Are you about starting a gun shooting range business? If YES, here is a complete sample shooting range business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE.
The security situation in the country has caused a lot of people to become security conscious and resorting to means to protecting themselves and their families. While a gun shooting range business will not provide people with the needed security, it provides a place where people can learn about guns and how to protect themselves if need be by practicing their aim.
It is also a place where security agents and law enforcement agents go to practice in order to serve the society better. A gun shooting range is therefore a lucrative business to start-up by determined entrepreneurs.
Everyone intending to start a business of whatever nature needs to conduct a feasibility study of the industry they intend going into. This is the reason why most people usually prefer to hire a business consultant who would help handle this aspect of the business.
However in hiring a business consultant, ensure that you hire one who is not only reputable but has vast information regarding the gun industry which you intend going into.
Another important thing to consider when starting your business is in writing a business plan. However, due to the intricacies in a business plan, you can get a professional business plan writer to write out a comprehensive one for you. Below is one of such sample gun shooting business plan;
A Sample Gun Shooting Range Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
The shooting range industry has no major companies with a dominant hold in the marketplace. The industry generates about $1 billion annually with a projected growth that was pegged at 1.9% from between 2010 to 2015. There are more than 2,700 gun shooting ranges in the united states of America that employs more than 14,000 people.
Prior to 2010, the shooting range industry was plunged into a recession that it only started recovering from in 2010. The recover stemmed from the fact due to high profile shootings, there were fears of stricter gun control, which saw demand for guns and ammunitions especially in the affected states where the shooting occurred, rise.
However, the industry began to normalize in 2012 when the gun control legislation didn’t see the light of day at the federal level, allowing demand to drop but still remain on the high side. The next five years will likely see the industry revenue growing at a much slower pace that the previous five years before.
According to IBISWorld, the shooting range industry is in its mature lifecycle phase. However, between 2010 and 2022, Industry Value Added (IVA) a measure that is used to determine the industry’s contribution to the economy is expected to grow annually at 3.1%, with the GDP growing annually at 2.5%, which indicates the shooting range industry is growing.
Globally, as at 2014, America led Europe by having the highest shares in the global shooting ranges market. Owing to a rise in its military training services in order to gain advanced capabilities by armed personnel, the American market is projected to grow to a CAGR of 10.67% from 2015 to 2022.
Interests by gun loving consumers picked up in 2015, after demand had plunged in 2014, especially when manufacturers started introducing new products into the market. The interest is expected to continue into 2016, with manufacturing companies keeping up with the demand.
Political interference also has a lot to do with the rise and fall of demand in this industry, especially as another election is approaching. Demand usually surges when the Democrats win as people run to shore up on ammunitions expecting a strict gun control policy, which might affect their ability to purchase firearms in the near future.
However not all increase in demand has been due to fear of political interference has greater interests from customers in their 20s and 30s has seen demand for certain brands such as MSR increase.
2. Executive Summary
Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. is a standard gun shooting range that is located in Southaven – Mississippi, USA and will serve clients that are in the security industry and those that are not. We intend to offer a two range system, where we have both the indoor and the outdoor range in the same situation. We intend to offer several services to all our numerous clients.
Part of our services includes teaching our customers about how to handle firearms and how to shoot properly. We intend to also help customers clean their guns and show them how they can carry out light cleaning on their guns. We also will gunsmith for several of our clients.
Our vision is to be the go-to shooting range company for all those living in and around Southaven – Mississippi. Our intention is to gain national recognition for our brand all over the United States of America. This is why we are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that we hire only the best that would help attain these visions and objectives.
Our location is not only strategic but also enabling and conducive to all our various customers as well as our employees. Our location is easily accessible and conspicuous, so that even new customers intending to use the range for the first time can easily locate us.
Our marketing and publicity strategies are second to none as we have drafted effective strategies to ensure that we not only penetrate the market so as to gain more customers but that we increase awareness about our brand as well to potential and even existing customers. Our strategies are not cast in iron as they are constantly reviewed and tweaked to make them more effective.
Our strong selling point is the fact that we have hired competent employees that are experts who have a great knowledge about the industry and also understand our vision as a company and willing to work to ensure that it becomes a reality.
Paying our staff well is a top priority for us and so we would ensure that they are adequately compensated with a welfare package that is similar to other huge start-ups in this industry. We would also ensure that our employees are constantly trained so that their skills could be enhanced.
