Like any business, a commercial paintball field will require perseverance, patience, and (unfortunately) a fairly significant amount of startup capital. However, you can save a lot of money and time with proper planning and an accurate list of the best quality bulk paintball supplies at the cheapest prices. Spending too much to buy too much equipment in the beginning can put too much pressure on a new business. Conversely, starting a business without sufficient working capital can also lead to your death.
Starting a paintball field business isn’t as easy as just putting up a fence, some bunkers, and collecting money at the gate. The location of the field is your first concern. If you do not already own the land, it is very rare that a newly created paintball field will generate enough money to pay a mortgage. Instead of getting a huge real estate loan, the best thing to do is start a business with someone who owns land; You can possibly rent the land or consider offering a percentage of the business to the owner.
If you are starting your own field, there are certain paintball supplies that will be essential. The best advice is to start small and add more equipment as needed. When starting a business, you want to have a clear goal in mind about how big you plan to grow; But don’t let your delusions of grandeur ruin your math skills. Keep a detailed record of all costs up front, starting with the first paintball equipment quote.
Before you start collecting paintball equipment quotes, there are obvious steps you will need to take that are the same for starting any business. Establishing your business entity and obtaining a local business license will be the initial steps required to become a retail distributor. Every penny counts when starting a business, so it is essential to obtain dealer prices for your equipment quotes; this is a mandatory first step. The equipment you will need to start a new paintball field business can quickly become exhaustive, however, start with the bare minimum.
Don’t start building the paintball field of your dreams right away; Open your business with the bare minimum and develop a larger operation with more equipment as your customer list grows. You will need bunkers, paintball guns with hoppers, air tanks, and lots of paintballs. At first, you can save money by buying just a few paintball markers for people who don’t have one, or you can allow players to bring their own. A ‘bring your own’ field is a great way to save money, however it is somewhat impractical.
One of the problems with a BYOPG field is that you will receive complaints about players having an unfair advantage with fully decorated paintball guns. Another downside to allowing players to bring their own markers is that you will miss out on a chance to rent / earn money on an essential piece of equipment – without a paintball gun, you can’t play. However, to save money on your initial investment in equipment, “bring your own” policies will allow you to get by with fewer guns for your first purchase.
Perhaps the biggest equipment cost for a home paintball field is the air tank fill station. This will require a commercial size air compressor; Depending on the size, these can cost anywhere from $ 4500- $ 14000. You will also need one (if not several) bulk industrial air tanks to store the air you produce from the compressor. Finally, you will need a fill station scale and air tank refill kit to transfer the air from the bulk size tank to the smaller paintball gun air tanks.
While your air tank refill station may be one of your most expensive equipment commitments, it is also a definite regular source of income from every paintball field. Over time, this investment will pay off: everyone in your field will need air tank refills and will have to pay whatever you ask if they want to keep playing. If there are many paintball players in your area, you can also sell tank refills to anyone with an empty tank, even if they are not field customers.
Another essential equipment when starting a paintball field are bunkers for players to hide in during battle. Fortunately, bunkers can be made of just about anything and still be effective. Old cars, tire piles, barrels, and even rock piles work very well. In some cases, the land itself can provide natural bunkers with hills, old barns or buildings, trees, or different elevations. You can also buy inflatable bunkers of all shapes and sizes for your paintball field. Available shapes include large triangles, rectangles, and cylinders that provide great coverage while gaming.
Another method of making money from your field is by renting the paintball equipment that your customers use when they play. This equipment will consist of a paintball gun, mask, hopper and air tank. You can also offer various protective equipment such as chest or groin protectors, helmets or even tactical vests. Once your field has positive cash flow, you can upgrade your equipment rental with better masks or more expensive weapons (offered at higher rates).
Decide on the types of paintball guns to rent based on cost, performance, durability, and support. Choose paintball guns that are lightweight, easy to shoot, and hardly breakable. The entry-level models from the major brands (such as Tippmann or Kingman Spyder) are very affordable, durable, and easy to maintain. Make sure the paintball markers you choose have plenty of parts and upgrades available, as well as solid warranties.
Another mandatory equipment is protective equipment. To provide the most fun on your field, you must ensure adequate safety at all times – all players must wear industry approved paintball goggles or masks. Choose glasses that are sturdy and offer the most protection at the cheapest price. Other equipment like CO2 paintball guns or compressed air tanks, remote lines, and capsule harnesses can also become a big part of your budget if you don’t buy the right price.
Another part of your starting inventory of “must-have” gear is paintballs. Make paintballs a “must buy” policy at your establishment: “If you want to play on our field, you must use paintballs from the house.” Your ability to make money selling paintballs will largely depend on how good a deal you can get. Unfortunately, paintballs are expensive and you’ll only get the best price cuts unless you buy paintball pallets (50+ boxes).
This also presents the little dilemma of where you are going to store your paintball stash. Paintballs need to be stored in climate controlled air or they will spoil, warp and not shoot well. If you plan to store your paintballs in the old barn in your field, you will be wasting a lot of money, not to mention damaging your business. If the paintballs you sell at your field break inside players’ weapons or don’t fly straight off because they have been spoiled, people won’t have a great time at your park and won’t want to come back.
Before you jump in right away, take your time researching this paintball business and even more time to shop for the cheapest price and best discount package. Study all the aspects of what it takes to be successful in your business before opening. Remember to budget for an extensive advertising plan to market your new business for multiple seasons. Finally, once you’ve bought your gear and set everything up, test your course and make sure it’s fun to play.