Anyone that isn't afraid of machinery can learn to put holes in the ball.  That is the easiest part to learn.  Learning ball reaction is more difficult, and fitting is something that some people get and develop a skill for and others just learn enough to get measurements to put holes in the ball for people.

As for equipment, there are people getting out of the business all the time and used pro shop equipment goes cheap.  Unless you have to have new, you would be able to find some used very reasonably priced.  As you get started you won't have the skills to take advantage of a $10k mill.  Learn the basics, establish your business and clientele then upgrade. 

What market are you in?  Is the location in a bowling center?  How many league bowlers do they have?  Was there a shop in the location previously?

It's a very tough business to make any money and you need a really good location to earn even a decent living and the days of making a real good living are about gone unless you have multiple good locations.  The margins are low, the PITA factor is high, for some reason your customers think you're getting rich, and the truth is that it is barely worth opening the door.

In the internet guy's defense, the big guys buy more per week than most shops buy all year.

McCorvey does it with the buying power of 25 or so shops and a lot of guys willing to work part time.  He's gotten over the "no man's land number", which is probably 5-10.  3 or 4 you can operate a good location with a helper and have a few satellites, over that and you have to get to a number where you are no longer an operator and just a managing owner.

As usual, itsallaboutme has it right.  The courses offered by Jayhawk are excellent, I know the people that do them personally, and I really don't think you'd find better or more qualified people.  It's a labor of love type deal, and the only way to make money is to be an owner operator, if you're paying other people to run it for you, the money it takes to staff a good operator will take the entirety of your profits, and even when you're an owner operator, unless you're just in a favorable situation or place, it's nothing that's going to make you rich.  Now, it can be extremely fulfilling, and it's kind of fun to do what you love for a living, but it CAN suck all the fun out of it because it's more of a customer service position than anything else.  Yeah it's bowling themed, but it's all about people.  There are bowlers that will continue to go to the same chop shop time and again because they like the person running it.  May never get anything right for them, but they like the operator.  You could be the most competent person in the world, but if you're abrasive, people aren't going to put up with it. 

Running a pro shop is really something you do for personal fulfillment and to help others, and if you do it right, you'll probably be in the black, but it's going to cost you a lot of time and money and requires a lot of personal investment, because once you become the "pro shop guy," that's a 24/7 type of deal to really do it RIGHT.  That means spending league nights and practice sessions talking to people and offering them advice, that means getting facebook messages and emails at all hours of the day asking about things.  It's beyond dollars and cents.  I loved it when I was doing it, and I was damn good if I do say so myself, but now that I'm out for the most part, don't know that I'd go back.

Quote from: Luke Rosdahl on October 01, 2017, 11:07:27 AM

As usual, itsallaboutme has it right.  The courses offered by Jayhawk are excellent, I know the people that do them personally, and I really don't think you'd find better or more qualified people.  It's a labor of love type deal, and the only way to make money is to be an owner operator, if you're paying other people to run it for you, the money it takes to staff a good operator will take the entirety of your profits, and even when you're an owner operator, unless you're just in a favorable situation or place, it's nothing that's going to make you rich.  Now, it can be extremely fulfilling, and it's kind of fun to do what you love for a living, but it CAN suck all the fun out of it because it's more of a customer service position than anything else.  Yeah it's bowling themed, but it's all about people.  There are bowlers that will continue to go to the same chop shop time and again because they like the person running it.  May never get anything right for them, but they like the operator.  You could be the most competent person in the world, but if you're abrasive, people aren't going to put up with it. 

Running a pro shop is really something you do for personal fulfillment and to help others, and if you do it right, you'll probably be in the black, but it's going to cost you a lot of time and money and requires a lot of personal investment, because once you become the "pro shop guy," that's a 24/7 type of deal to really do it RIGHT.  That means spending league nights and practice sessions talking to people and offering them advice, that means getting facebook messages and emails at all hours of the day asking about things.  It's beyond dollars and cents.  I loved it when I was doing it, and I was damn good if I do say so myself, but now that I'm out for the most part, don't know that I'd go back.

Thank you for the info!  If we do this I would to run the shop completely. Is the course something that would allow me to operate completely?  It seems pretty in-depth but it's quite short. Perhaps it doesn't take a long time to learn and do the drillling, fitting, etc.