whats a good business to start
 

I am thinking of starting a local business, what are some good ones that are usually profitable... here are some ideas:

pawn shop
limo rental
furniture
electronics/bigscreentvs

Pawn shops always get plenty of people in, however you don't always sell alot of stuff. A good local biz right now is setting up a wireless hot spot, small cafe, bookshop or something like that.

oh yeah, other ideas:

paycheck advance place
tanning

Dog walker

Mobile dog cleaner/groomer

Litter box cleaner..(I know I would pay someone to do it )
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/21103.../pop_hyo_l.jpg

I've heard brothels are profitable :Graucho

Buy an existing bar establishment and turn it into something cool

Restaurant...people like good food.

Hotspots were a good idea until a few weeks ago. All major cellular provider like verizon, t-mobile, cingular, att are now offering unlimited hot spot access in more and more places for something like $20 a month at t1 speed !!!!!

still a good idea throughout most of the country because their networks aren't hitting anywhere out of the city yet.

Always money in drugs I hear :Graucho

laundromat
car wash
tanning salon

Or just promote much more heavily and live off of your datinggold.com referrals. :)

Do limo rental, but make it really classy by putting "AL'S LIMO RENTAL 1-800-555-5555" in big letters on the sides of all your limos.

Self storage.

I created a whole new business model today, now all ya goto do is dig for the million dollar idea before it someone else releases it:)

Buy a bar. Get an old Irish guy to run it. Pay him well. He'll work like a dog. No matter how shitty their stocks are doing people always drink.

This is a college town, tons of bars already. Most new ones close within months.

Carwash
Laundromat
fast food restaurant
Dunkin Donuts

driving range

some good ideas, anyone have personal experience running a business like these?

whore house, you can start it by hand

model agency

Have you ever owned a tanning salon? Fuck those things man, I wouldn't take one if somebody gave it to me. :2 cents:

why not

I grew up with the kids of a lot of entrepreneurs. Laundromats and car washes are simply numbers games.

Tanning salons just seem like a good idea... especially growing up in the northeast. Chicks don't want to look pasty year round. The local place was always packed and had people waiting.

those instant tan booth with the spray are making a killing and its cheap to start and its new

The Quiznos franchise is pretty hot right now.

As for laundrymats....My family is in the drycleaning biz, and I don't recommend this. It's definately low cost to maintain though.

It's really about location also. If it's a growing area, just give them a common service or product and get grandfathered in. If the city is older, then use your creativity and marketing skills. Finding the right people are also essential.....man, there's alot to think about.

Just try to fit a demand.

Lots of hot chicks going in and out... could always hedge your income and source models for shoots from the tanning salon's clientele. :winkwink:

I was going to open a Tanning salon, man I wish I did.
Ton of money to be made, if you have a clue how to run a business.

I owned a small one for a brief period of time. I got it at the beginning of tanning season and sold it at the end. I made 10 x my money by selling it but the people that bought it played hell making the bills for the rest of the year.

Even if I had dropped every penny it made in the bank it still would have struggled the rest of the year. The new owners had to put in another business with it to make ends meet.

Oh yea, and it's not that I don't know how to advertise. I was completely booked from open to close and even changed the hours to 6 am to 2 am 7 days a week.

The women are hot, the money's not.

Edited to add: I had 0 employees and it still didn't make enough money for me to even consider doing it again.

Nope. I know how to run a business and I owned one. See previous post.

good advice :)

limo service sounds cool
get an h2 stretch

why didn't you raise prices? if there was that much demand you should have upped prices.

http://www.mcdonalds.com/corporate/franchise/index.html

imagine, your very own big mac factory. what could be better?

We did. You can only charge so much being there are 50 tanning salons in any decent sized city. Let me clarify, I did make a nice profit. Then I sold the business for 10 times what I had invested from the beginning. It's just by no means enough money to do it for anyone. If I hadn't lucked out and sold I would have eaten into everything I made and that's working it myself.

Notice how most tanning salons have other business in them also? It's like that here anyway.

The local one back home had a gumball machine. It also sold creams and assorted accessories.

gas station, if you can get a good spot on a busy street... I talked to a guy the other day. He worked in the bars for 14 years and saved like 300k, and he loaned 1,1 m and opened his place. He says he is doing ten times better than he would have thought. Btw, his place is in daytona beach. I also heard a lot of good stories about gas stations.

I'm actually starting a limo rental service this summer. Hope things go well.

mcdonalds

they are a pain to manage.

i know a franchise that rocks..
my stepdad bought one..

within the first week he had 3 major accounts and is busy as fuck

hit me up, initial investment about 70k most of it can be financed through the company, but with interest rates he just took a equity loan out

icq me if you want to know more.. i dont get any referral fees or shit. but even i'm amazed at this