Hello

[OLA]

Hello all, My name is Dustin and I am a new small business owner. I opened a saltwater aquarium shop in mid Missouri 6 months ago. This is the first shop of its kind to the area and so far has been (almost) meeting the goals I had projected for it. We offer everything the saltwater enthusiast could need or want as well as custom aquarium design and installs. I had experience in the industry as well as a good deal of market research of my own I put into this project before pulling the trigger and opening the doors. I am a VERY young entrepreneur at just 24 years old and a college drop out just 30 hrs shy of a degree in econ. I saw a void in the market and decided to go for it! Here is a link to my website olaquaria2 (http://www.oceanlifeaquaria.com/)

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum Dustin. Exciting time isn't it? One of my friends in college had a salt water tank. I forget the details, but someone gave him a 100 gallon and a 55 gallon tank for free, along with a lot of the necessary equipment to run them. He had some interesting fish.

Not that you are, but don't worry about your lack of a degree. It's not necessary. Seeing a void in the market is much more likely to lead to success.

Looking forward to chatting with you and thanks for joining the community.

[OLA]

Thanks vangogh! I always tell myself that my boss is not the least bit concerned about me not having a degree. It has been everything from exciting to downright stressful but I'm sure that is all part of it. I never expected owning a business to be a walk in the park

[Pack-Secure]

Hello and Welcome. It would be cool if the four pictures on your home page were clickable, seems almost a waste of real estate.

JMHO

[vangogh]

I'm sure that is all part of it

It is, but don't think of it as stressful. Think of it as an exciting challenge. There's so much good that comes with it that it outweighs any stress that might creep in. The good part is you're in control of your destiny now instead of being at the mercy of someone else.

[fayt]

Hi Dustin, welcome to the small business forum. I am only 28 years old myself and own a sign company. I like your website, it's quite different.

[Gabe]

Hey Dustin, welcome to the forums!