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jigman

Pouring Baits For A Living?

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Just wondering how many guys have made the jump from hobby to a business. Is it possible to earn a decent income pouring baits? I've been laid off for 10 month's and I am thinking about doing this full time.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I am sure it can be & is being done..

But,

I feel that it will take a lot of money to get stocked up on all items needed..

in buisness to make a living you will have to beable to put out a large volume

of baits..many molds ( hand pour ) or very large molds injection,, buy plastic by the 55 gallon..

and so on..

and

the compitition is very tough.. every one & there brother is allready making baits..

making enough baits to pay all bills & take a pay check is one thing...

being able to sell that many baits is another..

I am very interested in hearing from some of the bait makers.

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Don't forget the taxes. You will be a small business so you need to pay taxes and collect sales tax.

You may also need to register with your local city hall as a small business that uses flammable material (plastisol). Your home insurance will go up due to the risk of your 'flammable material' catching on fire.

Edited by BBK
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I'm two years into doing plastic full time and what everyone's telling you is right. It's very expensive and truthfully I would hate to try to make a living doing hand pours. You only think fishing's a cutthroat hobby. You think tournament fisherman are bad, wait until you start competing with big time bait makers. It's like no one likes to see a new guy come in. Then you've got to look at things like taxes, which have already been mentioned. Plus facilities, equipment, raw materials, employees and everything else that goes along with this business, can make it really hard to be successful. Most people either produce baits or sell baits. Our intentions were to produce our own baits in large quantities for the retail market. If I would have stuck with this plan, I would already be out of business. If you're really sincere about selling a product that you've created, then you're really better off to purchase the mold and have someone produce the baits for you. To make enough baits to sell to have a comfortable living and be able to afford health insurance and other necessities, you would get tired of the hand pours real quick. We tried to keep up with the demands of three local tackle stores doing hand pours and was successful for a couple of years, but with me and my wife both working full time jobs and pouring and packing until all hours of the morning, just didn't work out. We now have one injection machine and are doing work for 5 or 6 different companies and I love every minute of it, but take this week for instance the mold is 30"X20" and the bait is so big that you can only get 14 cavities in the mold. It takes 8 hours to make 2500, imagine if you had to do that by hand. We are about to purchase a super machine 3 color, core shot valves, everything you can get in an injection machine. Over the weekend I worked from 8 pm till 9:45 am so be careful what you wish for. Just my long thoughts.

Mike

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Just wondering how many guys have made the jump from hobby to a business. Is it possible to earn a decent income pouring baits? I've been laid off for 10 month's and I am thinking about doing this full time.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

When I first started making lures it was just for myself. I did that for about three years, saving myself a lot of money that I would have spent buying lures. The money I saved, I put in my mattress and when I got enough, I started my own business. I did not make a whole lot of money right away. It took me quite a few years to build up my clients. I am retired right now and I run a part time business. If I put a lot of time into it, I suppose I could support my family. I am happy doing it part time. My biggest client is a bait and tackle store in the country of England and I gave him the exclusive on selling my lures in that country. Also, I have a few local bait and tackle stores that I sell my baits in. Plus, I sell a lot to the guys I fish tournament with. All this keeps me busy enough. Since I am retired, my wife and I like to do some of the things that we like to do. The more time you put into it, the more money you can make. I don't like charging taxes, but unfortunately, it is the law. Lets not get into the govt thing, I might be writing all night.

If you can get a few investors interested in your store and products, it will be a lot easier. To answer your question, it can be done if you really want to and enjoy doing it. There are millions of fishermen out there and they have to buy fishing supplies.

Like I said, I only do it part time, but I enjoy making lures, selling them, and listening to fishermen telling their stories about catching those big fish on lures that you made.

Good Luck in whatever your decision is.

Bob

B & D Lures

www.bandlures.com

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When I first started making lures it was just for myself. I did that for about three years, saving myself a lot of money that I would have spent buying lures.

