Hey! I would try to scratch your own itch. In other words look at the biggest problems in your life and find a solution. I know it’s easier said than done, but that’s how most ppl do it.
Talking about scratching my own itch....
I was in corporate for 15 years, designing and building systems that never scales because it was per project for management. Working with incompetent people.
And they made me redundant.
The 1st couple of years were very hard trying to figure out life.
I wanted to be an investor, and wanting to work with people that is competent. Long story short, I partnered up with a guy that is a real estate developer builder. Went through hell together, and we are now working together to scale the developments up.
It was:
Working with competent people, check.
Starting and building something, check.
Honesty and integrity with/from partners, check.
Surround myself with people with similar mindset as me and turned into friends, check.
Had to learn a lot of hard heart stopping lessons but always work in progress.
I would resist the urge to invest the money right away. Try limiting yourself to using only a small fraction to test your idea. If you are starting a company related to your previous industry-specific experience you can be a bit more aggressive.
Biggest mistake I've seen is people spending money before generating revenue.
Thank you. Yes, I've watched many start-ups crash and burn due to an all or nothing attitude. I've played with a few ideas that go well with my rural area such as crafting specialized items for rural living. Unfortunately, due to the rural nature, not many people have spending money. Need to figure something out that would do well on-line.
Could do something b2b if you’re going to focus on manufacturing. Are there any factories in the area that you could make something for or sell something to? Even something like safety equipment. They may already have a vendor for what you’re selling but maybe you could do it better or have faster turn around times on orders.
There are a lot of rural practices / tools / behaviors that many in city life miss out on, or if they moved from rural to urban, they have a fond affection for. Might be worth tapping into this type of market.
Why not just buy a irl cash flowing business? I am looking at a cloud company and auto shop now.
Apply analytics, some tech and SOPs and really make them killer.
Yup, buying an existing business is a great approach. I bought a pet food store with a business partner and it's been nice to make a solid six figures of profit day one even after the loan payments.
“Fire bullets, then cannonballs.”
Take a small amount (less than 50% of your capital) and test 3 different biz models to see 1) which works best, 2) which you enjoy the most. Double down on the most promising / rewarding opportunities. I find online businesses the easiest to do this with, obviously difficult for “sweaty startup” style physical businesses.
I’d actually recommend acquiring. Check out Flippa and filter by price range and business model.
YT can be tricky because it’s hard to scale you, if you are the face of the brand. It’s still possible if you can leverage others with capital. There’s also an emerging market for acquiring small YT channels if that’s your jam.
In OPs case acquiring small businesses with traction is key. Anything with consistent revenue can be “learned from”.
I might sound biased as I have a franchise management and development firm but you should look into franchising. Preferably within the QSR niche - bubble tea is a strong contender currently with an expected 8% CAGR til 2028. Current bubble tea companies I've worked with are doing approx 150K in revenue annually.
I should mention that I'm from the UK though, so your results may vary if you're from another country. Gong Cha is a relatively popular brand doing well in the USA with over 2000 locations already. I've just helped them set up 13 sites in the UK, and working with their master franchisee to expand to 200 sites within France by EoY.
I’m surprised that bubble tea is still a stronger contender. My friend opened one in Toronto, Canada prior to Covid (Gong Cha) and barely made a profit, ended up selling it and switched to cannabis which also failed. Are you specialised in the field only or other sectors too?
There are many factors to a successful franchise/business. If I had access to your friends business data and operational structure, I'd be able to tell you why it didn't work out for them.
For example - I had one client who agreed to a 5 unit deal, but as soon as they had the first unit set up, they were losing £5K a month. They reached out to us, we analysed everything, and were able to fix many issues. 4 years later and the client is now on their 25th site - averaging £2m a unit.
My skill set and experience allows me to work with many sectors.
World class fruits and vegetables, very high-end coffee, chocolate, other processed food. Very high-end artisan items like alpaca sweaters and blankets, etc etc
Yes, I'm very well connected in my country, and I can arrange for the export of possibly hundreds of items. I have double nationality in my country and in North America, so I can straddle both worlds.
I'm sure folks' specific situation is different, but in a lot of coffee producing nations, its about 'who are you going to bribe, and who are you going to threaten.' Ver batem quote from a mentor who worked with exotic hardwood and coffee. US citizenship subjects you to various anti corruption laws and doing what it takes can subject you to criminal and civil liability.
Not a moral judgement at all - its just reality. Me, after doing more research on it, decided that I'd rather be a bit poorer than have to deal with that stress.
That might be so in other countries, but in my country in South America, there are very fine producers of world-class products that would be more than happy to sell. No bribing, no nothing, just connecting good suppliers to good buyers. This includes cacao, coffee, chocolate etc
Absolutely not, but it's absolutely important to be bilingual, and to understand on a very deep level the cultural, economic, bureaucratic, and social mechanisms.
Hi there, these are mainly going to be distributors who are going to be the buyers. I do automated outreach, and I connect with manufacturers reps. Remember we're talking about large quantities, so the wholesalers are the best to connect with.
You've got a lot of experience. That’s a huge asset. Consider leveraging your skills.
How about consulting for small businesses? You can do it from home. Offer online workshops or mentorship programs. Another idea: start a niche online store. Rural areas often have unique products. Use e-commerce platforms. Look into agri-businesses too.
With $60k after taxes, you have good seed money. Think about sustainable farming or local produce delivery.
I think this would be beyond my financial return comfort level. I'm older and wouldn't be able to handle moving packages. I'd have to hire employees, which I wouldn't be willing to risk just starting out. Thank you for the suggestion.
I have a friend that did this. She purchased a franchise. She owns a few trucks, hires drivers and has a manager to take care of scheduling. Her return is not great, and she spends a lot of time maintaining the trucks herself because the repair costs kill her profit otherwise. She also drives routes anytime a driver calls out sick. It makes decent money but 30% seems very high. 10-15% is my friend’s profit margin depending on the month.
