Yup, carrying a lot of stock is a waste of cash seen as there are so many different types of X, Y or Z, I do keep a basic level of stock, all of which could be used by me on my bikes, so no big loss if it goes belly up.
Dunno about Dale working for Massi, I only dealt with the area rep (Steve... suumatorother...)
low overheads is the way to go as it was the overheads that killed the shop I was managing (financial stuff was done my the MD of the parent company)
it was quite an eye opener seeing what some bike parts do cost to the trade, but the same can be said for any sort of business there will always be some parts that give very good profit margins even if you do undercut the local competition cos you can due to low overheads
Sounds like you have an ideal location
greenstiles, I'm stuck in the middle of a town with several bike shops in the area (although you can only really trust 3 of them to do a proper job @ a good price).
Being 'Mobile Bicycle Repairman' I also have to factor in fuel & wear & tear on the car, but as I get 40-50mpg it doesn't knock the profit too much
Good luck with your venture
greenstiles, if mine goes belly up & you need a hand...