Many people prefer keeping fish as pets because they are calming and tranquil. However, not everyone has the time or willingness to properly care for a fish tank. An aquarium care company cleans and maintains aquariums for both companies and individuals. These companies allow individuals to enjoy gorgeous, healthy aquariums without having to clean them themselves.
Table of Contents
Follow these ten steps to start an aquarium maintenance business:
Plan your Aquarium Maintenance Company
Make your Aquarium Maintenance Company a Legal Entity.
Register your Aquarium Maintenance Company with the IRS.
Create a Business Bank Account and a Credit Card
Create Accounting for Your Aquarium Maintenance Company
Get the Permits and Licenses You Need for Your Aquarium Maintenance Business
Purchase Aquarium Maintenance Company Insurance
Create a brand for your aquarium maintenance company.
Make a website for your aquarium maintenance business.
Configure your Business Phone System
Starting a company entails more than just registering it with the state. This basic guide to beginning your aquarium cleaning company has been put together by us. These stages will guarantee that your new company is well-planned, correctly registered, and legally compliant.
STEP 1: Make a business plan.
A well-thought-out strategy is vital for entrepreneur success. It will assist you in mapping out the intricacies of your organisation and uncovering some unknowns. Consider the following crucial topics:
What are the initial and continuing expenses?
Who is your intended audience?
How much money may you charge your customers?
Fortunately, we have done a lot of the legwork for you.
What are the expenses associated with starting an aquarium maintenance business?
An aquarium maintenance company has low beginning expenses.
The most expensive items are a car for travelling to customers’ locations and an office/storage space, however many company owners keep these costs low by utilising a room in their house and their own vehicle. After a firm is established, a business owner may invest in an equipped car and office space, but these items are unlikely to be essential in the beginning.
Insurance payments, advertising fees, and equipment and supplies are among the other initial costs. Advanced Aquarium Concepts includes a comprehensive list of goods that company owners may need. Among the items on the list are:
buckets of 5 gallons
hand towels (of various sizes)
Pads of algae (with and without handles)
razors, as well as an X-acto knife
containers for specimens
water purifiers
more supplies
What are the recurring costs of an aquarium maintenance company?
An aquarium company has comparatively modest continuing expenditures. Vehicle maintenance, gasoline, insurance charges, advertising expenses, and supply expenditures are among them. In the sector, supply prices are low since a little quantity of a supply can generally treat a large volume of water.
Who is the intended audience?
The ideal customer for an aquarium care company is a pet shop that sells fish. Pet businesses not only contain several aquariums that need to be cleaned, but they also sell fish and fish tanks. These shops may provide continuing employment as well as additional prospective clients.
How does an aquarium service company earn money?
Clients pay for aquarium maintenance and cleaning services, which is how an aquarium company earns money. While costs are often based on the service delivered, they may also be computed based on an hourly rate. For example, a company owner who wants to make $60 per hour can charge $45 for a service that would take 45 minutes to complete.
How much money may you charge your customers?
For service calls, many aquarium care companies charge about $1 per gallon. Some firms, on the other hand, charge substantially less but exclusively handle bigger aquariums. Clear Aquarium, for example, costs as low as $0.55 per gallon but will not service tanks less than 100 gallons.
Most firms charge for emergency calls in addition to normal service prices. These calls are often charged by the hour. Clear Aquarium charges a price of $50 per hour during business hours and $75 per hour after hours for emergency calls.
How much money can an aquarium cleaning company make?
An aquarium care firm may generate big money if it has a comprehensive customer list. A full-time company owner charging $50 per hour would make roughly $1,000 – $1,500 per week, not including travel and changeover time. Even after deducting expenditures, this is still a reasonable income.
How can you increase the profitability of your company?
An aquarium maintenance company may expand its earnings by additionally selling fish and other supplies and installing tanks.
STEP 2: Establish a legal entity
Sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation are the most frequent business structure forms.
Establishing a formal business organisation, such as an LLC or corporation, shields you from personal liability if your aquarium care company is sued.
STEP 3: File your taxes
Before you can begin for business, you must register for a number of state and federal taxes.
To register for taxes, you will need to get an EIN. It’s really simple and completely free!
Taxes on Small Businesses
Depending on the business form you choose, you may have multiple choices for how your company is taxed. Some LLCs, for example, may benefit from being taxed as a S company (S corp).
These guides will teach you more about small company taxes:
Taxes on LLCs
LLC vs. sole proprietorship
Corporation vs. LLC
S Corp vs. LLC
How to Form a S Corporation
S Corporation vs. C Corporation
There may be state taxes that apply to your company. In our state sales tax guides, you may learn more about state sales taxes and franchise taxes.