Finally, our owners Mr. Paul Jack and Mr. Poke Blank ate two military Veterans, ex-marines who have the necessary experience to ensure that the business becomes a success. The two owners have fought on behalf of the country in several wars and after returning have had some experience working in the security related industry.
3. Our Products and Services
As two military veterans, we intend to fully bring our experience to bear in this business by ensuring that Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. offers all our customers various services not offered by other gun shooting ranges in and around Mississippi.
Our various services stem from the fact that we would be operating two types of shooting ranges in one location. This will not only broaden our scope and allow us have more customers coming to our gun shooting range but it will also ensure we generate more revenue and grow as a business.
All the services we intend to offer are fully permissible under the laws of the United States of America. Below are some of the products and services we intend to offer;
- Gun rentals and shooting range for legal adults
- Rifle, pistol range and paintball for young adults and children
- Firearms safety training and classes
- Sale of firearms
- Gun cleaning
- Gunsmith
- Sale of gun related accessories
- Range membership fees
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to be the preferred got-to all inclusive shooting range for all our various customers here in Mississippi.
- To be able to achieve our vision, we intend to operate both the indoor and outdoor shooting range so that we would have a large pool of customers both old and young, and also be widely recognized throughout the United States of America.
Our Business Structure
Having the right business structure is very important to us as a business because it ensures that we are able to focus on other important aspects necessary to make the business a success. This is why we intend to ensure that our business structure is not only perfect but adheres to our principles and the direction we are going as a company.
We are willing to go the extra mile in ensuring that we get the right employees to work at our gun range business in the assigned position that fits each person’s skill and pay them well. It is necessary for us that these employees are attuned to our vision as a company and are ready to work to ensure that we achieve our intended vision and objectives.
The welfare of our employees is very important to us and we know that if we provide an enabling environment for them to carry out their tasks, their productivity will be enhanced which is for the good of the company. Also, due to the various services we intend to offer, we are going to hire the required employees to be able to handle the various positions at Pop-Pop Star Gun Shooting Range Inc.
Below is the business structure we are looking to build at Pop-Pop Star Gun Shooting Range Inc.:
- Outdoor Range Manager
- Indoor Range Manager
- Store Manager
- Purchasing Manager
- Admin and Human Resources Manager
- Marketing Team
- Accountant
- Customer Service Executive
- Cleaner
- Security Guard
5. Job Roles and Responsibilities
Outdoor Range Manager (Co-owner)
- In charge of all outdoor shooting range activities
- Ensures that all is in order before customers start showing up
- Makes strategic decision on behalf of the company
Indoor Range Manager (Co-owner)
- In charge of all the indoor shooting range activities
- Constantly seek out new innovative activities that will keep customers engaged
- Makes strategic decisions on behalf of the company
Store Manager
- In charge of inventory of all the guns in the store
- Records the guns that are collected and those returned
- Inspects guns returned for sign of damage
Purchasing Manager
- Sources for reliable gun vendors and manufacturers on behalf of the company
- Prepares and reviews contract documents for gun vendors and manufacturers
Admin and Human Resources Manager
- In charge of all the administrative functions in the organization
- Sources for and recruits the right employees on behalf of the company
- In charge of employee welfare
Marketing Team
- Conducts market research on the target market so as to determine how best to penetrate the market
- Carries out direct marketing on behalf of the organization
- Drafts and tweaks marketing strategies to make them effective before implementing them
Accountant
- Balances the books of the organization, and ensure that all accounts are reconciled
- Prepares tax reports and submits them to tax authorizes
Customer Service Executive
- Possesses updated information about the industry and the businesses so as to pass on relevant information to the customer
- Attends to all customers’ enquiries and requests
- Keeps an accurate customer database on behalf of the company
Cleaner
- Ensure that the premises is kept clean before work hours
- Stock up on cleaning supplies
Security Guard
- Monitors the surveillance cameras to check if anything is amiss
- Secures and patrols the premises after work hours
6. SWOT Analysis
Due to the fact that we intend to run a business that is of a high standard, we have contracted reputable business consultants here in Southaven to help us not only look through our business concept but to also examine this concept and know if we were suitable enough to compete with others in this market, and what leverage we had over others in the same business.
Our hired business consultant evaluated our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in order to determine how we would likely fare in Southaven – Mississippi and in relation to the United States of America as well. Below is the result for the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Pop-pop Star Shooting Range Inc.;
- Strengths
Our strength lies in the fact that we are offering a two in one type of shooting range – indoor and outdoor, and we are also offering several other services as well that will bring us a wide range of customers. Also, our innovativeness in creating awareness for our brand can also be regarded as one of our strengths.