Like I said, I only do it part time, but I enjoy making lures, selling them, and listening to fishermen telling their stories about catching those big fish on lures that you made.

Bob

B & D Lures

www.bandlures.com

I followed a similar path as Bob has.It takes time and $ to become established. That said, form#720 (for manufacturers)-Quarterly excise tax,takes 10% from gross sales. The credit card companies will charge you anywhere from 2.5 to 3 1/2% plus the montly statement fees. Then you have the PCI/DSS federal standards for level 4 merchants processing C.C. Shop set-up and utilities take a bite along w/phone and computer monthly services. Web-design can cost a small fortune to boot. Your product line needs to be versatile and a bit different then everyone else.

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You have received a lot of good advice.

One thing that was not mentioned is "Timing" also called "Luck" on getting started.

Back in the late 60's early 70's I did it full time and I had a "Lucky Run" have seen some of my ideas not work then .. but went strong with some one else a few years down the line.

I did not take the big step that was needed as I was trying to make it go on its on ... that step was to go out and get financial backing ... if you have enough money you can make some of these things happen .. in other words expensive promotion ... and then you have all of the other production .. taxes ... and etc as stated by others. Knowing the distribution procedure is very important (know the discounting and deals you have to make and the expenses of same)

What little I do now is with a few B & T shops around the area (thinking about the web .. have not decided yet) .. I was in the retail, mfg and spent over 30 years (came off of road in 2001) as a wholesale fishing tackle, marine and hunting salesman ... durinig that time I saw a lot come and go ... more went than stayed ... Money and timing was the major problems they faced ...

Hope this may help a little.

My 2 cents worth

JSC

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What little I do now is with a few B & T shops around the area (thinking about the web ..

JSC

I started w/B&T shops. I always got paid on delivery since I refused to do consignment deals. That said,they want everything @ 40% off of retail.Then you the MFG has to pay the 10% excise tax on the gross sale. Then you have the additional expense of driving out to the local shops. I could be busy for the rest of time turning dollars but @ 50% off,you can't make a dime as a small MFG.unless your doing a tremendous volume- then quality of the product suffers.It's a long,tough road for the little guy for sure.

JSC- web design cost will kill you fast if you go to outside sources. I'm fortunate in that my son does all my web work. An active website w/new product introductions yearly requires an un-believable amount of time and $.Good luck!

Edited by smallmouthaholic
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"JSC- web design cost will kill you fast if you go to outside sources. I'm fortunate in that my son does all my web work. An active website w/new product introductions yearly requires an un-believable amount of time and $.Good luck!"

I have done a lot of Data Base Work (in FileMaker) but have only briefly touched WEB work.. have been doing a little checking out design and etc. Kind of testing the water.. The Daughter has a couple of businesses on the web ... Like anything else there is more expense than meets the eye ... not only out of pocket but extra work.

JSC

Edited by JSC
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My first question before any of all of this mentioned would be, "What is a decent income?"...

I have been hand pouring for several years now and turn down jobs/orders weekly as my "real" job pays the bills. If you can do quaility work, you can get paid and paid well.

Make it simple though... Figure out what a "decent income" is and then figure out how many bags of baits you have to sell to get there. For example... If $30,000 is decent to you then you need to sell "X" bags of baits at $3.00/bag. Check out the costs of the molds, plastic, web site, marketing, bags, etc.

With this simple example, you would need to pour and sell over 200 bags of hand poured baits (or 2,000 baits a week if there are 10 per bag) a week just to GROSS around $30,000. Take out your expenses and you are talking closer to 300/week.

Not hard for anyone that hand pours to tell you "GOOD LUCK" with that plan.

Anything is possible but odds are not in your favor as mentioned, the competition is tough, and it does take a little while to build up your client base as well.

