A buddy and I were thinking barbecue trailer and work steer/pig roasts. Alternatively chickens in busy parking lots on the weekends. We talked to a butcher about it but hadn't started anything. This spring there were three BBQ trailers in the butchers parking lot.
Off-Topic, Hijack maybe, but a woman Engineer at work approached me about Ambient Energy. Sounds like an Am-Zoil pyramid scheme to me. Snake Oil, Asp Lube if you will.
"Can I have 15 minutes of your time?"
berkeley no!!! It's not my time, they give me $8.26 for 15 minutes.
Bother me again and we'll sit down with management and find out why don't have enough to do all day.
Sorry for the Rant. No Asp Lube, no Rebuilt Christians, no Telemarketers.
Dyintorace, don't alienate yourself from friends and family by falling for this nonsense. There's only one person that wins and it ain't you.
Carry on.
Self storage or a laundramat with a bar
pilotbraden wrote: a laundramat with a bar
I like this idea.
914Driver wrote: Off-Topic, Hijack maybe, but a woman Engineer at work approached me about Ambient Energy. Sounds like an Am-Zoil pyramid scheme to me. Snake Oil, Asp Lube if you will. "Can I have 15 minutes of your time?" berkeley no!!! It's not my time, they give me $8.26 for 15 minutes. Bother me again and we'll sit down with management and find out why don't have enough to do all day. Sorry for the Rant. No Asp Lube, no Rebuilt Christians, no Telemarketers. Dyintorace, don't alienate yourself from friends and family by falling for this nonsense. There's only one person that wins and it ain't you. Carry on.
We get CUSTOMERS trying to push this E36 M3 on us. "Juice Plus, Mona Vie," etc. Really frustrating, as I can't whip out my junk, piss in a bottle and say "Trade you for some miracle snake oil?"
There's a lot of pessimists here. Or at least a lot of self-employed people who have taken their bruises the last few years.
I'm gonna disagree with the negativity.
There has NEVER been a better time to start a business in most of our lifetimes.
Is it hard work? Yes. Is the government a pain? Yes. Are employees lazy and expensive? Yes.
So what!
The market is really starved right now for creative ideas and entrepreneurs with the energy to make them happen.
Business owners are tired, financing is tight, regulations are prohibitive. But those are EXACTLY the reasons you SHOULD do it. They are essentially barriers to entry, and too many people won't climb over the barriers.
Which means there are a lot of bargains out there. Good employees work cheap, SBA and other agencies are making funds available, local newswriters are looking for good stories to tell (which means free advertising).
It's kind of like investing- It's totally ridiculous that everyone gets excited when the market is up. That's the WORST time to buy.
The stock market used to be the only place in the world where everyone would get depressed and run away when the market put up a sign that said "Sale!" (market downturn).
We are now applying the same stupid backwards investing ideas to the business world.
I say go for it. You are smart, you understand the risk, you are not looking for a freebie, and you are able to do some of the self-financing, and not rely on lending thieves. You are a perfect candidate.
BTW- I wasn't kidding about the coffee shop. You could make it work well. Call me if you want to talk more about it.
In fact...if you want to pursue it, I'll be your first investor.
If I had the space, I would have bought up all the $500 Datsun 240Z's I have looked at and put them in a warehouse and parted them all out on my spare time.
I parted out a 1968 Datsun 2000 and a 1971 Datsun 240Z on ebay and did quite well. I treated it as a part-time job where I can work when I wanted to. The wife hated all the mess in "her" garage.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:MrJoshua wrote: I'm in the business of collecting lots of broken cars, sitting on them for a few years, and then selling them for a loss. You want in?Me too. We should get together and talk franchise deals.
Crap, I didn't know I had competitors!
SVreX wrote: .... There has NEVER been a better time to start a business in most of our lifetimes. ..... The market is really starved right now for creative ideas and entrepreneurs with the energy to make them happen.
I swear I've heard this exact same pep talk on radio ads 
96DXCivic wrote:pilotbraden wrote: a laundramat with a barI like this idea.
There was one in Ottawa. I forget what it was called (I had a washing machine) but it seemed to work pretty well.
I had an idea to go around and buy up every piece of automotive glass over 25 years old and refurbish it and re-sell it. All you need is space, the select tools to get them out and buff them up, and crating. Add a website or ebay store and you're selling hard to find items that people pay good money for to relive their teenage years through their cars.
You could park a taco truck in the GRM parking lot, pull the wheels off, and prepare to retire young and wealthy.
