How to Start a Skating Rink

Skating is a great recreational activity that can be enjoyed by family members, kids, teens and adults. You can get a dose of physical activity, as well as socialize and hold birthday parties and events at most skating rinks. The music is enjoyable, as you put jive to your step while skating around the floor, or slow skating to a couples song with your partner. A skating rink business is a small business idea that may work for you. If your area doesn't have a skating rink, but has plenty of families and teenagers, this is an idea you can consider. This article will explore how to go about starting a skating rink.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Start up funds for business
• Permit
• Location to build building or suitable building to use
• Funds for maintaining business until cash flow builds
• Business savvy
• Desire and ability to entertain

1. Determine your funding availability. What you should consider is how much capital you have available for immediate use (cash on hand) and what ability you have to get approved for a loan for the money you don't have that you will still need. You could start by going to a bank and getting an idea of how much of a loan you could qualify for.

2. Find a building that could be used as a skating rink, or find a site where you could build one. You might even be able to find a skating rink that closed down years ago, that just needs some work and could be reopened.

3. Develop a business proposal and submit it to the bank to apply for a loan. In this, you will need to state what your business will be used for (skating rink), with an idea of more specific details. You need to know how much it will cost to run the place (such as lighting, hiring employees, and the like) and what type of incoming cash will allow you to make a profit.

4. Get the necessary permits. You will need permits to build a skating rink if this is the route you will go, or even to remodel an existing building or rink. You also need permits to have a skating rink. Contact your local government to find out what permits are required.

5. If you wish to serve beer and wine coolers at the skating rink, you need a permit. These type of permits are sometime hard to come by, and can take time to get, so keep this in mind with your time frame. Be prepared not to be able to get the permit, as some counties limit the amount of places that can serve alcohol. There are also certain requirements that need to be met before a permit for serving beer will be granted, that you should look into with the local liquor board.

6. Design the existing building or new one to be built. Look at models of other skating rinks across the nation, and visit ones in nearby towns to get ideas. Do web searches for new ideas for skating rinks. Be innovative in your decisions, but also practical in ways to save money and get the most out of the site.

7. Make sure you are following all local laws and regulations and have all the necessary permits before you start business. You don't want to get a citation or end up being closed down for not following the appropriate steps to opening the skating rink.

8. Determine the specifics of the business. Decide what the hours of operation will be, keeping in mind when people will most likely be interested in skating. Traditionally, Saturday and Sunday afternoons and Friday evenings are the most popular times. Determine what type of music you will play. Try dance music with the occasional disco tune or country tune or some classic rock. You could have a 70s disco night once a month to draw in an older adult crowd.

9. Hire employees. During this process you'll need to learn about withholding taxes of employers, social security and health benefits, and how to deal with these issues when paying the employees. Talk to a tax professional. Sometimes you can get help from small business development companies that help people start local businesses. The SCORE site listed in Resources, is one source you could use for some advice.

10. Set up operations. This means you need to have the electric come and hook up power for the lighting, the water company come so you have running, and other things you will need to get the place running.

11. Run ads in local newspapers and on the internet to let people know when the business will open. Have a huge opening day party with free admission, to let everyone get a feel for the place and get interested in coming to skate.

12. Do what you can to make sure people have a good time and don't skimp on essentials. However, make sure to save money where you can, charge enough to make a profit and pay employees.

13. Continue to find ways for people to come to the skating rink. Let people have private parties, birthday parties, anything they desire. Come up with creative uses like renting out the building for a wedding reception, or holding a fundraising event for a local charity.

Tips & Warnings

• To run a small business like a skating rink, you need to be flexible. If you see that one way of running the business isn't working, you'll need to change things quickly or else lose your shirt. If Wednesday night family night doesn't work because everyone is going bowling that night, switch it to Thursdays. If no one likes eating the new tacos on the menu, change to pizza.
• Location is key in any business. You need to find a spot easily accessible to most people and near to other places people would go before hand, like restaurants and malls. If you live in a metro area, have the location close to a metro stop.
• Be creative to draw business. You have to find a way to get people to want to spend their weekends at the skating rink instead of just hanging out at the mall or playing miniature golf.
• Before you decide to start a skating rink, you should really think hard about whether the business will become profitable, and how much money you can afford to lose that you may never get back. Small businesses are hard to maintain, and skating rinks can be an on again, off again trend.

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[fahren]

on 11/17/2009 I live in a town that needs a skating rink. We have lots of kids and families here that need fun things to do. We are also a college town. Just need an investor to get ball rolling. My e-mail [e-mail]

[teckgdsn]

on 10/17/2009 HI MY NAME IS SHEILA AND IM LOOKING IN TO OPENING UP A SKATING RINK. IM JUST LOOKING FOR ANY HELP I CAN GET TO START UP MY PROJECT. WHERE I LIVE ISNT MUCH TO DO SO I WAS THINKING THIS WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE TO DO IT. IF THERE IS ANY INVESTORS OUT THERE WHO WHAT TO HELP OUT MY EMAIL IS [e-mail]

[busa]

on 9/23/2008 I have a perfect location for a skating rink and it would do really good, just need and invester any ideas my e-mail [e-mail]