Just my thoughts..... Jim

Edited by ghostbaits
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I have to agree with Jim. Have a game plan before you get too serious about this. I have been pouring baits for almost 20 years now,mostly for myself and a few friends. About 3 years ago I decided to take the big step and go public with it. Got the web page,Got the tax thing figured out, talked to a ton of people,ect,ect. I went into this knowing I was not going to get rich doing this. But I had a plan. If I could make enough money to make my truck, boat payments and pay for my tourny entry fees then I would be happy. It took 3 years of very hard work to be able to do this. I currently supply baits to about a dozen mom and pop bait shops in my area,witch has worked out very well for me. like Jim,I work a full time job with great pay and benifits and I won't be quitting that anytime soon! I still look at this as a hobby and probaly always will. I will leave the pouring of 1000's of baits a week up to the big boys.

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<sigh> a really big sigh, i am trying to think on what to start with this topic,

i have been in business 11 years. honestly i know my mistakes. jsc said it best out of anyone, its the luck side of things. i tournament fished starting at age 12. i happened to be involved with one of the larger hand pour companies in the state, i learned a lot. my fishing was right on. things were good. i didnt really have a social life growing up, so i ended up after high school spending a lot of time screwing off when it was the "luck" time for me. i was young, and there wasnt any competition for hand pourers and my age was an assett to sales. but young and dumb, didnt put the time in. then ended up having kids ect. so long story short this i am going into the second year now of full ownership, found out a lot last year. it takes pure money to make money in this game. i havent pushed any of my prostaff over the years. since my kids i havent been tournament fishing, so advertising from that end i havent had. if you want to promote something the right way, you have to do it yourself. i dont think i have been more driven than i am now. i work full time, and have a family. but i am making the time, every day, but not over doing myself. i have so many products that you just cant do it by yourself. i am done with the year long late nights up till 2-3 in the morning to get up and go to work. pour, cut tails, package, sell, ect. ect. my product has been in stores before and it sells very well. my website never was good and i am really just figuring out how to build it now. credit cards suck, great if you have major orders flowing in but if not you waste the money on the service fees. i am getting together a new catalog, its time, and it will be color. i have worked sales and retail a lot over the years and i know who what where when and why on what to do. i have a freshwater line, saltwater line, my own line of hooks, just got off the phone today, and i will have tungsten shortly. a outfitter shop i used to do reel repair for wouldnt carry my product a few year back, unless people were looking for it. i make smart well thought out decisions now. i made a point of view email with selling points and now i am going on a 1 year contract with them. you have to hustle and use your head. one shop i put my product in last year, the hooks they couldnt keep stocked. unfortunetly family and work pushed the company onto the back burner last year like many others. things are better now. dont bite off more than you can chew. make smart business decisions. take risks, but be smart about them. i am extremely lucky that i had met an extremely good friend from taking the job i have now. and he owns a machine shop. and is next to my work, so on any day i can go over and machine molds, have full cad design, and a fishing partner. i am probally all over on this but its whats popping into my head. prostaff, most have become close friends. last year i said 50% off for everyone. same this year, but all are going on contracts. i dont need the person who uses my secret bait but doesnt tell anyone. free sample, gone, bye bye, i have given away to much over the years, to the average fisherman who throws it for a minute or two with no confidence and if they dont catch a 10 pounder they wont call you. sample packs, $3 with a brochure and decal. they may not fish the bait but with a good logo thats free advertising if they throw it on the truck boat, or tackle box. shirts, decals, accessories, you name it its either in the works or for sale. you cant just rely on a few baits, you need to spread it out. either you want it or you dont. i was lazy, lacked thought or motivation. i am heading towards 30. i will find a way and make it happen. i have a lot of tricks up my sleeves, it all takes time. this day and age you have to look professional and have a good product as well. so many websites i have seen look pretty good, but have the bait layed crooked in the pictures. its not that hard to make a good impression and it doesnt cost much. i am lucky now, one long time pro staffer and one new one are local and are willing to give me a hand packaging. there are a few companies out my way who have made it pretty big, and they all have friends who help them out. i should be out selling the baits, but i am pretty anal about how the product turns out as well. taxes, excise, its 10%, add a dime to every buck. it does work out. i am getting to tired now to right much more. i am totally driven. i gave away a few of my pointers but i have a lot of aces up my sleeve. use your head, and you wont have to pay money with a lot of things in this business to get business. and that goes for product as well. you have to be a smart shopper. its totally true though. dont expect to get rich off of pouring just worms. you need to be diversified, have a plan, stick to it, take steps, and just go for it. if you dont budget yourself and spend wisely, you will take any or all the money you have and spend it in the wrong areas or on two much of one thing. not every idea will work. i could go one forever.

