Like any business, a commercial paintball field will require perseverance, patience, and (unfortunately), a pretty 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. Overspending by buying too much equipment early on can put too much pressure on a new business. Conversely, starting a business without enough working capital can also lead to your death.
Starting a paintball field business is not as easy as just setting up a fence, some bunkers, and collecting money at the gate. The location of the course is your first concern. If you don’t already own the land, it’s very rare that a new paintball field will generate enough money to pay a mortgage. Instead of taking out a huge real estate loan, the best thing you can do is start a business with someone who owns land; You may be able to 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 gear as you need it. When starting a business, you’ll want to have a clear goal in mind about how big you plan to get; But don’t let your delusions of grandeur ruin your math skills. Keep a detailed record of all costs from the beginning, starting with the first paintball equipment quote.
Before you start collecting paintball equipment quotes, there are obvious steps you’ll need to take that are the same for starting any business. Setting up your business entity and obtaining a local business license will be necessary steps to start becoming a retailer. Every penny counts when starting a business, so getting dealer prices for your equipment quotes is a must; This is a mandatory first step. The equipment you’ll need to start a new paintball field business can quickly run out, however, start small.
Don’t start building your dream paintball field from scratch; open your business with the bare minimum and build a larger operation with more teams as your client 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 let players bring their own. A ‘bring your own’ pitch is a great way to save money, however it is somewhat impractical.
One of the problems with a BYOPG course is that you’ll get complaints about players getting an unfair advantage with fully decked out paintball guns. Another downside to allowing players to bring their own markers is that you’ll miss out on renting/earning money on an essential piece of equipment: without a paintball gun, you can’t play. However, to save money on your initial equipment investment, bring-your-own policies will allow you to get by with fewer weapons for your first purchase.
Perhaps the largest equipment cost for a start-up paintball field is the air tank refill station. This will require a commercial size air compressor; depending on the size, these can cost between $4,500 and $14,000. You will also need one (if not several) industrial bulk air tanks to store the air that the compressor produces. Finally, you will need a fill station scale and an air tank refill kit to transfer the air from the full size tank to the smaller air tanks on paintball guns.
While your air tank refill station may be one of your most expensive equipment commitments, it’s also a definite regular source of income for every paintball field. Eventually, this investment will pay off: everyone on your field will need air tank refills and will have to pay whatever you ask if they want to keep playing. If there are a lot of paintball players in your area, you can also sell tank refills to anyone with an empty tank, even if they aren’t field customers.
Another essential piece of equipment when starting a paintball field is bunkers for players to hide in during battle. Fortunately, bunkers can be made from just about anything and still be effective. Old cars, tire piles, barrels, and even rock piles work great. 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 in all shapes and sizes for your paintball field. Available shapes include large triangles, rectangles, and cylinders that provide great coverage while you play.
Another method of making money from your field is to rent 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 gear such as chest or groin protectors, helmets, or even tactical vests. After your field is cash flow positive, you can upgrade your equipment rentals with better skins or more expensive weapons (offered at higher rates).
Decide the types of paintball guns to offer for rental based on cost, performance, durability, and support. Choose paintball guns that are lightweight, easy to shoot, and break little. Entry-level models from top 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 piece of equipment is protective gear. To provide the most fun on your course, you must ensure proper safety at all times: All players must wear industry-approved paintball goggles or masks. Choose glasses that are tough and offer the most protection at the most affordable price. Other equipment like CO2 paintball gun or compressed air tanks, remote lines and sheath harnesses can also become a significant part of your budget if you don’t price shop properly.
Another part of your starting inventory of ‘must have’ equipment is paintballs. Make paintballs a “must buy” policy at your establishment: “if you want to play on our course, you must use house paintballs.” Your ability to make money selling paintballs will largely depend on how good of a deal you can get. Unfortunately, paintballs are expensive and you’ll only get the best price deals unless you buy palettes of paintballs (50+ boxes).
This also presents the little dilemma of where you are going to store your paintball stash. Paintballs must be stored in climate-controlled air or they will go bad, warp, and not shoot well. If you plan to store your paintballs in the old barn on your field, you will lose a lot of money, not to mention hurt your business. If the paintballs you’re selling on your course break inside players’ guns or don’t fly straight because they’re messed up, people won’t have the best time in your park and won’t want to come back.
Before you get started, take your time researching this paintball business and even more time shopping for the cheapest gear and the best discount package. Study all aspects of what it takes to be successful in your business before you open. Remember to include room in your 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, field test your course – make sure it’s fun to play on!