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What's a realistic starting budget?

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  • #16
    LOL funny Greg, No this area with the economy has quite a few vacant spaces. The one I keep eying use to be I think a BBB (Bed, Bath and Beyond). It's gotta be least 10,000sqft. There's the shopping center parking lot, an park and ride across the street, as well as a huge distribution center with a very unused LARGE parking lot across the street too. It's also right next to the highway too.

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    • #17
      more nervous I'd f**k up.

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      • #18
        Those are kinda empty because the rent is about $8,000 per month or $15,000 per month even in hard times.
        sigpic

        Another fabulous post from the U.S.Department of Wild Imaginings, now in spectaclar stereo, sponsored by the Adhesives and Sealants Council, suggesting ways to stick things together since the 1800s. Not fabulous in a gay way. Your results may vary. Illinois residents add 8% sales tax. These posts have been made by professional post makers, do not try this type of posting on your own without extensive training, lovely assistants and a trusty clown horn.

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        • #19
          Budget

          The most important thing to consider with budget is if you're using investor money, you want to pay back the initial investment within 3 years. So when you do your demographic study (find a marketing intern at a college, they work for free and know how to quickly get that info) , then plan your haunt budget accordingly. It's very tempting to go for all the fun toys, but it's very possible to start off with a reasonable amount and build on it. Last year was our first year and our budget was around $45,000. We went for actors over animatronics and had a very successful first year. The most important thing is to BE SCARY. If your haunt isn't scary the first year out, you'll have a hard time attracting customers back the following year. I expect to pay back our investor within the 3 year time limit and have plenty left over.
          http://www.hauntedozarks.com

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          • #20
            I started almost 20 years ago doing haunts.....I think our starting budget at the time was maybe $200 out of my pocket....but we worked with what we had. We scanned the free ads for unwanted building supplies, built most of our props by hand...and most of all relied on the dark to fill in the detail. Our first few years were ok and we usually made a few hundred bucks <mind you this was a tiny town>

            As things grew we added on and eventually we decided to move it to the closest big city - When we started doing a haunt in the city we called on all the vacant buildings, informed them of what we wanted to do - we stressed that it would draw people to the property which in turn may help the realtor to fill the space when we left, we also stressed that we would leave the building in the same shape - if not better, than when we start. People have an idea of haunts in their head and seem to think we have to destroy things to make it scary. We would generally get the space for a percentage of the sales, or a flat rate - it helped that we always donated some of our proceeds to charity, we would make the donation in our name as well as the realtors name - they really liked this idea.

            Over the years it grew and grew - Due to one fire marshal we ended up taking a $6000 loss one year.....but most years we would break even, and we were ok with that because we loved haunting and it wasn't about money. We are to the point now where everyone knows about us in the area and have a repeat customer base and are considered one of the best haunts in Northern Michigan by many. Our budget has grown to about $30k a year after paying rent, utilities, storage <we still do not have a permanent location>, etc. We pump that right back into next years show for advertising and new additions.

            So my suggestion for a starting budget is.....A Love of what you are doing!!!! Without that your haunt will not survive, you can always tell which haunts do it for money and which ones are in it for the sheer enjoyment of what they do - and with imagination and some thinking you can make a haunt with any budget at all.

            Good Luck!!!!!!

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            • #21
              For a first time haunt, advertising is key. I don't know how much you might be spending (which will vary on your area and how efficient you are able to handle and hire a team to build the haunt.) I'd recommend using cheap labor including vollunteers and day laborers from Home Depot to keep labor costs down. Instead, I would pack about 40% of your costs on advertising.

              Expect to spend about 100k-150k. It always comes out to be more than expected...because you should have very strict goals to conserve money.

              Nathan Polanco

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