Redneck Fishguy thank you.
Bobs Fish Place!
+Steenfott Aquatics that's right!
My first fish tank was in my apartment…it was an upstairs apt. A retired school teacher had her upstairs renavaded into a nice two bedroom apt. Anyway after a couple months my roommate called to tell me my fish tank exploded and all the water was running down my landlords living room wall! That was a nightmare!
#notificationsquad
+OhDearInPubs nice ;) as a reward what's a question you'd like me to answer)
Plz read my comment