Betta Breeding - Business Idea

Curly - I am actually trying to get in touch with another breeder in the area, possibly the only other one I know of. I know of a few people who have tried in the past but moved on.
I personally fully understand that I have to breed a wide variety, including some VTs. The customer need a wide variety of fish to choose from.
I am hoping to give them the best selection of the best quality I can provide. Give them new colors and styles they wouldn't usually see in you average pet store. Things that *shudder* Walmart would never have. Something different than the red/blue VTs and CTs.
There is actually a tropical fish store in the same complex as the Mom and Pop LPS that is interested in me. They too are interested in taking some of the spawns. So that is helpful as well. I actually buy several of my breeding stock from said LFS and they usually have wonderful quality in if you have ever seen some of my boys. For example my dearly missed Prince Poppycock.
I know I won't see profit for at least a year as it is with any business. I have taken a number of business classes, and while my major is culinary I know how to apply things I learn into all aspect ^_^. I am just hoping the spawns will pay just enough for themselves I can afford to do another and another, set up a few tanks instead of the two I will be running at the moment. (I am running two spawns about two months apart or so to allow me to have a nearly steady stream of fry at hand. Hoping to expand as my knowledge grows)

Raven - I don't know about your Petsmart but mine up here in Cent Or, actually gets decent stock in. I have found some true gems in there.

Try more if you don't already have all the set up and knowledge.
With the number you have to deal with.
It better to build a barrack system(drip system)
To house the fish
Just relying on a store to sell your product is a very slow method.
You have to think on how many fish will be sold out of the store.
Feeding
If your relying on store bought product.
Hard to say if your ever going to make a profit
Use your judgment
Just because u can raise 200 fish to adult
Your going to do it.
Female don't really get sold
Only choose a few male quality male to be sold
Honest true is the rest will be cull
Cause your putting your repetition on the fish that going to be sold
You don't want to put a bad name on yourself this early of the game

Personal what Ive think about aquabid, is that your showing what skill and quailty you have in stock to other breeder.
Just a few bad sell to breeder will end the game for you.
Cause breeder will only buy fish at a higher price.
Another thing about breeder/selling
Not just base upon the quality of the fish.
The main point is, Can it produce the the same quality or better in the next generation.
So learn how to rate the fish on quality and gene pool.
What is the stander for each breed.
So do some research and your homework before you start selling

I've think the more I go on.
The harder it get on you
Will that the different between a short tine breeder to a long term breeder

Breeder reputation is not base on the number of fish he/she sell, it's the quality.

If i'm understanding your proposal correctly, this wouldn't only be to sell bettas, but supplies as well right?

the problem with that is, that you would make the business deals with distributors to get products at wholesale prices, and then re-sell it to breeders like a middle man, which is no different then breeders buying from sites like aquabid or from the ibc website, cus lets face it .. even the middle man needs to take a cut to make some money. that's just basic business practices. even if your only making 1 cent off of reselling to other breeders, that is still a profit for you especially if your buying in bulk from wholesale. i know as a breeder myself, i go in with another breeder to buy at wholesale cost directly from a supplier. why would i buy from a middle man? unless you plan on selling the products not for profit for yourself and are willing to sell to breeders at the same wholesale price that you were able to negotiate.

also, since most established and serious breeders usually have their own website and sell their fish on their own site as well as utilize forums (classified sections) as well as putting their fish on aquabid (there are US breeders on there), and pre-plan with local fish stores etc. before they actually attempt to breed. Sure you will have your occasional breeder that produced a spawn just to "try it" and see what happens. but most of those spawns are given away, or sold for a very low price.

what many people don't understand when breeding is that even if your breeding pair are perfect, your spawn won't all be perfect. for example, from a 100 fry halfmoon spawn, you possibly might get 10-15% (could be more or less depending on the spawn) that are actually worth 20-50 dollars and are of breeding or show quality. usually breeders will pick 2-3 pairs to breed, and then some go up on aquabid, their own website to sell, etc. these do not go to mom or pop shops or lfs or pets stores since these are the cream of the crop. they are usually sold/traded to other breeders, entered into shows, which then after the show they are auctioned off at the show, etc.

then, the majority of the spawn would just be of the usual suspects that you see at local mom and pop shops (all the mom and pop stores around me hand pick the fish they want at their shop cus they know what their customers want and sells at their shop and what doesn't) that the store are selling for 6.99-8.99. which mean you sell to the store at 2-3 dollars per fish.

then you get the rest of the spawn that didn't get picked or sold. what do u do with them? give them away to family or friends. or take care of them yourself? these are usually the fish that end up at walmarts petsmarts petcos etc.

but i guess the bottom line i gotta ask from a business standpoint is. what will your site accomplish? why would i use ur site/service, when i can establish my own and not have to pay you royalties or a service fee or pay you to be the middle man? unless you plan on providing your site as a free service for breeders, then what's in it for you? we all know running a site is not free. how are you going to cover your over head costs?

it is a good idea, but there's a lot of other aspects that you haven't really touched upon that i hope you do cover when your business proposal is ready.

good luck! =)