Man, we need a good food truck in this town. There's one or two I see every day, but I can never get them to add us to their route.
I can only imagine the hassles of running any food operation, however. All it takes is one pantywaist puking his guts up and all of a sudden you're the bad guy.
jg
The ummm, earthy way that Poop is talking is exactly where all my own thoughts have run to when considering a business (of ANY kind!). The bald fact is, for at least the first year, and probably more like 5, any 'free' time you might have will get swallowed up in the business. No 'vacation', blessed little 'time off', even for things like dental appointments. Benefits for any employees you might have, not to mention the Gubmint mandated stuff...will drive you crazy (ier) trying to get right. Because it's fun, FUN! you understand, to deal with a bureaucracy that could not possibly care less if you've attempted to be on top of THEIR rulebook, because they know the rules can be 'interpreted differently' for any situation. Bottom line is, the RULZ are there exactly and singly to screw up the unwary.
My dad had a Phillips 66 station for several years in the early 60's, and I witnessed more heartache than any 10 year old should have to, as he tried to keep all his ducks in a row concerning the Gubmint. In the end, he about broke even, maybe made a little, but it looked for a time as if bad checks were gonna kill the dream completely.
Svrex:
I can see how my post might have come off as pessimistic. That wasn't the intent. Just throwing out every little bit of advice I wish someone would've given me when we bought our shop...instead of the dozens of "berkeley it, man, GO FOR IT! You're young, you work hard, and you do good work. What could possibly go wrong!?" responses I got from everyone I talked to. Unfortunately for the SEVEN other shops in my area that have closed down in the last 18 months - one of which was there for 21 years, I'm guessing they got the same advice too.
Pros: Yes, this is a killer time to start a business. Whatever field you're considering, there's CHEEEEAP equipment to had (from other places closing,) landlords here have knocked rent in half, in short, your dollar goes a long way.
I get to see my wife every day, which wasn't the case when I was working for the man.
While we very, very, VERY rarely get to take time off together, she can run the shop on the rare occassion I have enough money to go racing, and I can run the shop when she wants to hang with her peeps.
Was that a little more positive?
To the O.P.: How's that shop in Gainesville doin'? Last I heard, they had shut down. (???)
Regarding government regulation:
I've got a friend with a different perspective on the whole thing. For the record, I agree with most of you're complaints- I just don't want them meddling in my life. However, my friend has a small chemical research business. He LOVES regulation. He says bring it on- the more the merrier. He likes every little aggravating rule and bureaucrat he can find. IRS, OSHA, EPA, SBC, IBC, SOCMA, ISO, SIGMA, or whatever other alphabet soup agency you can find.
He sees the rules as barriers of entry for his competitors. The bigger the minefield of red tape, the fewer competitors can follow him through it. He's a smart man, and perfectly capable of handling it.
It's also likely that he is wealthier than this entire board membership combined.
So, who's right- me or him? 
just a thought...
taco trailer ! 
tacos burritos nachos pickles sodas water
You will make a million dollars if you start with 2 million
Sell Exotic used cars. This town has nothing like it. Make every aspect of the purchase and ownership as turnkey as possible. Sell them the car, arrange the financing, arrange the extended warranty, give the best forums to visit, and arrange the mechanic they use when it breaks. Have a presence on all of those forums yourself including paying for advertising. Done right you should be able to put people in the car of their dreams for less than the ownership costs of a new family sedan.
poopshovel wrote: To the O.P.: How's that shop in Gainesville doin'? Last I heard, they had shut down. (???)
Not sure. I haven't done any real framing since I used your excellent services. Come to think of it, the framing shop at the north entrance of my neighborhood is gone.
Datsun1500 wrote: I have been self employed for 15 years. I love it. Can it be tough? Sure. Can you make more money and have a better quality life instead of working for someone else? Without a doubt. Food is tough, any brick and mortar business is tough, as you have to wait for the customer to come through the door. There are plenty of people making money servicing other industries/people, that take the business to them. Mobile oil changes, food wagons, etc.
^^This. I make a lot of money for the folks that have the majority of the equity in our company. We made the Inc. 500 this year and they'll have a hell of a payday when the company is (eventually) acquired.
Also agree on the brick and mortar-based businesses. I would rather start (or buy) something web based. MUCH less overhead, portability, etc. I also think service businesses make sense, especially ones that cater (no pun intended) to the typical overweight baby boomer. They're a ton of those and many, many more in the pipeline.
