Personal experience: I opened a shop of musical instruments
His Work / / December 26, 2019
Boris Kolesnikov opened a shop of musical instruments 10 years ago, when I was in high school. First SKIFMUSIS based only on the Internet, and then obzavolsya two physical points - in Samara and Moscow. In addition, the banks of the Volga showcases guitars adds more and a full bar. Talked with the founder and found out why carry the goods from America, why it is not necessary to lower prices in order to attract customer and what store of musical instruments needs its own bar with a huge collection of crafting beer.
Boris Kolesnikov
Founder SKIFMUSIC chain stores.
Music group and the first order of America
I became interested in music at age seven. At my mother's friend I had a son who played the piano. Every time we come to visit, he showed his skills. I enjoyed it so much that I began to ask parents to take me to a music school. They did not have the time nor money, but in the second class, I reach out fists on the table and still began to learn to play the keyboard.
When finished music school, mastered and more
guitarWhich allowed me to become a full participant in the school rock band. In the 11th grade on a par with established musicians, we played in the "basement" and "drafts" - cult bars Samara.Tools for musicians are just as important as paper and a pen for a writer, so I always wanted to have quality equipment. One day I found a cool guitar, but in Russia it was worth 1000 dollars. Even with my summer podrabotok at the construction site was not enough money, so I started looking for ways to save.
On one of the thematic forums, I met a man who said he lives in America and can help me buy a tool for just $ 300. Next Odessa I at that time did not go away, so that the US seemed to me to another universe, but curiosity got the better. I took a chance and sent the money and waited. already given up hope after two months, but suddenly brought home notice. At the post office waiting for me a huge box of that same guitar.
I realized that the products of America's much cheaper, and began to take them to Russia on a regular basis. Abroad, there are some things that are not found in our country.
I created a website to put models of guitars that can deliver, and began to receive orders. With the profits to buy tools that they have been available, as in the present online store. Clients learned about me in the music forums, where I actively advertised.
Transit point for the delivery of goods from America became the guy who helped me with the purchase of a guitar. He took the tools, testing them, re-packed and shipped to Russia.
The first shop and collision with contractors
After four years of an online store, I realized that I need a physical point. Our group was the base for rehearsals, and eventually it turned into a real storage: stored there so many guitars and cases that it became impossible to move quietly. There was another reason: the buyers from the forum is not particularly trust the boy Bor from Samara, who offered them to transfer money. To win the confidence, we needed a real shop.
The summer after the first year at the university, I decided to spend on the preparations for the opening of its first store. I did not have any experience in the business, so I thought it was open not far from our biggest competitor - a good idea. People will come to them and at the same time look to us. Based on this, I found a shopping center, arranged with the rental department and chose a section of 17 square meters.
At that time I had are clustered 250,000 rubles, and another 500 000 I took credit. Surety became my mother, who with his father supported this endeavor from the very first day.
The first thing I drew, in my understanding, should look like the room, and then began to look for business equipment. It turned out that the same hooks for guitars on the internet are very expensive, so find the usual guy-welder, gave him money, and he did everything in some gateway.
My biggest mistake was the idea that I have time to complete the finishing work within three months. It seemed as if the contractors have promised to fulfill all the 20th of August, so be it. In fact, I have come at the appointed time, and I said, "Oh, we've got more horse is not lying, let's see you in a month?"
Three days before the opening, I just lived in the store in time to finish everything.
Point improvement at a cost of 150 thousand rubles, and the rental cost 60 000 rubles for three months - it was necessary to pay for them immediately. The rest of the money I spent on the purchase of goods.
The staff, the first gain and drive
The first officer was the drummer of my band, which is nowhere at the time not worked. I invited him to become the manager of the store sales, and he agreed.
Over time, we realized that the two of us quite difficult to work with, so they took another man. I immediately designed IPOfficially I gave the guys on the job and began to pay their taxes. Managers receive a minimum salary and interest on sales - this is the standard scheme.
The store began to make a profit the first month we went into a plus of 50 000 rubles. Many children from the musical party knew me well, so immediately began to look for us. But the main buyers from other cities were no longer afraid to apply to SKIFMUSIC. We have posted photos from real shop, so they easily pay for goods in advance and waiting for delivery.
In the first room we lasted only one year. Goods became too much - it was littered with tools. In addition, the grandmother of the neighboring stalls we just hated because rockers came and did Laban guitars.
I began to look for another room, and in 2010 we moved to the store by 70 squares. Rent cost 40 000 rubles, but we began to feel much more comfortable and were able to expand the range: delivered the keys, as well as sound and lighting equipment.
music database search and a branch in Moscow
In 2011, I graduated from university and realized that we needed a point in Moscow: online store customers are mainly from the capital. I remembered that the musicians several times a week rehearsing in special databases - we ourselves were such as touring. Facilities there are enormous, so that from time to time in one place are immediately 100 musicians. They are our most interested audience.
I found a very large base of Under The Ground, exchanged letters with the manager and told him I wanted to open a store. It turned out that he already knew about us thanks to YouTube-channel, that we were together with the famous guitarist Sergey Tabachnikova he was sitting on the couch in his underwear and did tool reviews. Video recruited 500 000 views that narrow theme quite well.
I arrived in Moscow, I saw an incredible stream of musicians, but refused to rent me: there was no suitable premises.