Our shooting range is conducive enough and provides an enabling environment for all our customers. Other factors that add to our strengths are our owners who are ex-Marines and therefore have the necessary expertise to ensure that the business attains its intended standard.
- Weaknesses
The weaknesses that we are likely to face is the fact that we are establishing our gun shooting range business in Southaven, a city that isn’t so popular and will therefore see us having less customers than we were wont to if we were located in a popular city. However, our exact location is also close to other major cities and as such we are sure of meeting and surpassing our revenue target in our second year of running the business.
- Opportunities
The opportunity available to us in this market is that we would be able to tap into the online market in order to market to and attract customers from there for our gun shooting range business. The fact that we would also be offering firearms and safety training is another opportunity for us.
- Threats
The threats we are likely to face in this business are intense competition from fellow other gun shooting ranges in the same location, offering similar services to what we were and within the same price range; stricter government regulations which might come from policies to try and stem how individuals bought and handled guns, as well as the fact that the market is regarded as a mature one.
Every business is likely to face threats every now and them, but we have proactive strategies in place that will help us combat these threats.
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
A shooting gun range used to be a place for people who worked in security or law enforcement industry, the military and a few gun loving individuals to practice and perfect their gun shooting skills. However, things have changed now as more people are getting security conscious and have decided to get a gun to protect themselves or their families.
This is why there has been an increase in the way in the people visiting shooting ranges either to practice their shots or to learn more about the guns they intended to procure form themselves and how well to use it.
Another trend that has hit the gun shooting range is that more of these ranges are offering other services asides just allowing people to come and practice their shots. Such services are gun cleaning, where those with guns can get their guns disassembled and cleaned, and also purchase gun related accessories. Also, gun shooting ranges now have vending machines for clients who spent long hours in a shooting range.
Finally, with the influx of video games that are adventurous in nature, some shooting ranges have incorporated this into their services to help those especially the young adults learn to shoot virtually first. Asides this, there are also ranges for children and adult where they can have adventurous games while shooting paintballs. The gun shooting range has really evolved from focusing on a narrow niche to focusing on various customers.
8. Our Target Market
While there were few target markets available for the gun shooting ranges in time past, all that has changed as the evolvement of the industry has seen it open up to accommodate more target market, therefore the target market can no longer be restricted to a few people, but now involves the veterans, the adventurous and the new people.
In trying to determine who exactly our target market are and what they expect from us, and we from them, we conducted a market research that also touched on our strategic location and got promising results. Our market research led us to realize that we are in this business to cater to the following group of people;
- Law enforcement officers
- Security Agents
- Veterans
- Military men and women
- Celebrities
- Corporate Executives
- Business People
- Young adults
- Children
Our competitive advantage
Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. is a business that has been established to not only generate revenue and maximize profit; we also intend to be able to favorably compete amongst our competitors here in Southaven –Mississippi and in the whole of the United States of America as well. This is the reason why we have come up with several competitive advantages that would give us an edge over our competitors.
We are the only shooting range in the whole of Mississippi offering both indoor and outdoor shooting range facilities for all our various customers, old and young, professional and novice.
Another competitive advantage is in the fact that we would be offering several services such as gun cleaning, gunsmithing, sale of firearms and trainings on the use of firearms in addition to our core and several other services here in Southaven – Mississippi.
The owners who understand the security business quite well as they are military veterans have also recruited experienced personnel who are not only knowledgeable but understand what it means to ensure that our business attains the standard that we have intended for it. They also understand the fact that offering more services meant more responsibilities and that the strength of our business is in ensuring that customers get the best care.
Finally, we believe in taking good care of our employees, which is why we intend to create an enabling environment by ensuring the workplace is conducive enough and that they are paid well. Also, the welfare packages for our employees will be the best amongst similar start-ups within the same category all over the United States of America. Employees that are well taken care of are more efficient and effective, leading to a higher productivity for the business.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. has been established to generate revenue and have a huge profit margin, in essence improving our bottom line due to the different services we intend to offer our different customers from all over Mississippi.
