becoming a importer?i have a list of indonesian contacts&amp

[eddie]

flame angle i checked with my electrical co-op a few weeks ago and the'll be giving me a aquacultre discount rate on the electric(i have a few 1000 watters and several 400watters) but they have to be run seperate from the house of course
they give greenhouses agriculter discounts also (it will be the same)
so that should help also
the business phone line im still considering i may use my regular phone
but that my not be a good idea
once agin i do appericiate all the comments given

thanks

 

[Andy2]

Never mind,
Andy

 

[eddie]

never mind
also

 

[Anonymous]

Eddie, just an observation of mine, please don't take it to heart. I've pretty much skimmed through the entire thread and I have notived that everytime someone has offered you some advice, you've shrugged it off and said in effect "nah that doesn't apply to me".

I don't understand what you are looking for then?

The best I can do now is just wish you good luck. Sounds like no matter what anyone offers you, despite you asking for their help, you've got your mind set to do it your way anyway.

Good luck brother.

 

[eddie]

hmm.. I need a business license & a tax Id # to be a coral farmer in Sampson county NC

I was looking info in the begining on how to import from another country myself mainly to gather stock quickly for propagation on the farm but also resell some at first
now I plan on just buying wholesale and selling retail online mainly in the future....thanks to some advice in this thread

 

[flameangel1]

eddie,,
You will need a business license and tax id# just to BUY from any wholesaler also.
Check it out- it is true!!

 

[eddie]

the reason im not sure of the tax id# is nursery famers only collect tax if they buy a plant from another state and then resell it. Plants propagated in the state and sold do not get tax collected (to my knowlege)so I'm not sure yet but if I propagate it then resell it I wont collect sales and use tax(like a nursery plant
so I may only need the business license(not sure yet)

if I only sell captive raised frags which means that it would take a year almost atleast to even start to sell anything

 

[flameangel1]

eddie,,
just for the record- corals are animals !!!
Not plants.
And they are not indigenous to the USA.

 

[eddie]

I think they just look at it as aquaculture like agriculture like I mentioned I'm not sure yet

but if I get a tax id# the'll keep sending me forms to fill out every quarter for sales and use which If i was selling truely captive raised stock I'd have to keep it atleast a year if it was a wild specimen when I aquired it

but I may also still need it I have to do more research and havnt gotten that far yet

also if I resell out of state I wont collect sales and use either (not sure yet)

only if its in state

I'll be going in person to explain to the department of revenue for my county my plans and the'll inform me of what I need (for sure)

 

[eddie]

come to think it could be almost 2 years to give the systems time to mature then produce truly captive stock from wild brood stock(minimum)

that I would have no use for a Tax id #

 

[JennM]

I'll try this again, since it didn't get absorbed the first time

Eddie: Contact your local Small Business Development Center.

They can help you answer all of those tax related questions. You can't start a business without a business plan.

IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL

Tax ID numbers and forms are the least of your worries right now.

Before I bought my first fish or coral order, I spent the better part of a year planning, attending seminars, researching, writing my plan, rewriting my plan, after September 11 we reworked some numbers based on the state of the economy.... you just don't fill in a form, get a number and throw up your shingle and "be" in business. Those who do that, don't stay in business very long.

NONE of the wholesalers will sell to you if you don't have a business licence and tax ID. Many will not deal with you unless you have a bricks and mortar RETAIL store. Since you are dealing with LIVESTOCK, you may need an animal protection licence (you need one in GA, but I know not every state has this, FL for example doesn't). I know you don't plan to have a retail storefront, but now you're already talking about reselling to generate revenue. Just because you don't plan to have a "store" per se, doesn't mean you don't need the infrastructure of a PLAN.

I have a feeling that I'm wasting my energy here, but if somebody else who's reading with the same plans as you, takes a grain or two of advice, then it wasn't a total waste of time. *sigh*

Jenn

 

[eddie]

sorry to disappoint you so jenn...

I PLAN to have a 135 gal & 180 gal inside
lit by 400 watters

I Plan to have 2 300 gal rubbermaid stock tanks outside lit naturaly for broodstock growout

I Plan to have 2 4'x8'x12" vats to color up greenhouse grown frags to sell or trade to other hobbiests lit by 1000watt 20k's on hydroponic light movers


and I plan to work with who ever I can to aquire stock reasonably priced

I plan to get a business license and tax id # if needed before the sytems are mature & complete
to start with

thanks for all the help

 

[eddie]

btw I did contact the sba

 

[JennM]

And I plan to retire a millionaire... :roll:

You haven't disappointed me. 'nuff said.

You totally missed my point. Planning: Business plan, budget, sales forecast, THAT kind of plan. Businesses just don't happen... I'm not going to chew my cabbage a third time. Those who are in the business or any business with one iota of success know what I'm talking about, and many have offered it up here. You are not LISTENING.

Whatever -- I tried.

Good luck to you -- you're going to need it.

Jenn

 

[eddie]

what I'm just trying to say is that this business could take up to 2 1/2 years to begin to even produce the first truly captive raised frag ready for sell after its complete it is kinda a obscur type business to say the least

mainly to prepare for the ban of wild importation when I would be prepared to sell or trade more than now

the longer I wait the longer it'll take I'm already 27 & getting older as we speak & I dont want to miss my chance to do somthing I love like Tropicurium , scentific corals ,coralfragz.com etc are working on and doing so I'm just trying to do the best I can with the resources avalible & knowlege at hand to me

 

[JennM]

Well 27 you're still wet behind the ears

You're banking on a ban? Do you know something we don't?

Again -- I'm not sure why I'm beating the dead horse here -- but I'd bet dollars to donut corals that they all have a BUSINESS PLAN.

You'll need one if you ever need a business loan.

OK Jenn -- the horse is dead....

 

[eddie]

I'm not saying I wont make a business plan but do predict wild importation bans (just my opinion)

I will make a business plan with help from GARF & the SBA web site

but also plan to stop wasting time and get the systems maturing soon as possible

 

[eddie]

also I plan to borrow from my 401 k and already have alot collected

 

[Anonymous]

eddie-

the tax i.d. number is for the IRS and doesn't really apply to state sales tax. If you are generating revenue the government wants to know about it. Depending on what type of business you plan on operating under (sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation, there are benefits and disadvantages to each) your social security # may be good enough but you have to file it with the government before anything becomes valid. Setting up the business isn't that hard makeing it successful is the tricky part.

Glenn

 

[eddie]

thank you rover
I plan to do the best with what resources & knowledge is avalible to me to make it as successful as I can

or at the least a major hobby