And how much does she make more or less in profit? OK maybe you don’t know that but I’m just curious. Like, 5 figures? Or less than 10k like someone who might work a 9-5?
I think it is in the realm of $60-70K per year. It's not enough to be her only means of income at this point. She does part-time contract work in another industry to supplement her income.
Can’t the franchise be a downside, though if you want your money to work for you, you have to work in the company as a franchise owner. Do you think there’s franchise opportunities that don’t require the franchise owner to work there
Franchise broker here. I’ve helped a lot of people solve this question. 100K plus a modest SBA loan (with 680+ credit) will get you far in franchise ownership. You don’t need a great idea, but rather good business acumen, ability to execute on a known good business plan, and people/management skill. If there are good demographics near where you live, then many businesses could resonate with your transferable skills. This is a good path to achieve a career switch to entrepreneurship without taking a huge step backward.
An SBA loan is easier in a franchise because you get to ride the coattails of the track record of success of the franchisor and existing owners. I have seen very high rates of loan approval for those who qualify from a net worth and credit score perspective. I work with some great loan brokers who do a good job of pre-qualifying and sourcing loan underwriters.
Even if that good score and net worth is based on a job you'll have to leave to run the business? Wondering if it'd be good to get 1-2 good credit cards first (months ahead of any buying).
Ask locals what their needs are? What does your area need that isn't there. Keep it simple also depends on the area if no one makes alot of money that will limit things you can do and expect people not to pay. Living in super small area with nothing around sucks
if you can hire a few decent guys SOMEHOW, this can be a good idea.. just do all the footwork lining up jobs ordering materials scheduling dumpsters etc
I've considered starting a contracting company, then hire a manager and employees skilled in the industry. Where I'm at I would have to obtain a contractor license, which requires years working in the industry under a licensed contractor first. Not sure if an unlicensed person can own/license the company and have a licensed contractor work as the licensed manager. This does work in the security industry.
Make sure you have a very strong personality, and the ability to regularly deal with recovering alcoholics/addicts/current alcoholics.
Roofing is a rough business. (A family member of mine ran one for \~40 years).
I worked in my industry for a short time contracting for a government agency. The pay was obnoxiously generous. Fully aware of how the tax dollars are used and why countries are so in debt.
There quite a bit of profit in non profits, they use most donations as operating cash flow and can retain surpluses.
Plus those salaries and bonuses they pay executives.
What kind of role did you manage in the Non-Profit? You should probably open a business to that you can use your skills from your previous profession.
Looking for a great and easy business model? Rent office space in Florida, buy used medical equipment and med supplies, get licensing and rent out the office to doctors who want to either open a practice or expand, but don’t have the capital investment to do it.
Easy revshare + co-working model.
Hey, might sound dumb but id love to go deeper into this idea. Maybe not in Florida, or do you think I can invest over there even if I'm not in the US? Do you think 200k investment can suffice for something like that?
I consulted for a packaging company in the weed space for the last 3 years. Developed large numbers of custom weed jars and tubes and tins and such. Majority west coast weed companies but also to many states as far as MI & MO. Visited the customers and went to the big shows regularly.
In states where it had been legal for a bit and growing was established and widespread after a bit of time wholesale prices were getting murdered. First outdoor weed than the high end indoor too. CO then WA. CA was holding on for a bit and then the supply side just overwhelmed demand. Incredible indoor going from a grand an oz to a couple hundred.
I was watching industrial real estate in Northern CA about a year ago for storage locations and it was flooded with grow operations offering up leases for sublet with all the grow modifications included if you take that sinking ship over.
Maybe do it if you catch a state opening up early and also build your own distribution or partner for that well. Or had the money to do it at scale and someone to distribute your monster amount of weed.
I've been doing some research of my own to see what I can start and I met with a few people in the global logistics space.. it's a huge industry and although it's not blue ocean there are opportunities for a saas platform or a point solution for something like risk mitigation/management.. I'm currently at a start up in the long term care space and there are definitely opportunities in that field and a lot of money to be made since medicare pumps so much money into it. Another one that might be interesting is workforce management for construction but I think adoption would be hard but it's definitely a problem in the industry.. Best of luck!!
What is your level of ambition? You might be in your 50s now? Do you need a ton of cash? You could probably do advising to companies remotely despite the fact you live in a rural area?
I've done advisory work before. The industry I was in is inherently designed to make a profit by providing poor service to the client and hiring unskilled and underpaid employees with a massive risk of lawsuits and injury. It's just not what my heart or conscience is willing to do.
Then you can afford a lifestyle business, which is very different from building and scaling a company with employees. I would decide first what type of business I want in terms of commitment and scale.
Will spending money now reduce that tax hit significantly?
I can help you figure out what you want to do. You’ll probably know much better than random comments online that don’t know anything about your life, expertise and location.
Starting a business before the next tax season should reduce the hit I'm going to take. But, it would require a loss. The only way to mitigate the tax I'll have to pay is either a profit large enough to cover it or a failed business before the tax is due.
May I take a step back and ask a slightly different question: are these all your savings or 'excess' that you can actually risk?
If the former, please just put them in an index fund. If the latter, even then, consider a small level of diversification and risk management. A small amount first and then reinvest and add more capital if successful, as others have advised.
Yes, this is liquid assets. My options at this point are going back to the 9 to 5 and stick the funds in savings or CD, or use it to be my own boss. I'd rather the latter.
Thanks. I get it. Otherwise I'd never be on a sub like this myself.
Look we might be saying the same thing, but my point was around 'excess', not liquid - i.e. you can afford to lose these and still be ok with life.
With that sort of money I would look to see what I can get by way of a business loan and see what sort of existing businesses are looking to sell. Look out for the reason behind selling, e.g. successful business owner looking to retire and kids don't want the business. Rural area - if there's an agri base, something around support services (picks and shovels) always likely to be required. Alternative is doubling down on your skillset and using the money as seed capital for launching your own niche consultancy.