MrJoshua wrote: Sell Exotic used cars. This town has nothing like it. Make every aspect of the purchase and ownership as turnkey as possible. Sell them the car, arrange the financing, arrange the extended warranty, give the best forums to visit, and arrange the mechanic they use when it breaks. Have a presence on all of those forums yourself including paying for advertising. Done right you should be able to put people in the car of their dreams for less than the ownership costs of a new family sedan.
Not sure there are enough high rollers here to make it lucrative.
SVreX wrote: Interested in a coffee shop? I've got a small coffee shop with most of the equipment that would be needed for 2 separate locations. Espresso machines, fridges, freezers, sandwich prep coolers, blenders, grinders, everything. The only thing wrong with this business is it's current location (small town, limited market for specialty coffee). But we are not moving anytime soon. I'll sell the business for the bank's current appraised value of the used equipment. Everything is in like-new condition. Includes all the corporate filings, licenses, health certifications (in it's current location), etc. You could combine a few of the ideas here- put a coffee/sandwich shop in an interesting vehicle (like a double decker bus, or a refurbished ice cream truck), park it on a busy downtown corner during the day, at a college campus in the evening, and at the fairs/ flea markets/ car shows on the weekends. I'll throw in training, all the vendors/ contacts you need, the (small) website, and several years worth of experience. If your wife is anything like mine, it will be a hit!
Not perfectly clear. Are you suggesting it is relocatable?
In reply to dyintorace:
But the beauty is you sell to the average person with the dream of owning an exotic but the budget for a family car. Take away the fear and you can get them to buy. Most of the investment is in time making sure all of the other businesses involved are willing and accessible. I do agree it would have to be bigger than Gainesville eventually, but I think it could start here and on the web without too much trouble.
Plus I could really dig spending my time hunting/fetching bargain exotics. 
dyintorace wrote: Not perfectly clear. Are you suggesting it is relocatable?
Sure it is. Why not?
OK, the walk up clientele won't move with it, but all the business savvy and experience do. The name, web traffic, signage, understanding of what it takes, vendors, equipment, pos system, furniture.
All it needs is a good location.
...and a lot of love and energy (like all businesses).
It's mobile now- we do weddings, reunions, business functions, sporting events. Convention center kiosks are killah (we don't do that yet). We don't wait for customers to come to us- we take the business to them.
Besides, if the pricetag is only what the equipment is worth, anything else is a bonus.
We have seriously looked at putting it on wheels. I almost bought a double decker bus last week. Really. Once it's on wheels, it CERTAINLY is relocatable.
Ok, every time I say it on here people blah,blah blah it. I brought it up on the old board 4 years ago. The easiest thing I have ever done is internet advertising. I run 185 sites right now. I pay more in taxes from my "hobby" then I make as a special education teacher. I just started an s- corp because I was being raped on taxes. You need to do a lot of research in the beginning, but it pays off. It pays 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year. Where else can you start a business for less then 100.00. The only reason I keep my job now is because I love it. I always wanted to own a laundromat, but when I look at it where else can I invest 10.00 and make back 50 or more per month. In short look into it.
And before any one asks I didn't do that stupid thing on TV It does not work. I must admit I got lucky, but Christ it's the easiest money I have ever made. If you have questions on where to get the info PM me
I've got it! Car dealership. Serious. Maybe not exotics, but decent, reliable, cheap beaters for the college kids aught to sell rather well. This is something I've considered in the past, but I know I would have trouble securing the money for such a venture.
My wife and I own a very successful retail bakery. We do high end occasion cakes (wedding, groom, anniversary, corp event, sweet 16, etc). Think Ace of Cakes on TV. In operation for almost 7 years now.
Great location in affluent area of Roswell, GA. 20,000 unique customers with 6000 repeat customers a year. Several celebrity clients. 80-120 cakes a week depending on season. No competition in area.
Non-compete lease with just renegotiated super low rate. Full production facility build-out with about $250k of equipment. 6-9 staff depending on season.
A bakery is mostly a recession proof business. While numbers were slightly down the last 15 months they have still been steller compared to most other businesses. People will still buy a wedding or graduation cake even in this economy.
Not really looking to sell but if the price is right I'd do it.
Couple of years ago I put it on bizbuysell just to see what the market value might be. Lots of home hobby decorators answered who had no idea what running a successful business means. PM me if serious.
www.cakesbydarcy.com
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