New Airsoft field and shop...

[Nashorn101]

Originally Posted by dman3lax4

As whiskeytango said, there is a lot you need to do unfortunately. I think that you and your dad should sit down and decide if you want this endeavor to truly happen. If you do you can start doing the long and complicated project of making that possible. As for running a store, you might want to talk to Warfighters USA here on the forums. He ran an airsoft field for a while and also has a store, so talking to him would be a good first step. If the field does succeed then I'm sure you could get plenty of volunteer help to build the field itself up, and txtrench has had numerous succesful build days. Txtrench also has built a field and store, so you could talk to him as well. As sonja said I would very much like to see this field come into being, and I personally would be happy to help you build up the actual field if you can get the correct permits to make it happen.
Best of luck,
Donald.

Thanks!

[txtrench]

Hi
I’m not trying to be a killjoy, just being realistic about this.

a. Are you over 18? If not everything has to be in your dad’s name.

b. Are you in a left leaning area? Any left leaning neibors can kill your plans by repeatedly calling the cops. Then the nuisance law kicks in and the police can shut you down.

c. If you do not have the go ahead from the city and police you will be getting class C felonies every time you have an event. The state classifies air soft as a real firearm just like BB guns, paintball, and real steel. If the projectile is expelled out of a barrel using expanding gas (air, CO2, green gas, etc..) it is a firearm in the state of Texas. Not good in an urban area.

d. Make sure it is zoned. Some places you cant even sell lemonade on the corner anymore.

e. Make sure that the net you want to put up is allowed. You will have to get a permit for it if it looks like a fence, and I bet the city has requirements about that.

f. How far away in the nearest school? I bet the city will not allow it if you are under 1000 feet from the nearest school, day care, and hospital.

g. If you are going to charge money you have to have a DBA and pay taxes.

The reason I am asking you all this is due to the fact that here in Killeen we had a place called “mandatory fun”. It was a paintball place that the city let open but then threw every roadblock they could at them after they spent over 100,000 fixing up the indoor arena and jumping through all the hoops. In my opinion an air soft place inside a city limits wont work. It’s just not the right time to start one, that’s one of the major reasons I have mine outside the city and behind a hill. No one can see it from the road. You have to remember that no matter how good you are there will be a knuckle head that will want to walk to your field with there M4 slung around there back and a M-9 on there hip. You have to be ready for that too.

There is one person here on the forum that is out nearly $100,000.00 from opening his own field and not surviving, if you or anyone wants to open a field you have to be ready to do the same. You can expect the start up cost to be at least 2000.00 just to get it going for the first game (radios, copies, chrono, signs, whistles, medic kit, stretcher, fence etc….)

If you can meet everything you may have a great CQB area, good luck.

[Nashorn101]

Originally Posted by txtrench

Hi
I’m not trying to be a killjoy, just being realistic about this.
a. Are you over 18? If not everything has to be in your dad’s name.
b. Are you in a left leaning area? Any left leaning neibors can kill your plans by repeatedly calling the cops. Then the nuisance law kicks in and the police can shut you down.
c. If you do not have the go ahead from the city and police you will be getting class C felonies every time you have an event. The state classifies air soft as a real firearm just like BB guns, paintball, and real steel. If the projectile is expelled out of a barrel using expanding gas (air, CO2, green gas, etc..) it is a firearm in the state of Texas. Not good in an urban area.
d. Make sure it is zoned. Some places you cant even sell lemonade on the corner anymore.
e. Make sure that the net you want to put up is allowed. You will have to get a permit for it if it looks like a fence, and I bet the city has requirements about that.
f. How far away in the nearest school? I bet the city will not allow it if you are under 1000 feet from the nearest school, day care, and hospital.
g. If you are going to charge money you have to have a DBA and pay taxes.
The reason I am asking you all this is due to the fact that here in Killeen we had a place called “mandatory fun”. It was a paintball place that the city let open but then threw every roadblock they could at them after they spent over 100,000 fixing up
the indoor arena and jumping through all the hoops. In my opinion an air soft place inside a city limits wont work. It’s just not the right time to start one, that’s one of the major reasons I have mine outside the city and behind a hill. No one can see it from the road. You have to remember that no matter how good you are there will be a knuckle head that will want to walk to your field with there M4 slung around there back and a M-9 on there hip. You have to be ready for that too.
There is one person here on the forum that is out nearly $100,000.00 from opening his own field and not surviving, if you or anyone wants to open a field you have to be ready to do the same. You can expect the start up cost to be at least 2000.00 just to get it going for the first game (radios, copies, chrono, signs, whistles, medic kit, stretcher, fence etc….)
If you can meet everything you may have a great CQB area, good luck.

Im sorry but I seem to have to repeat this again...I am doing all those requirements! But I didn't say I am opening up an Airsoft shop, and using the rest if the place as a CQB field.

[Fair]

Originally Posted by Nashorn101

Im sorry but I seem to have to repeat this again...I am doing all those requirements! But I didn't say I am opening up an Airsoft shop, and using the rest if the place as a CQB field.

Originally Posted by Nashorn101

Hello everyone, My dad owns some un-used land, and I was talking to him about turning it into a public field and shop for ya'll to use. Its in an area of 1.5 - 2.0 acres of land, kinda small yes, but its still big enough. Its in Austin...where I live, and its in a wooded area in surrounded by fences and wharehouses, so no stray BB is going to make it far. Anyway, I wanted to know if anyone would go to it often, cause it in Austin, and its an Airsoft field...not a paintball field. Could I get ya'lls input?

This is what you posted to start this thread. No where in here or any of your posts did you mention any of the points that Txtrench brought up. You asked for imput and now your getting it. You did, after WhiskeyTango stated some great points that many people often overlook, mention that you were planning on taking some of the necessary steps.

I would love to have another option so close to home, BUT I think that this might be quiet the undertaking for a 14 year old.

Just my 2 cents.

[txtrench]

My post had nothing to do with opening up a shop. That was only for the field.

For a shop you need to expect to spend even more, and if you have a storefront lots more.

And to be truthful at 14 (if you are that old, im not judging) all you are doing is setting up your dad for a bunch of legal action.

In today’s world when you start something like this you MUST plan on it failing and going out of business to. It’s a hard fact that nearly 90% of new ventures die in the first year. You have better odds in Vegas right now than opening your own business.

For example I spent 2800.00 this month on my field on mandatory improvements, I made about 1/3 that. If I did not make the improvements then people would not come.

So my question to you is do you have the money to gamble on it right now.
Can you ever get the permits in a left leaning town like Austin? Remember this is the town that closed down the big gun show just a little wile ago over some paper work that was in the end right and cost the gun show owner over 100,000.00.
So here are some basics again.
90% of new ventures fail.
Don’t expect to break even for the first 5 years.
That is what any SBA rep will tell you and it’s a good rule of thumb.
If you can still do that then please by all means do it, its fun to have your own business and a great learning experience. Go for it.