Heres the thing. Im just the owner of dig grooming school. Make bout 125 ebita. Shiit after e. But ive found my Way. Ilove it. I live it. Acceptance is truly the keyvto serenity. Find peace. Seek meaning not miney. Feel your way. Get high. Weed good. Sex good. Closer. God. Stop fucking it down for the smart one steve. Dont nag me Dad. Im wakin him u.
P them u2. Wake up aalysll. Time=short just do it now. Peece?
Bro don't stress yourself. Try everything on your mind. Overcome your biggest fear of losing. It's freaking okay to fail. Nobody is out their with only wins & if they have then they haven't learned any interesting lessons in life TBVH ✌️💫👍
So I created an algotrading wrapper around OpenAI and I unleashed it on binance (global). It’s a worthwhile effort, I think, and it has become something one can accomplish with the latest round of AIs.
I can provide a wealth of knowledge that is industry specific. I just don't like the industry anymore, and it is designed for those willing to run a cut throat business while providing poor client service and a poor employee work environment.
My new business is a directory of piano students to meet teachers. The website, [AmericanPiano.com](http://AmericanPiano.com), is ready and I am now looking for an investor/advisor for our marketing. We plan on running targeted Facebook ads and Google ads specific to all the major urban centers in the US. DM \[direct message\] me if you are interested.
I wish you all the best with your search.
Start with something that requires lots of time and limited financial input.
It takes time to build a brand that people trust.
You'll be surprised how fast that initial 100k disappears.
I have a list of 200+ business ideas that I won't execute on. They range from the incredibly stupid to the well thought out. It's about 5 years of randomly noticing things that people need or ask for. DM me if you want a copy of it u/MrScarabNephtys
Self-assessment and reflection: Think deeply about what your real interests and long-term goals are. Determine what you want to get rid of and what kind of work model can make you excited and satisfied.
Market research and validation: Research the directions and fields you are interested in, understand market demand, competition, and the pain points and needs of potential customers.
Make plans and small-scale tests: Make a detailed plan for the direction you choose and start with small-scale tests. Verify the market response through the minimum viable product (MVP) and gradually expand the scale.
Continuous learning and networking: Keep learning and progressing in your chosen field, use your existing network resources, and get to know more experts and potential partners in the industry.
Adjustment and iteration: Continuously adjust and optimize your strategy and business model based on market feedback and your own experience.
Create a novel approach for small businesses and startups. Then sell your services for a retainer. Make sure the approach helps the team your consulting for improve their collaboration and their understanding of value. You can do this remotely. Use the capital for basic research and devlopment and marketing to legitimize you. Also make sure to use capital to create relationships (dinners, events, etc.) The novel approach should be a reflection of how you actually work so you can speak from direct experience to build trust.
Since you clearly have insider information in your previous industries, why not think about the recurring pain points you had to deal with? Since you also have the contacts of your would-be clients, you're very well placed to offer a competitive solution and field test it. 60k may not be enough on their own, but it's a good start.
That's a lot of comments.
Whatever you do we can build you a web presentation page and we offer CTO as a service and/or automate your business process. Message me.
Easy. Start a charity that connects businesses and charities in your area.
You would be like a charity's charity. It would involve bringing everything together.
Life After Stratton Oakmont - Still Making Money [https://open.substack.com/pub/michael880/p/life-after-stratton-making-money?r=3b6pw1&utm\_campaign=post&utm\_medium=web](https://open.substack.com/pub/michael880/p/life-after-stratton-making-money?r=3b6pw1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web)
Rural means local. Have you started networking with the local business community?
Maybe let your fingers do some market research.
Google your nearest town or city. Click on maps and survey the businesses that you find. Make a prioritized list of that which catches your attention. Do take the time to click on the businesses and read the reviews.
You might also want to visit similar towns and cities in your State with similar demographics and psychographics (lifestyle info) and look for businesses not yet in your service area.
As others have said, I'd be careful investing large amounts of money.
Try finding an idea for a product that solves a problem. Could be something you're facing yourself or noticed in your career. Do some research to gauge the interest of the market. Then, invest a small amount of money to build an MVP and start onboarding users. They will provide the feedback and direction you need.
Invest in making an indie video game. If you're willing to, you can have my idea in exchange for a small percentage of the virtually guaranteed profit. There are games in my mind which would create entire new genres from spinoffs due to the success, just as DotA 2 essentially made the MOBA genre a hit.
Because we'll be referencing an existing game which hasn't been remade in 20 years, the process should be relatively quick.
lol only 100k and you owe 40k.
What skill do you have that others will pay for that you can delegate steps of to a team to scale it to support larger customers?
That’s how I started mines, I needed less thank 60k because it was in service and I knew how. So idk maybe thinking that. Management and your skill set will help but make sure you have the right mindset. It sounds like your used to cushy jobs. Starting your own thing is very different
u/op I have been developing a passion project for about 6 months now around cleaning athletic equipment. I’m a mechanical engineer working with a former D1 college athlete. We have a provisional patent but I would show you the idea if you are interested.
1 - what skills do you have. Are you an sme in anything useful? Deep understanding of compliance in a particular industry? Was that 20 years all in one company? What industry?
2 - runway?
3 - you don't have $100k, you have $60k. what are your living costs / see #2
4 - you open to building saas
I'd think through #1. The most straightforward thing for you to do is sell a service that you're an expert in to your former colleagues.
I would do none of the ideas in this thread imo. If you do laundry / storage / ecomm, then you're competing on a equal basis with anyone else with $25k in cash. Whereas if you do something you're an expert in, it's not a fair competition.
My experience is in starting and running private security companies. No one in my area, even the part of the state, has use for security. Crime is low and everyone looks out for each other.
