Paintball Products Retail Business Plan

“Paintball games” is the next big thing in the sporting industry. As the #1 sport for growth, paintball is up more than 84% to 9.4 million U.S. players within the past five years according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Harquebus Paintball, Inc. (HPI) will start out as a small retail paintball company based in Bombarde County, Ourstate. HPI’s location is the prime location as it contains only two other poor retail paintball shops creating very little competition.

HPI will specialize in the sale of a wide variety of quality paintball equipment such as guns, parts/accessories, magazines, apparel, and more, as well as hosting local tournaments and providing quality services such as repairs and upgrades of products, bringing first year’s sales to a total of $1,920,385 achieving profitability from month one. All employees will be experienced in the broad spectrum of paintball to fulfill the customers needs. HPI will have an extreme advantage over the little competition that does exist, as it will have an online store, very competitive pricing, carry a much greater selection, host sales and promotions, gift cards, and membership benefits.

Harquebus Paintball’s current opportunity to enter the unique paintball market is perfect, as the market is rather new, expanding rapidly, is one of a kind, and is not yet capitalized with dominant nationwide competition from other chain stores that would otherwise make it nearly impossible to enter the retail paintball market.

Future Plans and Expectations: HPI’s main future goal will be to expand greatly through physical storefronts, unique high-quality paintball fields, as well as e-commerce transactions, and to dominate the retail paintball market, first throughout Ourstate, and from there…the entire nation via franchising. Harquebus Paintball will become the “Best Buy” of the retail paintball industry.

Keys to Success: HPI realizes that in order to be successful, certain factors, or “keys to success,” must be followed through, and followed through well, such as hosting sales and promotions, having a good product selection to choose from, servicing products sold, a well defined knowledge of the industry, store location, reputation, and advertising.

Ownership and Management: HPI is a corporation owned by its CEO Padraich Petard, COO Geoffrey Gunnar, and CFO Petra Pistolero, who will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of HPI such as inventory upkeep, accounting, financials, sales and promos, etc. Other lead management includes Dolores Derringer, who will handle HPI’s advertising, and Claude Carabinerie, who will lead HPI’s service department.

Requirements: HPI will require start-up funds for the purchase of start-up assets and expenses such as corporate identity/forms, remodeling, rent, office/store equipment, inventory, cash reserve, advertising, and misc. expenses/assets.

Products: HPI will sell a wide variety of quality paintball products such as guns/markers, paintballs, upgrades/accessories, apparel, magazines, paintballs, and hoppers via its physical and online store. Services will include repairs/upgrades of equipment, which will be provided in the physical store only.

Market: HPI’s market audience will be males, ages 12-24 that actively (actively = plays at least once a month) play paintball in Bombarde County, Ourstate. Through market research, HPI found that approximately 3.9% of Bombarde County males ages 12-24 actively play paintball, which comes to approx. 2,144 players. According to the NSGA (National Sporting Goods Association), paintball has grown an average of 16.8% per year over the last five years, thus HPI feels that paintball is not a fad, and will continue to take a strong, steady growth throughout the nation. HPI’s marketing strategy is to hit hard and fast, dominating its local market from the start, and blowing away the competition through local advertising, grand opening giveaways, sales, and contests.

Industry: HPI is in the industry of retail paintball, which includes physical paintball dealers, online paintball dealers, or both (HPI). Dealers have certain pros and cons about being a physical or online dealer, such cons for a physical dealer being a low concentration of products and poor pricing competition. HPI will take the cons of physical/online paintball dealers and turn them into pros, in which Harquebus Paintball will become a dominant paintball retailer. In the industry of retail paintball, there are a number of factors influencing purchases such as product features, product reputation, word of mouth, availability, pricing, up-sales, cross-sales, and impulse buys. HPI will utilize all of these factors to create a larger sales and profit margin.

Advantages: HPI will have many advantages over the competition such as hosting sales and promotions, gift cards, membership discount cards, product servicing, online store, larger product selection, an attractive clean store, team sponsorship, and tournament hostings. Having these advantages will give Harquebus Paintball a much stronger chance of gaining customers.