i am totally driven, i dont want to work for someone else.

since 1999 cant stop the snake.

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Good Reply Cobra.

You are learning and in doing this learning it has cost you by the mistakes you have made .. but if you are going to make a go of it YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES ... only One was perfect ... but learn from these mistakes and you must be willing to pay the price ...

Every day this market makes drastic changes and you have to be on top of it ...

Good Luck To ALL OF YOU who are trying to make it big time only a very small % will ... part time and not depending on it for your income is another story completly.

JSC

wink.gif

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There is some very good advice already posted here. My take on this is that once you have gotten your pouring down, so that you aren't making too many mistakes, what you should shoot for first is to just be able to cover the costs of this hobby. In other words you should try to break even at this point.

If you are going to try to make a living then you should be prepared to invest some big bucks on injection machinery like CarolinaMike did. If you decide to do that then you had better have some sales contacts lined up before you spend that kind of money.

Don't get us wrong here; I'm sure no one is trying to talk you out of this if that is what you really want to do. We're just trying to share our thoughts and experience with you.

www.novalures.com

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All that being said, I just finished a $3,000 order and have $1,000 order in the wing. Talked with a few other guys in the "hobby" and they are getting bigger orders as well! The business is there if you hustle after it.

Just heed the advice you are getting, do your homework and expect set backs along the way...

Jim

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Thanks guys.

There is some really good info here. I have some original baits that I have been pouring for my own use. I made the mistake of having an aluminum mold made that I wanted to keep proprietary only to see the bait on another site. Lesson learned!

If I had the right connections I would try and work out a deal with an existing manufacturer to produce what I currently make.

Thanks again, this is a great site!!

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I am one of those guys who recently made the decision to move into the mass production realm. I could not keep up with orders which caused much stress. I am a stock broker by day, so trying to find another 20-30 hrs a week to fill orders became intense. I took the leap and have been developing molds. I have been fortunate in life and had the means to move to the mass production level. Hopefully, this will still allow me to develope, which I really enjoy. The main difference is that once the design is complete, someone else is doing the labor. I get to spend my time selling, marketing, etc..

Good luck to you and please do not get to the point where I was last fall, which was high blood pressure, little sleep, and even less family time.

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I say go for it, our country needs more of this at this time. I have been working on it for about a year and plan on making it a full time job! If you have the motivation and tools, "just do it"!

Your searching in the right place, these guys know what they are talking about and are never at loss for words!

Good Luck!

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Just wondering how many guys have made the jump from hobby to a business. Is it possible to earn a decent income pouring baits? I've been laid off for 10 month's and I am thinking about doing this full time.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

dear jigman,

Im in the pricess of starting a new tackle shop in az im searching for someone to produce plastics for me. if youd like to hear more please contact me at 602 505 4487 thx, jaime.

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This thread reminds me of what I tell all my friends and family who think I should start a website to sell my jointed swimbaits.

I know what's involved, because I have had my own business for thirty+ years, and don't want to go through it again.

Just the business licenses, tax ID and reports, and sales tax hastle would drive me out of business before I got started.

Building a whole new network of contacts, suppliers, retail outlets, advertisers, the list is endless.

I've got a couple of friends who went that route, and what used to be fun for them is work. They are successful, but they also have "real" jobs, and luremaking eats up all their spare time and then some.

Be careful what you wish for....

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