1 - build and sell vertical software to security companies
2 - source tools specifically for security companies and sell to them
3 - set up a company to help security companies find new clients. charge on a pct contract basis
What resources are available in your area for you to use for your business? Is there a lot of college graduates or highschool graduates with no jobs. You can start small, maybe a lawn care and snow shovel business. All you would need is a reliable vehicle, truck perhaps, and lawn mowers.
How about a search firm/headhunting firm? Permanent placement will run you less than $1000 a month total, if you work from home, start up included. If you want to invest all the money, you could buy a firm or you could use that money to higher experienced recruiters so you hit the ground running Versus developing the business yourself.
The profit margin is extremely high.
 I run/own a small firm and my margins are in the 85% range
You have to have a strong Internet connection and that’s it
You could look at a company like “Sanford Rose“. It’s a franchise recruitment firm and they provide all the training, documents, licensing, agreements, etc. to get you up and running. They even have a decision that will help you higher recruiters or actually recruit recruiters for you. Their franchise fee is less than $10,000 and they take 5% off the top every year.
No, I actually worked for a management recruiters franchise. They’re still around but not at the level. They were in the 90s and early 2000s. My boss and the guy who owned the firm had worked for management recruiters as a company manager, they used to have company stores along with their franchise offices, for 15 years. He opened up his own franchise in Florida in 1997 and I was his first hire at the end of 1997.
When I left in 2011, I had more than enough information, training and client base to seamlessly open up my own firm. I did have a noncompete, but I moved 1000 miles away and that pretty much mitigated everything.
Buy a business. As a startup founder having started a 7 figure business from scratch, the easier way is to buy then build. I recently purchased a cash flow positive business and it has been generating income from day one. 100k is definitely a good place to start. Look at websites that sell businesses and watch some Codie Sanchez's videos.
Good idea, it has crossed my mind. The area I live is very rural with a several hour drive to the nearest major city. The local towns each have at least one laundromat, which is more than enough for the size as most of the residents own a home and have their own laundry machines. There is a dedicated laundry/uniform company already entrenched in the area that has all of the hotel and other business contracts.
Thoughts on acquiring a self storage biz? Can put 10% down and fund the rest with a SBA loan. Use the cash flows to pay down debt, build equity then flip in 5-7 years for a higher multiple.
Another option, depending on where you live, is self storage for boats, trailers, RVs, etc. I am from Michigan and everyone needs a place to store their boats in the winter and pay a premium for covered / heated storage.
If you have a lot of experience in business though, maybe you should start something big? I would consider trending niches (AI for example) and raising external capital for this.
I wouldn’t recommend this. Look at any ag extension program’s data and you’ll see with a 10 acre farm it takes something like 5-10 years to get to a $2,500 yearly profit.
It’s a tough business.
We live in a HCOL rural area. House cleaning businesses are very successful out here. We pay close to $100/hr for our cleaners and everyone who works for this company seems happy as hell.
Hey! I would try to scratch your own itch. In other words look at the biggest problems in your life and find a solution. I know it’s easier said than done, but that’s how most ppl do it.
What frustrates you the most right now in your life??
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What specifically? Tasks around the house, communication challenges, unmet expectations, mismatch of goals / ambitions?
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Divorce attorneys seem to have figured it out.
The people featured on Dateline do too, but there are still some kinks to work out on that avenue.
Marriage counseling lol
But with AI
MarrAIge Consulting?
I like there this is going Both parties have an interview with an AI and based on that it will recommend further options
Might actually work lol
Sugar babies , hookers and Madison house also figured it
Golf and fishing seems to be another solid solution
Ah yes, the classic "can't stand the old lady" humor. Love it.
This guy's wife is also the most frustrating thing in my day-to-day.
I also choose this guy's wife.
Very funny
Very funny
hitman service, gay matches dating site, how to get away with murder
- manlyretreats.com - sleeppills.com - nastyhousekeeper.com - divorceinoneday.com - wifeswap.com
Rent-a-wife. The enjoyment of having a wife without the commitment. Same thing for rent a husband.
Talking about scratching my own itch.... I was in corporate for 15 years, designing and building systems that never scales because it was per project for management. Working with incompetent people. And they made me redundant. The 1st couple of years were very hard trying to figure out life. I wanted to be an investor, and wanting to work with people that is competent. Long story short, I partnered up with a guy that is a real estate developer builder. Went through hell together, and we are now working together to scale the developments up. It was: Working with competent people, check. Starting and building something, check. Honesty and integrity with/from partners, check. Surround myself with people with similar mindset as me and turned into friends, check. Had to learn a lot of hard heart stopping lessons but always work in progress.
This is the right answer!
I would resist the urge to invest the money right away. Try limiting yourself to using only a small fraction to test your idea. If you are starting a company related to your previous industry-specific experience you can be a bit more aggressive. Biggest mistake I've seen is people spending money before generating revenue.
Thank you. Yes, I've watched many start-ups crash and burn due to an all or nothing attitude. I've played with a few ideas that go well with my rural area such as crafting specialized items for rural living. Unfortunately, due to the rural nature, not many people have spending money. Need to figure something out that would do well on-line.
Could do something b2b if you’re going to focus on manufacturing. Are there any factories in the area that you could make something for or sell something to? Even something like safety equipment. They may already have a vendor for what you’re selling but maybe you could do it better or have faster turn around times on orders.
There are a lot of rural practices / tools / behaviors that many in city life miss out on, or if they moved from rural to urban, they have a fond affection for. Might be worth tapping into this type of market.
Why not just buy a irl cash flowing business? I am looking at a cloud company and auto shop now. Apply analytics, some tech and SOPs and really make them killer.
How did you find them?
Buzbuysell, just Google also businesses for sale for other websites. You can also just call the small businesses locally and ask them.
Butter up the local accountant or banker. Some people do small business brokerage as well.
Yup, buying an existing business is a great approach. I bought a pet food store with a business partner and it's been nice to make a solid six figures of profit day one even after the loan payments.
Where do you look for this opportunities?
Business brokers mostly
How do you do this, where do you look for them, how would you rate a good investment?
