Archery Entrepreneur

[Scott E]

I am a recent college grad, two days ago, and am trying to figure out my career path. I majored in writing and have interned for US Archer and World Archery.

This would be sometime down the road but...
My dream would be to own an archery related small business. The question is what type of business. Business' I'd like to do are custom bow building, arrow making or a retail shop.

I was wondering how many people actually make a full time living out of bow building or custom arrows?

I'm not afraid of hard work and not looking to get rich just need to make a living.

[Mike Mecredy]

I build bows full time.  But first I did a 20 year hitch with the Air Force.  That pension suppliments my income.

[Kamm1004]

RMSG here in denver does a good job I believe. Why not own a little shop and figure out a way to do guiding out of it as well? Kinda like those fly fishing shops that offer float trips. You'll of course need land or get certified and guide in wilderness areas that require one. Just food for thought...

[jsweka]

I like building bows, but I don't sell them - just for me, family, and friends.  It would be a tough business to break into and there are more custom bowyers today than ever before, so the market is pretty saturated.  Most bowyers either have a supplemental income (like Mike above), have another job, or have a spouse with a good job.  The same is probably true for arrowsmiths.  I'm not trying to crush your dreams, but just pointing out the realities.  Do you have any experience building bows/arrows?  Your best bet would be to get a traditional type job and start building bows/arrows/or retail on the side for fun.  Maybe you could turn it into a business and maybe you can build it up to the point you can make a living at it.  Good luck!

[Ontario Longbow]

John aka jsweka,, nailed it. My two best friends have either designed and built one of the best broadheads out there or build (limited) my favorite longbow. Tough to make a fulltime living in Trad.

[old_goat2]

Whatever you do, you will really have to diversify, very little profit margin in arrows, that's what I've heard from people that have tried to do what your doing. Doing consignment sales via store front and like the big auction sight could be the way you make up differences. Big web presence is also essential, sponsorships on here and other forums is big, especially if you make your presence known on the threads. Locating someplace with low overhead is probably the biggest key to success. I think coming out with your own line of products is a big positive also. Good Luck, hope it works for you, but I've always heard, "be careful turning your hobby into a job"!!!

[Bjorn]

I applaud your desire to get into your own business and suggest you don't limit your choices to archery. There are lots of opportunities out there for energetic people who want to work; get some serious training under your belt and keep your eyes open as you move along.  

[Scott E]

lots of food for thought. I totally agree with easing into it and starting as a hobby business on the side. The job market is terrible for recent college grads and working at a desk isn't a career I really want. But in the mean time I'll save up money and to start my business.

[NBK]

When I was younger and thinking of careers the advice I was given was to not pick a job that's your hobby because then your hobby becomes work...
That's retarded.
You will spend the majority of your adult life working so why not make it something you're passionate about.  In so doing you cultivate your drive, and the success will follow.  You most likely wont be "rich" from a career in trad, kinda a niche group, but there is something to be said for waking up every day and doing what you love.
As mentioned you will need supplemental income, especially in the beginning.  Find pride in work, any work but keep the end goal in sight by choosing what work allows you the freedom to keep moving towards that goal.  
Good luck.

[beaunaro]

Very few outfitters make a living just outfitting, if that might be what you are considering. Most of them that I know, do it because they like to, in addition to their other job, or are semi-retired, having made a living in some other line of work.
And that describes our business too. It's not as lucrative as one might think.
Irv Eichorst
 www.truesouthadventures.com

[legends1]

I like Mike at Mad Dog did 25 years as a Deputy Sheriff. Retired and started Legends Bows and now im passing it to my son Bryce. Its been a good road. The shop is here on the ranch so im never to far away.

[sawtoothscream]

Seems hard to make a living in archery. My uncles friend owns a bow shop and is still a full time engineer at my uncles civil engineering company.  Most the workers at the bow shop have another full time job as well.

[bicster]

I made a living for ten years as a whitewater rafting guide and video kayaker. It was a wonderful way of life but it got difficult when I got married and bought a house. During the summers I made good money and the winters we just struggled to survive as my work during the winters was substitute teaching and other odd jobs. I see you are from Virginia. You may want to look into training to guide on the New and Gauley rivers of West Virginia so you would have a summer job then you could work on your trad products during the winter months.

