Hue-janus 0 #51 March 28, 2006 goobersnuftda, sounds like you are a club member? If you are sorry, your position is "very" flawed! Do this, Dump your student training and tandem program completely, maintain the same level of service and aminities and operating costs, and see how long you remain in operation with just your upjumpers. Won't be operating long! Because as I said there is "NO" money in upjumpers! Question why spend all the money and time to operate a full on DZ when the only profit you make is from gear and t-shirt sales? Your saying it is necessary to operate the largest sections of your business to break even or a small loss to have a business? If you can not make profit from the main offering of your operation you have a pricing problem, if you make profit from the main objective "than" you can offer sideline aminities at break even or loss to "satisfy" the requests of your patrons, if these sidelines become a problem you can stop this service and not have it effect the operation as a whole But! You must make profit from the main part of the operation. I constantly hear club jumpers talk about how DZ's should charge and operate, Sorry! They don't have a clue! What they do as a club is skirt the issues of responsibility, operating costs and free labor to obtain cheaper jumps, if this is your wish fine! But don't complain about how a litigimate commercial DZ must operate because it doesn't meet your financial wishes. You are playing a totally different game the only simularity is the fact that it entails skydiving. Many business models follow the Mickey'Ds formula of sell a billion at a nickel profit and you will do well, this works if the entire population of the US is your cliant, The population of skydiving and the realistic number of possible students is very small in relation to the US population which makes this approach not feasable, the numbers are just not there. Everyone wants cheap jumps! Thats a given! But you "must" pay for the service you wish to have or the service will no longer be offered. Basic business 101. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reginald 0 #52 March 28, 2006 The majority of US mid-sized DZ’s need students and up-jumpers to function properly. There is money in flying up-jumpers; they have a lower margin but higher quantity of jumps. Students have a higher margin but lower quantity. Both contribute to the financial health of a DZ. Many students, be they tandems or AFF, come in due to up-jumpers “marketing” for the DZ. The excitement of lots of up-jumpers having fun on a weekend encourages students to work toward getting their license instead of doing one tandems or AFF jump. I’ve heard it said that the up-jumpers typically pay for the airplanes and the students the staff and facilities. Personally, I’d say that both groups contribute in different ways to the financial health of a typical DZ. Are there exceptions? Well sure, due to a variety of conditions some DZ have a different model but I’d venture to say the majority of turbine DZ’s need both constituencies to be successful."We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjhdiver 0 #53 March 28, 2006 Quote Thats a given! But you "must" pay for the service you wish to have or the service will no longer be offered. Basic business 101. All this is true, but it misses the point that I'd rather spend a day pushing live lobsters up my rectum than spend a day day jumping at SMB. It was that much fun there. YMMV of course, but it seems from previous posts that the good times just keep on rollin' there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #54 March 28, 2006 QuoteI'd rather spend a day pushing live lobsters up my rectum Good to know Gareth! I bet those fuckers dont take long to cook in there either.... Be safe Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lummy 4 #55 March 28, 2006 Quotepushing live lobsters up my rectum Now that's a sight I didn't want to see I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #56 March 28, 2006 QuoteI'd rather spend a day pushing live lobsters up my rectum It just scares me that he has that as a reference point.50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hookitt 0 #57 March 28, 2006 QuoteQuotepushing live lobsters up my rectum Now that's a sight I didn't want to see Damn... You actually saw that and didn't post video?My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #58 March 28, 2006 QuoteAll this is true, but it misses the point that I'd rather spend a day pushing live lobsters up my rectum Yeah, but that's not a fair comparison. You do that for fun anyway. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lummy 4 #59 March 29, 2006 QuoteDamn... You actually saw that and didn't post video? why would you WANT TO??? EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWI promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
