To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. working in the store, my department had the second highest sales in the company, so I know how to sell and I know how to give customers what they want. Having spent all of my time in the Army as an infantry soldier, I know weapons. I have also been the master gunner in an infantry brigade for the last 2 1/2 years. No, that doesn’t make me an expert, but I have also been collecting guns for over 25 years and I would rather talk about guns than just about anything else. The reason I am writing is to ask if there is any information available for someone like me that will help to get a store started. I have looked at some of the business plans that are on the web, but none of them are exactly what I am looking for. Most are tailored around other areas. I am going to have to get a small business loan to open the store and I would like to be able to walk into the institution where I am applying for a loan and blow them away with my presentation. If all I had to do was talk about what I planned to do, then I would be good to go. But they want all of the information in writing and I need help in that area. To make a long story short, do you know where I might be able to find information that will help? David Bata Future owner of Gun Country Clarksville, Tenn. First, thank you for your service to our country. And, we thank your wife, also. We know that serving in the military takes a lot of dedication from the entire family. Second, sign onto www.nafr.org, the Web site of the National Association of Firearms Retailers (NAFR). There you’ll find links to valuable information to help you develop your business plan. NAFR also sponsors SHOT Show University, which will be held Feb. 1, 2008, the day before the annual trade show next year. See page 56 of this issue for the 2008 SHOT Show University schedule. Attending the university will boost your knowledge of what it takes to run a gun shop in today’s business environment. For more information on NAFR and SHOT Show University, call (203) 426-1320. In addition, let’s open your question up to the experts who read this magazine. Gun dealers, what advice do you have for David Bata, future owner of Gun Country? E-mail me your advice, and we’ll share it with him and the industry. 9 E-mail The Editor russ@shootingindustry.com SHOT SHOW SUPER ISSUE 2008 • www.shootingindustry.com CIRCLE NO. 219 ON INQUIRY CARD 11