[LoneWolf73]

Traditional Archery Entrepreneur would be tough to make a living.  It is only 20% of the Archery Market.  Building your own Products will help in Profits. Dealer programs are tough and 3 Rivers and Kustom King do a good job in the market. Alot of Trad customers make their own stuff so loyalty to a retailer is a tough job. Price seems to be a driving force in purchases as support of made in China and other overseas markets have taken control of most Americans wallets. That will not change anytime soon so low end inventory is where you would want to be. Low overhead is key, a good web site for a larger market, mobile trailer good for Archery Shoots but even at Archery shoots sales are low but visiblity high for a possible sale later. Network like crazy and you may make a living at something you like to do. Maybe the economy will pick up again and the market will be more robust. But right now it it hard to even sell a used Bow and equipment in the classifieds here on Trad Gang. It was easier to do 5 years ago. But hey go for it! Many Americans are stuck in jobs for the dollars/insurance and are a unhappy crowd.

[Mike Mecredy]

There's some truth to "what they say" about turning your hobby into a business.  Sometimes archery just feels like my job.  But after I ponder about it a while I feel fortunate to be able to do it for a living.

[Roadkill]

whatever you do, plan to make time for yourself and the people and things you love.  I managed an airport where they raced airplanes in September.  Our deer archery season was in August, and I had too many loose ends (cannons) running around the place in August getting ready that I seldom got o bow hunt.  It is odd, but your work can overtake your life....

[H1tman7]

Making a living in the archery business can be tough.

I wouldn't want to tell you what to do, but I will offer my insight. I have been down the retail road before, with my own archery shop. It was not a traditional only shop, but I feel the experience is still relevant. The retail margins in an archery shop are pretty low, you are doing really well if you can clear 30% on small stuff and 15-20% on larger items. That may sound good, but it really doesn't leave a whole lot on the table for paying yourself, any employees you may have, and the bills. Also keep in mind that as a smaller shop, you will get a higher price for wholesale than the Cabellas/bass pro/Scheels of the world.
Another concern I would have about a trad dominated archery shop is bow sales. Most of the high end bows are custom jobs being built to a person’s exact specification. That just doesn't happen in the compound world; infact compound manufactures don’t sell directly, and they set up protected territories for their dealers. This means you are going to be missing out on big ticket sales where the bow is purchased directly from the manufacturer.

If it were me:
I would look at using your unique perspective as a hunter to see if there are any unmet needs in the industry for which you could develop a product. This is no easy task though; you can come up with the best mousetrap ever devised and watch it fall flat if you don’t know how to market it or get it into the correct retail outlets.

Andy.

[Archie]

My dad ran a very successful archery shop 40 years ago,  but got out of the business when the big catalog-era started rolling in.   He was very frustrated by the folks who bought cheap junk or mismatched equipment and then brought it to him to fix.  It is pretty common for people to try to save money by cutting the cost of a professional's  involvement out of the equation.  

Another significant consideration is the financial management of the business.   I have a degree in business administration and work in accounting,  and do a bit of bookkeeping on the side for some small businesses... and I am amazed at how easy it is for business owners to make terrible decisions due to not understanding business principles and accounting.   Most small businesses fail because the owners didn't know enough about how to establish,  market,  and manage their business.  Understanding how to project costs and revenues -- and  how to cover those costs and make a real profit -- can be pretty complex. It can be done,  but if it were free for the taking,  everyone would be doing it,  and would have a success story.

[Archie]

The interesting thing is that my dad never sold his business, and when he shut it down, he kept all of his inventory.  For the past 30 years or so, the bowhunters in the family have had a lot of feathers, shafts, inserts, broadheads, tabs, armguards, gloves, etc., to use when hunting.

Dad passed away a few years ago, and since then I have become more involved in trad archery.  I have toyed with the idea of starting a small archery business, and have a significant amount of inventory that I could start off with, right away.  But I've decided against it, considering the costs, economies of scale, tight competition, the time it would take to run it, and the relatively small market that so many other 'archery entrepreneurs' are already tapped into.

I say that if you know how, and are able to make it work, go for it!  But I think it would be tough... too tough for me, at least.

[LittleBen]

Scott, I have a great deal of respect for your desire to start a small business in archery. I do however think it is a tough business to be in.

Hard to get rich(or just get by) in an area that is satureated with competition, and is tailored to a small portion of the market. Bowhunters are a minority of the population and trad bowhunters are a minority of that.

If I were going to start a business I'd be making waterbottles ... everybody drinks water ... Thats just an example.

But good luck either way ... How about using that writing degree and writing archery/hunting/wilderness books?