We intend to generate revenue for our company by offering the following services;
- Gun rentals and shooting range for legal adults
- Rifle, pistol range and paintball for young adults and children
- Firearms safety training and classes
- Sale of firearms
- Gun cleaning
- Gunsmith
- Sale of gun related accessories
- Range membership fees
10. Sales Forecast
Security conditions are not going to get anytime better as they are worsening, leading to a situation where citizens have seen the need to take care of and protect themselves. Southaven in Mississippi is the perfect location for our business as with the target market here, we are sure of not only generating revenue but also improving our bottom line and making profit by the second year of business.
Our facts stem from the critical analysis that we conducted on the market in order to analyze our chances of success in the market and industry at large. The information and data gathered for these sales projections was based on similar start-ups here in Southaven – Mississippi.
Below are the sales projections on behalf of Pop-Pop star Shooting Range Inc. in Southaven – Mississippi based on certain factors such as our location and the industry trend at this particular point in time;
- First Fiscal Year-: $500,000
- Second Fiscal Year-: $950,000
- Third Fiscal Year-: $1,900,000
N.B: The above stated sales projections were conducted based on the trends obtainable in this industry. They were also conducted on the assumptions that customers won’t lose interest in security related activities, there will be no arrival of a competitor and that there won’t be stricter policies from the government. Should there be any change in the above factors, it might lead to an increase or decrease in the above stated figures
- Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy
In starting and managing a gun shooting range, marketing cannot be neglected. Any business that has been established to make profit cannot succeed or grow if it does not engage in any form of marketing at all. Marketing is a two edge sword as it not only generates revenue for a business so that it maximizes on profit, it also ensures that the business gets awareness through the several marketing efforts.
Therefore it is highly necessary to conduct a market survey on the industry, so that one will garner enough information on how best to penetrate the market and get a share of the target market.
Our intention is not only to attract the number of customers we require for a business, we also want to be able to compete fairly with other gun shooting ranges so as to achieve our vision and objectives, which is why we hired the services of a reputable marketing consultant here in Southaven – Mississippi to help us look critically into the market and help us draft the best strategies that would best suit our intentions.
We also intend to empower our marketing team and allow them work with the marketing consultant so that the final strategies drafted would be in line with the company’s visions and objectives. Our marketing executives will also increase sales for our company by networking with other gun shops and security agencies and in so doing increase awareness for Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc.
The internet is also one of the major tools we intend to use in marketing our business as we will ensure that we use our interactive website and social media platforms to market our brand to our customers. In summary, the marketing and sales strategies that we intend to adopt at Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. to deliver our services and sell our products are;
- Offering free range passes to new visitors so as to keep them as customers
- Starting up professional games and shooting contests
- Throw a grand opening party that will not only create awareness for our business but bring in new customers too
- Engage in direct marketing and sales
- Use the internet – website and social media platforms – to massively promote our gun shooting range business
- Network with gun shops and other security related outfits in order to gain new customers
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
Even though the gun shooting range business is still garnering attention as more people have understood the worth of such businesses, publicity to a large extent is still required. A business that does not engage in promoting itself will not only find itself unable to generate revenue and sustain itself as it should or to favorably compete with competitors in the same industry, it will also fail.
This is why at Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. we intend to explore various means at ensuring that we promote our brand in such a way that potential customers cannot help but notice our business. We know that if we get our publicity strategies right, we will generate revenue for our business to help sustain it and also compete against our competitors.
We intend for our brand to be fully recognized and accepted here in Southaven – Mississippi, as well as in the whole United States of America. Therefore the platforms we intend to leverage on in promoting and advertising Pop-Pop Star Gun Shooting Range Inc. are;
- Write informative articles and post to several websites, blogs and forums
- Create an interactive website and promote it massively by ensuring it appears tops on search engine sites
- Distribute our attractive handbills and paste same posters in strategic locations
- Install our billboards in strategic areas here in Southaven, and surrounding areas here in Mississippi
- Use social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to promote our brand
- Create contests and events in our shooting range so as to drum up awareness about our brand
12. Our Pricing Strategy
Deciding on what rates or prices to set for a product is very important, as the wrong pricing can either lead to a loss for the business or chase customers away. We therefore will set our prices after considering several factors such as overheads, running expenses and what our competitors are offering.
Also, the pricing that will be set will be determined by several of the services we intend to offer our various clients. Since we intend to offer various services for both the old and young, we would carefully set our rates in such a way that it would be affordable for each category of service.
Due to the fact that we are still new in the industry, we would offer all our customers a low discount in the first three months of operation, so as to create more awareness and boost our bottom line. We however wish to assure our stakeholders that we will not run at a loss during this period of lowering our rates.