I was disappointed and a few days wandering on this basis, until I saw a huge corridor that did not used. The next day I came back to the rental office to the scheme and at their own expense proposed to build in the corridor two walls, so we could organize the store. A few days staff thought and decided that it was a good idea - so I got a room for rent. In just a few months, we have issued it, and SKIFMUSIC appeared in Moscow.
Rental cost us 25,000 rubles a month, and the repair of about 400 000, but it was worth it. Even before the opening of the store, I worked with a friend who worked at a recording studio in Moscow. All the customers I sent to him, so he helped fill agreement and I took the money: easier for people when they transfer a large amount of a particular person.
When there was a store, sales have gone even better: we ordered a bunch of accessories for musicians, who bought them on the way to a rehearsal. In addition, people were able to immediately pick up a contract and check.
A local get-together and a private bar
In 2016 I had the opportunity to rent space above the store in Samara, and I decided to take advantage of it. Noticed that SKIFMUSIC - this is not just a store, but a meeting place. People came to talk with the managers, because they are from the same party. Sometimes the guests were taken with a beer and chips, and then shyly hid them under the bar, when I appeared on the horizon.
It seemed to me that the most logical to maintain the crowd, if it has already organized - it also brings sales. So the idea to combine a bar and a shop of musical instruments. Repairs and equipment purchase cost us 1.5 million rubles.
Initially I thought that the bar will be a marketing tool for the store, because the musicians will be coming back. In fact, our guests - IT specialists, designers, programmers, and still many people with different interests.
In most institutions of Samara in the evening starts to play very loud music, so to speak does not succeed, and our bar Speakeasy operates in the following format: one can come and have a chat with the bartender or put the record on the turntable and listen to your favorite music.
In addition, the "Guitar Bar" crafting a large assortment of beer - more than 100 positions. This is probably one of the reasons that attract people in our institution.
Costs and prospects
Now the store has a full service: we set up the guitar, we fix the equipment, conduct training classes for young musicians. Our team consists of 35 people and is divided into the installation, retail and tender departments.
We are engaged in interesting projects: equip sound and light school, restaurants, cultural centers. Once we have done the upgrade of the Moscow embankment in Cheboksary: installed equipment on its entire length, so that people can listen to great music and useful ads.
Besides the above departments, there is a team that is engaged in an online store. The boys all day taking calls and answering questions from customers all over the country.
The main costs spent on staff salaries, rent, utilities and marketing, but earn It can be pretty good.
On average, companies in this market make the turnover of 100 million rubles a month. Marginality - from 25 to 35%.
Specifically called our profits I can not: the hidden numbers which are not made to sound. I myself would like to know the amount of our competitors, but we can only guess about them.
In this business, good prospects, people are still there and continue to play a musical instrument. A huge number of cafes, bars and restaurants every day required lighting and sound equipment. In this case, there is always room to grow. We are represented in only two cities with million of fifteen, and people want to see the desired guitar was already in Novosibirsk, when they want to buy it. In the future, you can get much more sales, and now we're working on it.
Errors and insights
In the beginning, we incorrectly treated with an assortment of: purchased that our customers did not need to. This problem is not given to make as much money as we could. Even now, in our store more than 40,000 music items, but not all of them are sold at least once a year. You need to properly analyze the market, competitors, supply, demand, and the current economic situation in the country. This will determine how it will be filled with a showcase.
I do SKIFMUSIC for 15 years, and all this time - a solid insight. I think the instruction would be much easier to build your own company, but in my case everything was done on a whim. No one spoke in the University as a build business, Manage staff, rely finance, working with agents, or at least to communicate with people. It is because of the lack of this knowledge derives most of the problems.
Before you start a project, get at least a little background is: go through an internship in a large company, try yourself in different positions. I would like my son to get a basic knowledge before they join the work on the magazine.
Life hacking by Boris Kolesnikov
- Do not break the market. Never lower the price in order to compete with other entrepreneurs in the music industry. Margins in our business is very limited - it's 25-30% of turnover. You still will not last long if you do the customer a 20 percent discount and take yourself for only 5%. As soon as at least one additional employee, the business model will collapse. People are willing to buy their expensive, but sell for a lot of money to learn. Provide quality service: fast delivery, an additional guarantee, free setup or a lesson on playing the guitar.
- Attend big events. When I opened the store, I had no idea where to look for distributors. Only after I learned that there are four steep specialized exhibitions: NAMM Musikmesse in Moscow, Music China in Shanghai, the Musikmesse in Frankfurt and The NAMM Show in Los Angeles. Representatives of the music industry, dealers and producers gather in one place, so it's a great opportunity to socialize and to conclude agreements. If I had known about these activities before, it would have saved a bunch money: I stopped taking goods from dealers who sell them at exorbitant prices, and convince that they produce themselves.
- Focus on a particular direction. When prodaosh everything, it is very difficult to compete with such facilities as Lamoda, Ozon or Wildberries. Find your niche, for example, open a cool shop with strings for guitars, violins, ukuleles and any other tools. The narrow focus can be successful, because people will consider you an expert source. Our specialists buyers see the professionals, so day and night call to make sure that a particular guitar is suitable for a seven-year child. Do not try to grasp the immensity. It is possible to earn enough understanding in something one.
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