BootsnAll Travel Community

I've been getting really frustrated with the work search lately, and with a degree in Small Business Management/Entrepreneurship, I think the time has come when I seriously need to consider going it on my own.

I took that course of study specifically because accounting/HR/marketing (as areas of specialization) had turned me off, and I really liked the idea of owning or running a small business. I took a turn at trying to help someone else run his business, but he was so inept and unwilling to change his failing ways, that I bailed.

I've been racking my brain for a while trying to come up with ideas. So far, they are limited.
I'm/we're looking for something that's not retail/restaurant, and has fairly low start-up costs (ie, we're not looking in the $1mil + range).
it can have a physical location, ie, we're not necessarily looking for something we can do while travelling, as long as it has the potential to provide some travel time.

does anyone have any ideas? any franchises in your area that you know to be quite successful? do you, or anyone you know, have a small business? care to tell me about it, how the idea came about, etc?
can be a product, service, whatever. realistic or not. be creative!

Maybe you could open one of those "we sell it for you on e-bay" stores. That seems like a pretty inexpensive start-up....

This sounds just like me... over the past couple of years, I've opened a few small business... both have died, but only one bc I didn't have enough time to devote to it. So that one might come back in the future. It is HARD to think of a good business idea... seems like the best ideas come from the simplest task. Think of what you hate to do and think about what would make it easier for you... most other people probably feel the same way. Think about your location and what people are into there. And, Good Luck!

Well, I've had a couple of businesses in my time and there are one or two you might try. The list will be longer than that though.

1. The one I was most successful with was mail order. If this catches your eye I can make a reccomendation or two.

2. Travel sales and I am not talking about fly by night internet. I had to take a course and get certified and all that stuff lots of fun and I got to travel short trips fairly cheap.

3. Hostel - If you don't have the property already then start up costs might kick you in the rear.

4. Can you cook or bake something that is truly unique or rare in your area. Lot's of oportuninty to sell to specialty and gift stores in this line.

5. I don't know if you are in Alaska where there polar bears and giant mosquitos or down south of us here. But llok into selling and/or making local crafts. One person I know does this and makes a fortune.


Well that's all for now. Good Luck.

I'm sure you know this, but if owning and operating a successful small business is your goal, "travel time" is not something that's likely to be in the cards for the foreseeable future unless you're talking a weekend here and there.

Speaking from experience, successful new businesses need an immense amount of time and effort to get past their initial early phases of wobbling between life and death.

Of course if you can grind out a few years, build up something great, and then sell it for a nice multiple on your revenues, you can take all the time in the world to travel.

quote:

1. The one I was most successful with was mail order. If this catches your eye I can make a reccomendation or two.

If you would, please tell me more about this...

bigmaude-

There are severalconsiderations in starting a mail order business.
A. Go with and established set up or market your own products. There are pros and cons to each one. If you go with an established company, you have to pay a fee to them to use thier services. This is not a bad thing.

B If you have your own products that you are marketing them you have have catalogs printed up, an established company does this for you and if they are good then the cost is nominal. I

C. If you are marketing your own product then make sure it is unique and that there is a market for it. Established mail order companies know what sells and keeps the items in stock.

D. The best way to market a product may be through the web. If you go with an established company then they usually have the resources to aid you in doing this. Otherwise you have to start from scratch. One good thing about web based sales. Is that you can do it on the road.

If you are still interested then let me know.

Its a little high to get started but check into Jackson Hewitt or Liberty tax franchises. I could run one with 1 arm!

They are seriously cake and they afford at least 3-6 months of travel in the off season, just take off and go!!!!!!

I work for one right now as their IT guy and I know my boss/co owner and owner very well and they tell me everything. We do preeeeettty damn well if ya know what I mean for 4 months of work. Net is like 20-30% of gross. We are over 1 million with 9 stores. ... something to think about!

Im telling you, very low overheard once you clear buying territories(they have lease to own loans for those) and renting places. Just do like my boss, cancel EVERYTHING in the off season. phone, turn breakers off, internet, tv, ALL OF IT! Dont try and make it a fortune 500 biz and you will be very successful. If you want more info, just let me know!

Import/export?

I collect stories from people who make their living in odd ways. I had a Japanese friend some years ago who was trying to put together a export business selling west coast seaweed to Japan. Honest. Apparently the Japanese are seaweed connoisseurs and Pacific seaweed is in big demand. Extra tasty?

I have another friend who spent 2 years here in Russia (working for a company, not himself) who was a buyer of broken glass and mirrors. Yep, it's true. Turns out his company used the broken materials to make aggregate for tiles and those fancy faux stone countertops.

I had another friend who collected driftwood off the west coast, logs and large pieces only, preferably redwood, and sold them to artisians who turned them into high end urban works of furniture.

And this probably won't be up your alley, but I met a guy in Kansas who made good money constructing microwave towers. Apparently not a lot of folks doing that sort of thing.

I don't really know anything about small business, but it seems like the easy big money is made by middle-manning things. Logs to artists, seaweed to Japan, broken glass from Russia to the Czech Republic.