Paintball has grown to be more than a fun pastime. It is a sport and a thriving business for many entrepreneurs. Its popularity is largely due its unmatched versatility as it is an outdoor recreation that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. With the game growing and evolving, starting a paintball business is a sound investment and isn’t as daunting a task as it may seem.

To begin, you’ll need to research large open land as this game requires a lot of cunning, athleticism. Finding the land in this market won’t be too difficult as we are currently in a buyer’s market ripe for the picking. Of course you’ll also need to find the gear you’ll rent out as most of your patrons are recreational supporters and will not bring their own equipment and supplies. They key to getting good gear at a great price is once again, research. You’ll need to find a reputable supplier from whom you can purchase supplies wholesale and in bulk. Otherwise you’re looking at approx $150 for a single decent paintballing kit.

It’s going to take roughly $20k to start up. That estimate will vary regarding components such as credit, investors, the price of land, equipment costs and marketing. As with any new business you are advised to create a business plan. Having one in place will help you gauge what your budget for supplies, marketing, promotions and land should cost you. Also, you’ll have a solid foundation set when seeking funding, if you don’t already have the capitol. You should consider applying for sponsorship from local or national businesses as well. With sponsorship you’ll get an annual amount ranging between $10,000 to $150,000, in exchange you’ll provide advertising space dedicated to your sponsor.

When you have that set up you will also have an idea of what you expect to profit. If you plan on pricing your services in close proximity to your competition, you should be charging between $25-$50 per person, which will allocate for the game the patron chooses, transportation to the game site and food (if applicable). Remember, you can also earn a great deal by selling memorabilia such as water bottles, t-shirts with interesting images or phrases on them, jackets and hats.

With regards to advertising space, you’ll have plenty of it if you choose to sell promotional items. Your logo, tagline and web address will need to be displayed in order to gain more patrons. Now initially, most paintball business operators earn around $27,000 a year. But, if you take advantage of your marketing budget by promoting your business in movie theaters, local community gatherings and fairs and to other businesses, you can generate a greater income much sooner than the majority of your competition. Be diligent in using all of the free advertising available via sites like Oodle, craigslist and Sales spider as well as social networking sites. The advertising costs of Pay-per-click ads on sites like Facebook are invaluable and can save you a lot of money on traditional print advertising.

All in all, it costs less to begin a paintball business than many others but as with all business ventures you’ll need a plan, valuable connections, creativity, tenacity and capitol to make it a success.

Author Bio: Mike regularly writes for ProlificPaintball.com, they carry such paintball equipment as a Paintball Gun and the Tippmann A-5, as well as many other items from a variety of manufacturers.

Category: Sports
Keywords: Paintball Gun,Tippmann A-5