RE: Owning your own shop?
I certainly don't want to discourage any young person from pursuing their dreams, but I will make the following comments that I hope you will at least kick around for a while.
First, and this comes from my local shop owner. He is not a hunter but was very much into target archery and lived and breathed it before opening a shop. Now, after spending 6 days at his shop, the last thing he wants to do with his free time is anything to do with archery.
Here is his quotable quote "If you want to ruin a good hobby, turn it into a business".
Second, while there will always be a few that make "good" money operating a shop, there will be a higher majority that are just getting by, if at all.
While this can be argued about any business, I think it is even more true for a "hobby" related business as there are usually more people trying to make a living doing it (supply) than there is a demand.
My profession is agriculture. I see the same thing all the time with people trying to make a living doing something with horses because that is their passion. I give them the same advice. Find a better way to make a comfortable living so that you can ENJOY your hobby.
I know I am rambling but I see too many people fall in this trap. I am sure you have always heard to find out what you are passionate about and pursue it. This is not necessarily good advice. Certainly, you have to enjoy your job in order to be succesful and satisfied, but that is not the same as being the MOST enjoyable activity you participate in. Find a way to make a good living so that you can enjoy these activities.
Myfour biggest passions are hunting, photography, snow skiing and bicycles. There are people that make their living pursuing these. But I feel confident that I make A LOT more money doing something elsethat I also enjoy than probably 90-95% of the people in hobby related jobs and because of this situation, it allows me to pursue them at a higher level.
Again, don't let me or anyone else discourage you from pursuig your dreams,just make sure you don't go into it blindly.
The advice about working in someone else's shop for a year or longer is IMO, a must even if it means moving in order to accomplish, but again this is just my opinion.