Sales Strategy: HPI will gain/maintain customers through its sales strategy, which will include sales, promos, gift cards, membership cards, and product selection, all of which the local competition does not do. HPI projects explosive first year’s sales, and a corresponding net profit.  

Web Plans: HPI will have an online home at HarquebusPaintball.com, where potential customers can view and purchase in-store products all from home. Customers will also have the option to buy online and pick up their merchandise from the store, which will eliminate their shipping charges and waiting period on their products. HarquebusPaintball.com will host community paintball news, and have an employee login so that employees may check online for certain duties they may have, and their work schedule. Advertisement for HarquebusPaintball.com will be through in-store banners, TV and radio, web banners, and search engines.

Break even: HPI has estimated what must be sold monthly to break even with all its expenses and liabilities. HPI does not expect any trouble with meeting this obligation as long as the “keys to success,” and certain goals and objectives listed throughout this plan are achieved. Current expenses and liabilities are rent, utilities, insurance, payroll taxes, advertising, and depreciation.

The purpose of this plan is to provide in-depth detail on how HPI will achieve everything stated above, from its marketing plans to its projected revenues all the way to its web plans.

1.1 Mission

Harquebus Paintball will strive to provide its customers with 100% satisfaction through promotions and sales, a wide range of quality products, great services, and in the future, beautiful tournament-like fields, with its friendly staff that is highly knowledgeable in the field of paintball.

HPI will be aggressive towards its customers’ needs and demands. Our research department will constantly be providing the store with updated inventory, current trends, improving on areas our competition has already advanced on, and providing what the competition does not.

1.2 Objectives

Harquebus Paintball has two sets of objectives, “short-term” which will be the main focus for the first three years of operation, and “long-term” which will mainly be ideas for the next four years, or until the short-term objectives have been met. Once the short-term objectives have been met, the long-term “ideas” will become HPI’s new primary objectives.

Short-term:

1. Become the premier paintball retailer in Bombarde County, selling and servicing at least 50% of paintballers in the area.
2. Host the best promotions, sales, selection, tournaments, servicing (repairs/upgrades) of any paintball store in Bombarde County.
3. Sell product/service the first year at a rapid-fire rate, sufficient to meet HPI’s approximate break-even revenue.
4. Increase sales 10% each fiscal year.
5. Open a unique, quality, paintball field as well as another HPI retail store in southern Bombarde County where there are currently no fields or stores.

Long-term:

1. Open three more Harquebus Paintball retail stores and fields, one in northern Bombarde County, one in Howitzer County, and one in Cannonade County.
2. Franchise Harquebus Paintball retail stores through all of Ourstate, and from there, the entire U.S.

1.3 Keys to Success

Harquebus Paintball’s success will be determined by the following seven factors:

1. Sales and Promotions: HPI will host weekly and monthly sale and promotion opportunities to bring in customers and beat out the competition. There will also be a “grand opening” sale to attract first-time, and potentially loyal customers.
2. Selection: HPI will carry a wide array of products from major-name expensive brands to generic-name inexpensive brands. HPI will have an 80% larger selection than its current competition.
3. Service: HPI will offer all types of popular service in a timely fashion such as: gun repairing; gun upgrading; and advice.
4. Knowledge: HPI’s staff will have a well-rounded knowledge in all aspects of paintball. Servicemen and gun-tech’s will be highly experienced in their field of repairing and upgrading any type of product. All staff members must be ready and able to answer any type of retail paintball question, as well as giving wise advice.
5. Location: HPI’s location will be in a “high-traffic” area within a three mile radius of OPC (Ourstate Paintball Center) and Musketeer Paintball fields, the two most popular paintball fields out of three that are in Bombarde County.
6. Reputation: HPI must obtain credibility, integrity, and a good name for itself by completing and using all of the five factors above.
7. Advertising: HPI will advertise via radio and TV each quarter to keep the HPI name alive and to bring in new customers.