I’m [22M] an engineer (1 YOE); working at a startup in Pune, earning 14LPA. I love software development & I’m good at it. Currently focused on learning for future ventures in tech.

My father [60M] owns an electronics store in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan (tier-3 city). We sell & service electronics like TVs, fridges, washing machines, ACs, etc from last 30 years. Once, the store was thriving, but now sales are average and profits are modest. I’m contemplating helping him, as I’m an only child and I want to maintain the store after his time.

Reasons for the sales and profit decline:

My father is ageing and prefers a balanced work-life, thus he doesn’t want to expand. The city now has many chain stores like Reliance Digital, Croma, etc. They offer better prices and services, making competition tough. Our target customers are villagers and less tech-savvy individuals who prefer not to shop at big chain stores.

Earlier my father didn’t want me to join the business, believing that I couldn’t reach my potential in a small city. He always encouraged me to aim high, assuring me that the store was a fallback option.

As I haven’t spent much time in the store, I’m unsure if I can manage and elevate it.

I also feel Staff management is difficult. when servicing products, they instruct customers to contact them directly in the future and sometime steals small repairing parts for their freelance repairing needs. My father is lenient, knowing that employees need extra income and might quit if micromanaged.

I need advice on what to learn and steps to take so that i can manage it from pune.

TL;DR: I considering managing his father’s electronics store, which has seen a decline in sales and profits. The competition with chain stores and issues with staff management present challenges for me as I don’t have experience in the business. I don’t want to close a good business.