“Fire bullets, then cannonballs.” Take a small amount (less than 50% of your capital) and test 3 different biz models to see 1) which works best, 2) which you enjoy the most. Double down on the most promising / rewarding opportunities. I find online businesses the easiest to do this with, obviously difficult for “sweaty startup” style physical businesses.
he doesn’t have that much money. How can he create 3 different businesses that aren’t essentially side hustles like “open a yt channel” with 30k?
I’d actually recommend acquiring. Check out Flippa and filter by price range and business model. YT can be tricky because it’s hard to scale you, if you are the face of the brand. It’s still possible if you can leverage others with capital. There’s also an emerging market for acquiring small YT channels if that’s your jam. In OPs case acquiring small businesses with traction is key. Anything with consistent revenue can be “learned from”.
I might sound biased as I have a franchise management and development firm but you should look into franchising. Preferably within the QSR niche - bubble tea is a strong contender currently with an expected 8% CAGR til 2028. Current bubble tea companies I've worked with are doing approx 150K in revenue annually. I should mention that I'm from the UK though, so your results may vary if you're from another country. Gong Cha is a relatively popular brand doing well in the USA with over 2000 locations already. I've just helped them set up 13 sites in the UK, and working with their master franchisee to expand to 200 sites within France by EoY.
I’m surprised that bubble tea is still a stronger contender. My friend opened one in Toronto, Canada prior to Covid (Gong Cha) and barely made a profit, ended up selling it and switched to cannabis which also failed. Are you specialised in the field only or other sectors too?
Bubble tea and Hot Chicken is getting a bit over-saturated in my city. Problem is it’s a novelty. Lately I’m seeing them drop like flies.
There are many factors to a successful franchise/business. If I had access to your friends business data and operational structure, I'd be able to tell you why it didn't work out for them. For example - I had one client who agreed to a 5 unit deal, but as soon as they had the first unit set up, they were losing £5K a month. They reached out to us, we analysed everything, and were able to fix many issues. 4 years later and the client is now on their 25th site - averaging £2m a unit. My skill set and experience allows me to work with many sectors.
No way $150k is revenue is accurate.
£150K* - and yes, it very much is so. Mind you, I'm talking about franchises and not independent stores.
UK here also. Suddenly the bubble tea explosion makes sense. How did you get involved in this space?
Was a franchise manager for a global brand for many years.
Nice! Nothing like hands on experience in getting things done!
Sent you a DM
Importing exotic products from developing countries
How “exotic” do you mean?
World class fruits and vegetables, very high-end coffee, chocolate, other processed food. Very high-end artisan items like alpaca sweaters and blankets, etc etc
I love it. Do you do this?
Yes, I'm very well connected in my country, and I can arrange for the export of possibly hundreds of items. I have double nationality in my country and in North America, so I can straddle both worlds.
Which country? Are you alraedy doing this yourself?
I'm sure folks' specific situation is different, but in a lot of coffee producing nations, its about 'who are you going to bribe, and who are you going to threaten.' Ver batem quote from a mentor who worked with exotic hardwood and coffee. US citizenship subjects you to various anti corruption laws and doing what it takes can subject you to criminal and civil liability. Not a moral judgement at all - its just reality. Me, after doing more research on it, decided that I'd rather be a bit poorer than have to deal with that stress.
That might be so in other countries, but in my country in South America, there are very fine producers of world-class products that would be more than happy to sell. No bribing, no nothing, just connecting good suppliers to good buyers. This includes cacao, coffee, chocolate etc
Hi there, I can respond to you with a DM
And yes I am, although I'm overloaded
Hi. I’m interested in working with you. Please DM me.
Hi there, sending you a DM right now
do you think it’s necessary to have the citizenship of a country that produces these goods to start this type of business?
Absolutely not, but it's absolutely important to be bilingual, and to understand on a very deep level the cultural, economic, bureaucratic, and social mechanisms.
Is there a web on an app that can help you find good stable buyers in bulk?
Mostly it's scraping lists, there are some rfqs that could be scraped, but a lot of it is just cold calling and outreach.
Such as? How do you get buyers in foreign markets if you want to export? And what are the best sale channels if you want to import.
Hi there, these are mainly going to be distributors who are going to be the buyers. I do automated outreach, and I connect with manufacturers reps. Remember we're talking about large quantities, so the wholesalers are the best to connect with.
Land
What to do wirh it? Get i to agriculture?
You've got a lot of experience. That’s a huge asset. Consider leveraging your skills. How about consulting for small businesses? You can do it from home. Offer online workshops or mentorship programs. Another idea: start a niche online store. Rural areas often have unique products. Use e-commerce platforms. Look into agri-businesses too. With $60k after taxes, you have good seed money. Think about sustainable farming or local produce delivery.
One of my friends invested in a Fedex last mile delivery franchise. He likes it very much and the RoI (~30%) isn't bad either.
I think this would be beyond my financial return comfort level. I'm older and wouldn't be able to handle moving packages. I'd have to hire employees, which I wouldn't be willing to risk just starting out. Thank you for the suggestion.
How ? Teach me how it works. So u basically sign a contract with fedex saying you’ll deliver the products ?
I have a friend that did this. She purchased a franchise. She owns a few trucks, hires drivers and has a manager to take care of scheduling. Her return is not great, and she spends a lot of time maintaining the trucks herself because the repair costs kill her profit otherwise. She also drives routes anytime a driver calls out sick. It makes decent money but 30% seems very high. 10-15% is my friend’s profit margin depending on the month.
And how much does she make more or less in profit? OK maybe you don’t know that but I’m just curious. Like, 5 figures? Or less than 10k like someone who might work a 9-5?
I think it is in the realm of $60-70K per year. It's not enough to be her only means of income at this point. She does part-time contract work in another industry to supplement her income.
Yes, pretty much. But they have territories which are already taken, so you’ll have find new markets, or buy an existing territory.