STEP 4: Establish a company bank account and credit card
Personal asset protection requires the use of distinct business banking and credit accounts.
When you combine your personal and business accounts, your personal assets (your house, vehicle, and other possessions) are at danger if your company is sued. This is known as penetrating your company veil in business law.
Furthermore, understanding how to develop corporate credit may help you get credit cards and other financing in your company’s name (rather than your own), lower interest rates, larger lines of credit, and other benefits.
Establish a business bank account.
Opening a business bank account is not only required when asking for business financing, but it also:
Separates your personal assets from the assets of your firm, which is required for personal asset protection.
It simplifies bookkeeping and tax reporting.
Create a net 30 account.
Net 30 accounts are used to develop and grow company credit while also increasing cash flow. Businesses use a net 30 account to purchase items and refund the whole debt within a 30-day period.
Many net 30 credit suppliers submit information to the main business credit agencies (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Business Credit). This is how firms establish business credit in order to get approved for credit cards and other lines of credit.
Apply for a business credit card.
Obtaining a business credit card benefits you in the following ways:
Put all of your company’s costs in one location to separate personal and business spending.
Build your company’s credit history, which will be important for raising funds in the future.
STEP 5: Establish business accounting
Recording your numerous costs and sources of revenue is crucial to assessing your company’s financial status. Keeping precise and thorough accounting also makes yearly tax filing much easier.
STEP 6: Obtain all required permissions and licences
Failure to get appropriate permissions and licences may result in significant penalties or possibly the closure of your firm.
Requirements for State and Local Business Licensing
To run an aquarium maintenance company, several state permissions and licences may be required. Visit the SBA’s reference to state licences and permits to learn more about licencing requirements in your state.
Aquarium care companies could also consider registering for a resale certificate, which permits shops to buy products for resale without paying sales tax. This is particularly beneficial since many aquarium care company owners provide goods used to keep aquariums clean in between cleanings.
Furthermore, local licencing or regulatory restrictions may apply. For additional information on local licences and permissions, please visit:
Check with the clerk’s office in your town, city, or county.
Contact one of the local organisations mentioned in the US Small Business Associations database of local business resources for help.
Contract for Services
A services contract defining terms and conditions of service is often put in place in businesses where services are supplied on an ongoing basis.
Before beginning a long-term cleaning job, aquarium care companies should need customers to sign a services agreement. By defining payment terms and conditions as well as service level standards, this agreement should clarify client expectations and reduce the possibility of legal issues. Here’s an example of a service agreement.
STEP 7: Obtain commercial insurance.
Insurance, like licences and permits, is required for your company to operate safely and legally. In the case of a covered loss, business insurance protects your company’s financial well-being.
There are several sorts of insurance plans designed for various types of companies with varying risks. If you are unaware about the hazards that your company may encounter, start with General Liability Insurance. This is the most popular coverage required by small companies, so it’s a good place to start for yours.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance is another important insurance product that many companies need. If your company will have workers, your state may require you to purchase Workers’ Compensation insurance.
STEP 8: Establish your brand
Your company’s brand is what it stands for, as well as how the public perceives it. A strong brand will help your company stand out from the crowd.
How to Market and Promote an Aquarium Maintenance Business
Pet businesses are excellent venues to post adverts. Business owners may choose to buy a modest office space inside a pet shop to keep their products. Those who do not want to pay for an office or storage space might inquire about the cost of putting up a few posters or leaving brochures in a shop.
Offering free services to shop workers may also help company owners attract new customers. While this may take some time, workers will be able to directly speak to the knowledge and quality of service provided by a company owner.
How to Keep Customers Returning
Business owners may distinguish their aquarium care companies from others in their region by offering quality service at a reasonable price. This does not imply that company owners should set their prices excessively cheap, but rather that they should constantly make suggestions that are in the best interests of their clients—even if it means earning a little less on a particular service. As long as customers get high-quality service and goods that they need, the cost of aquarium upkeep should not be too expensive.
STEP 9: Create your company’s website.
After you’ve defined your brand and designed your logo, the next step is to build a website for your company.
While developing a website is an important step, some may be concerned that it is out of their grasp due to a lack of website-building skills. While this was a fair concern in 2015, online technology has made significant advances in recent years, making the lives of small company owners considerably easier.
The following are the primary reasons why you should not put off developing your website:
Every genuine company has a website, period. When it comes to bringing your company online, it doesn’t matter what size or sector it is.
Social media accounts, such as Facebook pages or LinkedIn company profiles, are not a substitute for your own business website.
STEP 10 : Install your company phone system.
Getting a phone for your company is one of the finest methods to keep your personal and professional lives distinct and private. That isn’t the only advantage; it also helps you automate your company, provides it legitimacy, and makes it simpler for prospective clients to identify and contact you.