I totally agree with you. If you run a kite shop you should not do it to make money, you should do it because you enjoy it. You should not rely on selling kites to make a living, they should have an extra job ontop of it.
If this is an opinion on business ethics I think its very short sighted. But if its career advice from dad or a business owner it hits the nail on the head.
Its been 2 decades since I've worked retail. In one situation I worked for a shop that sold sports equipment that I was passionate about. I was furious when I found out what the margins 50%. But the owner told under no certain terms if I wanted to open a shop it should be because I love the sport and not for money, because there are easier ways to make money.
once the actual dealer cost is established and known then the buyer can negotiate a reasonable mark up between 4 and 9 percent...
I can't even imagine how hard it must be to sell enough kites at 9% or 30% just to make rent for a store front. How about somebody to answer the phone and run the cash register? Design the website? Pay for hosting? Credit card fees? Have you ever seen a commercial phone bill? My 800 number costs me $1000 a month. I love it when it rings but I'm not selling just a handful of kites. How about returns and warranty work. And then theres the taxes you've probably never heard of like the FUTA, SUTA, state franchise tax, and ad-valorem tax.
Seriously you think 9% is fair? Would you risk your cash and bust your ass in hopes of a 9% return?
Don't get me wrong, shopping for the best deal for you is fair game, but telling somebody else how to run their business is out of line.