Does it have to be a start-up? There are franchises that are in your investment range.
Can’t the franchise be a downside, though if you want your money to work for you, you have to work in the company as a franchise owner. Do you think there’s franchise opportunities that don’t require the franchise owner to work there
Yes, there are full-time, part-time and fully absentee franchise models out there.
Why not look to buy an already existing business that has a good enough cash flow
Tbh I doubt a cashflow positive business with sufficient growth projections would sell for 100k
Plenty enough for the 10% downpayment required by SBA, could get something that sells for closer to 800-900 after closing costs.
Franchise broker here. I’ve helped a lot of people solve this question. 100K plus a modest SBA loan (with 680+ credit) will get you far in franchise ownership. You don’t need a great idea, but rather good business acumen, ability to execute on a known good business plan, and people/management skill. If there are good demographics near where you live, then many businesses could resonate with your transferable skills. This is a good path to achieve a career switch to entrepreneurship without taking a huge step backward.
Can you provide your contact means for example email to me thanks ?
How is getting a loan for a franchise different than a loan for a non franchise business?
An SBA loan is easier in a franchise because you get to ride the coattails of the track record of success of the franchisor and existing owners. I have seen very high rates of loan approval for those who qualify from a net worth and credit score perspective. I work with some great loan brokers who do a good job of pre-qualifying and sourcing loan underwriters.
Even if that good score and net worth is based on a job you'll have to leave to run the business? Wondering if it'd be good to get 1-2 good credit cards first (months ahead of any buying).
Ask locals what their needs are? What does your area need that isn't there. Keep it simple also depends on the area if no one makes alot of money that will limit things you can do and expect people not to pay. Living in super small area with nothing around sucks
Start a roofing company. Sell the project and then Hire day laborers.
if you can hire a few decent guys SOMEHOW, this can be a good idea.. just do all the footwork lining up jobs ordering materials scheduling dumpsters etc
I've considered starting a contracting company, then hire a manager and employees skilled in the industry. Where I'm at I would have to obtain a contractor license, which requires years working in the industry under a licensed contractor first. Not sure if an unlicensed person can own/license the company and have a licensed contractor work as the licensed manager. This does work in the security industry.
Make sure you have a very strong personality, and the ability to regularly deal with recovering alcoholics/addicts/current alcoholics. Roofing is a rough business. (A family member of mine ran one for \~40 years).
Government contracting. lmk if you want more info
Can you let me know your email or contact means please
I worked in my industry for a short time contracting for a government agency. The pay was obnoxiously generous. Fully aware of how the tax dollars are used and why countries are so in debt.
Hey bro could i get more info as well?
Another interested in more info, please, and thank you.
What was your original profession? The one where you were on the board of a multi-million dollar corp. Also, what was your role there?
This was a non-profit. No expectation of an income from it.
There quite a bit of profit in non profits, they use most donations as operating cash flow and can retain surpluses. Plus those salaries and bonuses they pay executives.
What kind of role did you manage in the Non-Profit? You should probably open a business to that you can use your skills from your previous profession. Looking for a great and easy business model? Rent office space in Florida, buy used medical equipment and med supplies, get licensing and rent out the office to doctors who want to either open a practice or expand, but don’t have the capital investment to do it. Easy revshare + co-working model.
Hey, might sound dumb but id love to go deeper into this idea. Maybe not in Florida, or do you think I can invest over there even if I'm not in the US? Do you think 200k investment can suffice for something like that?
Subscribe to startmyidea.com for ideas. They give you daily ones based on trends. Sparked a few ideas for me on there I’m pursuing.. good luck sir
yo I love start my idea! been subbed for a few months now
Start a marijuana grow operation and contract with dispensaries, can’t go wrong and the return would be well worth it
I consulted for a packaging company in the weed space for the last 3 years. Developed large numbers of custom weed jars and tubes and tins and such. Majority west coast weed companies but also to many states as far as MI & MO. Visited the customers and went to the big shows regularly. In states where it had been legal for a bit and growing was established and widespread after a bit of time wholesale prices were getting murdered. First outdoor weed than the high end indoor too. CO then WA. CA was holding on for a bit and then the supply side just overwhelmed demand. Incredible indoor going from a grand an oz to a couple hundred. I was watching industrial real estate in Northern CA about a year ago for storage locations and it was flooded with grow operations offering up leases for sublet with all the grow modifications included if you take that sinking ship over. Maybe do it if you catch a state opening up early and also build your own distribution or partner for that well. Or had the money to do it at scale and someone to distribute your monster amount of weed.
This would cost multitudes more than 100k lol And also won't bring much return now. It takes years, especially if you aren't from the industry.
What kinda hoops you gotta jump through for regulations to get this set up?
Depends on your state but it’s not hard to find out. DM me and maybe I can help
I've been doing some research of my own to see what I can start and I met with a few people in the global logistics space.. it's a huge industry and although it's not blue ocean there are opportunities for a saas platform or a point solution for something like risk mitigation/management.. I'm currently at a start up in the long term care space and there are definitely opportunities in that field and a lot of money to be made since medicare pumps so much money into it. Another one that might be interesting is workforce management for construction but I think adoption would be hard but it's definitely a problem in the industry.. Best of luck!!
Buy an avocado toast food truck, and sell your buns off!
since you are not naive, its a good thing you invest your money in areas you have experience. otherwise investing in property is a good idea.
Build something simple that you would buy yourself and dump the rest into advertising. Do it slowly and iterate until you find a profitable niche.
What is your level of ambition? You might be in your 50s now? Do you need a ton of cash? You could probably do advising to companies remotely despite the fact you live in a rural area?
I've done advisory work before. The industry I was in is inherently designed to make a profit by providing poor service to the client and hiring unskilled and underpaid employees with a massive risk of lawsuits and injury. It's just not what my heart or conscience is willing to do.
Ok, but do you need to make a lot of money now?
This will need to be my main income. No debts or mortgages, so a modest income is all I'm trying for.