- Payment Options
Due to the different services that we would be offering, we intend to offer our various customers several payment options that will suit their preference and suit us as a business as well. Therefore, the payment options we intend to offer our customers at Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. are;
- Payment via cash
- Payment via Point of Sale (POS) Machine
- Payment via check
- Payment via online payment portal
- Payment via credit card
We have been assured by our bank that the various payment platforms chosen on our behalf is what best suits the business and will work without any hitches.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
The start-up capital for a shooting gun range depends on how big the entrepreneur starting the business intends to make it to be. However, regardless of how big or small the shooting range is or what type of shooting range it is, certain amount of the capital will still be spent on aspects such as procuring the firearms, leasing the land meant for the shooting range and paying employee salaries as well as certain utility bills.
Therefore the key areas where we intend to spend our start-up capital on are;
- Total fee for incorporating the business in the United States of America – $750
- Other legal expenses, obtaining of several licenses and permits, and accounting software – $4,250
- Cost of leasing a land and building shooting stalls, gun rooms and administrative offices – $280,000
- Cost of purchasing different guns for sale and rent – $300,000
- Cost of hiring a business consultant – $2,000
- Insurance coverage (General liability and workers’ compensation) – $5,000
- Marketing and publicity expenses (grand opening promotion expenses and general marketing and publicity expenses) – $5,000
- Operational cost for the first 3 months (employee salaries and utility bills) – $100,000
- Other start-up expenses (furniture, phones, stationeries, computers and printers) – $5,000
- Cost of store equipment (security, cash register, signage) – $7,500
- Cost of gun cleaning tools and related accessories – $30,000
- Cost of official vehicle – $40,000
- Cost of launching a website – $500
- Cost of throwing an opening party – $5,000
- Miscellaneous – $15,000
From the above estimate, we would need the sum of $800,000 if we intend to fully start and make our gun shooting range business a success here in Southaven – Mississippi. It should be noted that the bulk of the capital would be covering the buying of the needed guns, leasing a place and also paying the salaries of employees amongst other things.
Generating Funding / Startup Capital for Pop-Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. Business
Pop Star Shooting Range Inc. is a business owned by two friends who are military veterans. The two men have the necessary experience and a bit of capital to start the business but are seeking for more capital in order to be able to successfully offer all the intended products and services to customers. This is why we have decided to restrict their sources of generating capital to just two.
Therefore the areas where we intend to generate our start-up capital from are;
- From personal savings and sell of properties
- Apply for loan from bank
N.B: We were able to generate the sum of $250,000 from our personal savings and sale of properties. We approached the bank for a sum of $550,000 and are at the final stages of signing the documents that would see the bank credit our account with that amount any time soon.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
Our aim of establishing a gun shooting range business is so as to generate the required revenue that will sustain and eventually expand the business. However, because we intend to be proactive in sustaining and expanding our business, we have drafted strategies that will allow us build on our business and grow.
These strategies such as having a good business structure, having good publicity strategies and retaining a high number of our customers are part of our sustainability and expansion strategies.
Without a good business structure our business is likely to fail, as there won’t be anyone to help run our desired vision and objectives, especially as we both cannot handle the whole aspects of the business ourselves. We therefore intend to employ competent employees that also have a good knowledge of the industry and will therefore take our business from where it is to where we desire it to be.
Secondly, a business is only as good as its publicity strategies, which we intend to fully deploy to help us gain a huge share of the market. Our publicity strategies were drafted by a reputable publicity consultant here in Southaven and will promote our brand positively to our target market.
Our publicity strategies is intended to gain new customers as we cannot totally rely on just our old customers who might due to several circumstances – work, leaving town or other personal reasons – not be able to patronize us.
Retaining customers in this business is important and so we would ensure that we give special discounts to our loyal customers who are long standing customers and also special incentives to those who refer us to other people. We also intend to give them the best customer care as can be attained in this industry. We know that if this is done, we would be able to sustain and expand our business.
Check List / Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check: Completed
- Business Registration: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
- Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
- Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Conducting feasibility studies: Completed
- Generating capital from family members: Completed
- Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
- Writing of Business Plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
- Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
- Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: In Progress
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In Progress
- Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
- Opening party / launching party planning: In Progress
- Establishing business relationship with vendors – wholesale suppliers / merchants: In Progress
- Purchase of trucks: Completed