About 40 prospective retailers received a crash course on the dynamics of successfully opening and operating a Christian bookstore from ordering the right product mix to developing an income statement.

Mike Hockett, CBA's training and development manager, led CBA Advance's Prospective Retailer Seminar, a day packed with business advice, including inventory control, store design, merchandising and cash flow.

Hockett, a veteran bookstore owner, said preparation is the key.

"You all need to prepare yourselves," he said, adding that prospective owners must be "spiritually fit and grounded in good business principles."

Hockett also urged the audience to "have your financials down," encouraging them to have three years of capital before opening a business.

Wilma Giles of Suwanee, Ga., said she gained "a lot of knowledge and understanding about the CBA industry" from attending the session. She wants to open a store north of Atlanta but is "still doing demographics."

She has believed for years that God has wanted her to open a Christian business.

"Everything I've tried to do has failed," she said. "I'll just do what God put in me to do."

Tami May and her husband, Mark, traveled from Wichita, Kan., to gather information about opening a Christian bookstore to replace a large independent that had shut down in their area.

"The major independent store has left a hole (for Christian products)," May said.

The reality about the big-box competition and potential competition from large Christian chains was not a deterring factor.

"I think we knew all that," she added.

However, she is concerned about how much they will have to pay for a lease and if they can realistically make a living at it.

The prospective retailers also were invited to stay over to today's Independents Day, which focuses on needs of retailers.