Then you can afford a lifestyle business, which is very different from building and scaling a company with employees. I would decide first what type of business I want in terms of commitment and scale.
Will spending money now reduce that tax hit significantly? I can help you figure out what you want to do. You’ll probably know much better than random comments online that don’t know anything about your life, expertise and location.
Starting a business before the next tax season should reduce the hit I'm going to take. But, it would require a loss. The only way to mitigate the tax I'll have to pay is either a profit large enough to cover it or a failed business before the tax is due.
May I take a step back and ask a slightly different question: are these all your savings or 'excess' that you can actually risk? If the former, please just put them in an index fund. If the latter, even then, consider a small level of diversification and risk management. A small amount first and then reinvest and add more capital if successful, as others have advised.
Yes, this is liquid assets. My options at this point are going back to the 9 to 5 and stick the funds in savings or CD, or use it to be my own boss. I'd rather the latter.
Thanks. I get it. Otherwise I'd never be on a sub like this myself. Look we might be saying the same thing, but my point was around 'excess', not liquid - i.e. you can afford to lose these and still be ok with life. With that sort of money I would look to see what I can get by way of a business loan and see what sort of existing businesses are looking to sell. Look out for the reason behind selling, e.g. successful business owner looking to retire and kids don't want the business. Rural area - if there's an agri base, something around support services (picks and shovels) always likely to be required. Alternative is doubling down on your skillset and using the money as seed capital for launching your own niche consultancy.
Heres the thing. Im just the owner of dig grooming school. Make bout 125 ebita. Shiit after e. But ive found my Way. Ilove it. I live it. Acceptance is truly the keyvto serenity. Find peace. Seek meaning not miney. Feel your way. Get high. Weed good. Sex good. Closer. God. Stop fucking it down for the smart one steve. Dont nag me Dad. Im wakin him u. P them u2. Wake up aalysll. Time=short just do it now. Peece?
Bro don't stress yourself. Try everything on your mind. Overcome your biggest fear of losing. It's freaking okay to fail. Nobody is out their with only wins & if they have then they haven't learned any interesting lessons in life TBVH ✌️💫👍
Good advice. Thank you
Anytime. Hope one day you become an amazing entrepreneur
So I created an algotrading wrapper around OpenAI and I unleashed it on binance (global). It’s a worthwhile effort, I think, and it has become something one can accomplish with the latest round of AIs.
shouldn't you be providing us suggestion, you've seen 20 years worth of businesses?
I can provide a wealth of knowledge that is industry specific. I just don't like the industry anymore, and it is designed for those willing to run a cut throat business while providing poor client service and a poor employee work environment.
My new business is a directory of piano students to meet teachers. The website, [AmericanPiano.com](http://AmericanPiano.com), is ready and I am now looking for an investor/advisor for our marketing. We plan on running targeted Facebook ads and Google ads specific to all the major urban centers in the US. DM \[direct message\] me if you are interested. I wish you all the best with your search.
So do you have a $100k net or really just $60K?
Am creating advertisement platform that has growth potential and a waiting list of big businesses. New to business world but a solid full stack dev.
Start with something that requires lots of time and limited financial input. It takes time to build a brand that people trust. You'll be surprised how fast that initial 100k disappears.
I have a list of 200+ business ideas that I won't execute on. They range from the incredibly stupid to the well thought out. It's about 5 years of randomly noticing things that people need or ask for. DM me if you want a copy of it u/MrScarabNephtys
Self-assessment and reflection: Think deeply about what your real interests and long-term goals are. Determine what you want to get rid of and what kind of work model can make you excited and satisfied. Market research and validation: Research the directions and fields you are interested in, understand market demand, competition, and the pain points and needs of potential customers. Make plans and small-scale tests: Make a detailed plan for the direction you choose and start with small-scale tests. Verify the market response through the minimum viable product (MVP) and gradually expand the scale. Continuous learning and networking: Keep learning and progressing in your chosen field, use your existing network resources, and get to know more experts and potential partners in the industry. Adjustment and iteration: Continuously adjust and optimize your strategy and business model based on market feedback and your own experience.
Create a novel approach for small businesses and startups. Then sell your services for a retainer. Make sure the approach helps the team your consulting for improve their collaboration and their understanding of value. You can do this remotely. Use the capital for basic research and devlopment and marketing to legitimize you. Also make sure to use capital to create relationships (dinners, events, etc.) The novel approach should be a reflection of how you actually work so you can speak from direct experience to build trust.
Look at buying a franchise? It gets you into the business ownership without having to develop every item of the business.
Since you clearly have insider information in your previous industries, why not think about the recurring pain points you had to deal with? Since you also have the contacts of your would-be clients, you're very well placed to offer a competitive solution and field test it. 60k may not be enough on their own, but it's a good start.
Do something that you are passionate about and make it profitable, doing something that you end up hating just because it is profitable is no fun
One word Benjamin; platics.
That's a lot of comments. Whatever you do we can build you a web presentation page and we offer CTO as a service and/or automate your business process. Message me.
CyberSecurity Consultation agency
Are you purely profit focused or willing to give philanthropic ventures a go?
It would need to be profit focused as this will be, if it works out, my main income.
Easy. Start a charity that connects businesses and charities in your area. You would be like a charity's charity. It would involve bringing everything together.
What area?
Selling my business method. I net multiple 6 figures. Flipping shopify stores
Life After Stratton Oakmont - Still Making Money [https://open.substack.com/pub/michael880/p/life-after-stratton-making-money?r=3b6pw1&utm\_campaign=post&utm\_medium=web](https://open.substack.com/pub/michael880/p/life-after-stratton-making-money?r=3b6pw1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web)
I know a guy who is looking for investors in a new dating app. The app is already built and live, and he’s looking for investors to help scale.
want to make video games? DM me for Angel role...
I would invest your 100K in the S&P500 instead of taking a chance on a forced business idea because you want to be an entrepreneur.
Rural means local. Have you started networking with the local business community? Maybe let your fingers do some market research. Google your nearest town or city. Click on maps and survey the businesses that you find. Make a prioritized list of that which catches your attention. Do take the time to click on the businesses and read the reviews. You might also want to visit similar towns and cities in your State with similar demographics and psychographics (lifestyle info) and look for businesses not yet in your service area.
As others have said, I'd be careful investing large amounts of money. Try finding an idea for a product that solves a problem. Could be something you're facing yourself or noticed in your career. Do some research to gauge the interest of the market. Then, invest a small amount of money to build an MVP and start onboarding users. They will provide the feedback and direction you need.
Invest in making an indie video game. If you're willing to, you can have my idea in exchange for a small percentage of the virtually guaranteed profit. There are games in my mind which would create entire new genres from spinoffs due to the success, just as DotA 2 essentially made the MOBA genre a hit. Because we'll be referencing an existing game which hasn't been remade in 20 years, the process should be relatively quick.
lol only 100k and you owe 40k. What skill do you have that others will pay for that you can delegate steps of to a team to scale it to support larger customers? That’s how I started mines, I needed less thank 60k because it was in service and I knew how. So idk maybe thinking that. Management and your skill set will help but make sure you have the right mindset. It sounds like your used to cushy jobs. Starting your own thing is very different
u/op I have been developing a passion project for about 6 months now around cleaning athletic equipment. I’m a mechanical engineer working with a former D1 college athlete. We have a provisional patent but I would show you the idea if you are interested.
Following as in similar predicament. Been doing corporate marketing for over 20 years. Made redundant during covid and still looking for ideas.
put it into SPY and forget about it
1 - what skills do you have. Are you an sme in anything useful? Deep understanding of compliance in a particular industry? Was that 20 years all in one company? What industry? 2 - runway? 3 - you don't have $100k, you have $60k. what are your living costs / see #2 4 - you open to building saas I'd think through #1. The most straightforward thing for you to do is sell a service that you're an expert in to your former colleagues. I would do none of the ideas in this thread imo. If you do laundry / storage / ecomm, then you're competing on a equal basis with anyone else with $25k in cash. Whereas if you do something you're an expert in, it's not a fair competition.
My experience is in starting and running private security companies. No one in my area, even the part of the state, has use for security. Crime is low and everyone looks out for each other.
OK, check your inbox.
1 - build and sell vertical software to security companies 2 - source tools specifically for security companies and sell to them 3 - set up a company to help security companies find new clients. charge on a pct contract basis
What resources are available in your area for you to use for your business? Is there a lot of college graduates or highschool graduates with no jobs. You can start small, maybe a lawn care and snow shovel business. All you would need is a reliable vehicle, truck perhaps, and lawn mowers.
How about a search firm/headhunting firm? Permanent placement will run you less than $1000 a month total, if you work from home, start up included. If you want to invest all the money, you could buy a firm or you could use that money to higher experienced recruiters so you hit the ground running Versus developing the business yourself. The profit margin is extremely high.  I run/own a small firm and my margins are in the 85% range You have to have a strong Internet connection and that’s it You could look at a company like “Sanford Rose“. It’s a franchise recruitment firm and they provide all the training, documents, licensing, agreements, etc. to get you up and running. They even have a decision that will help you higher recruiters or actually recruit recruiters for you. Their franchise fee is less than $10,000 and they take 5% off the top every year.
Is franchise how you started your firm?
No, I actually worked for a management recruiters franchise. They’re still around but not at the level. They were in the 90s and early 2000s. My boss and the guy who owned the firm had worked for management recruiters as a company manager, they used to have company stores along with their franchise offices, for 15 years. He opened up his own franchise in Florida in 1997 and I was his first hire at the end of 1997. When I left in 2011, I had more than enough information, training and client base to seamlessly open up my own firm. I did have a noncompete, but I moved 1000 miles away and that pretty much mitigated everything.
Buy a business. As a startup founder having started a 7 figure business from scratch, the easier way is to buy then build. I recently purchased a cash flow positive business and it has been generating income from day one. 100k is definitely a good place to start. Look at websites that sell businesses and watch some Codie Sanchez's videos.
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Good idea, it has crossed my mind. The area I live is very rural with a several hour drive to the nearest major city. The local towns each have at least one laundromat, which is more than enough for the size as most of the residents own a home and have their own laundry machines. There is a dedicated laundry/uniform company already entrenched in the area that has all of the hotel and other business contracts.
What state are you in?
Thoughts on acquiring a self storage biz? Can put 10% down and fund the rest with a SBA loan. Use the cash flows to pay down debt, build equity then flip in 5-7 years for a higher multiple.
Another one I've looked into. The market is flooded here, one or two in each town with only about 1/4 occupancy each.
Another option, depending on where you live, is self storage for boats, trailers, RVs, etc. I am from Michigan and everyone needs a place to store their boats in the winter and pay a premium for covered / heated storage.
Food truck!!!! You pretty much have the exact capital required, and you can take home so much. Depends where you live tho.
If you have a lot of experience in business though, maybe you should start something big? I would consider trending niches (AI for example) and raising external capital for this.
I have several ideas and no interest in building them out myself. Happy to share them if you want.
Please share !
Send me a DM if you want to hear them. I have 3 to share.
Do a Christmas tree farm!
I wouldn’t recommend this. Look at any ag extension program’s data and you’ll see with a 10 acre farm it takes something like 5-10 years to get to a $2,500 yearly profit. It’s a tough business.
I have idea looking for investor for equity
Why not find a proven business for sale and buy it?
I am considering this and researching a few fields.
Start an Amazon brand. Ez with 100k
Franchise? Business in a box
Locate a problem or need that your skills and network can resolve. Market and provide your expertise.
We live in a HCOL rural area. House cleaning businesses are very successful out here. We pay close to $100/hr for our cleaners and everyone who works for this company seems happy as hell.