[JGatti]

If you charge a fair price you might do ok with the slideshows. But as a former videographer and DVD slideshow maker I learned this. When the economy is rough the first thing people stop paying for is s service they do not NEED. I did that kind of work for 5 years and the bottom fell out when the economy went down. One of the best businesses you can start is one that a person NEEDS not wants. Someone mentioned cutting lawn. That has become a cut throat biz in Michigan but if you do it right you can do well or good enough. Grass cutting and shoveling snow are two things people pay for because they just seem to hate to do it. LOL Good luck.

[sunshineann]

Very true JGatti..

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by mr penguin

And it looks like the state will soon be passing a no smoking bill. From my vending/coin op amusements experience that absolutely kills bar revenues. Figure out how much you need. Set a daily/weekly income goal. What is it that you cant wait to do when you get up in the morning? No matter what some think, hard work, perseverence and honest competition will pay the bills. This is not a 1990's principle. Get some momentum going. What you start with is not necessarily what you end up doing. Do you think the driller just went to the bank and asked for a million bucks and went out and poked holes in the ground? Nope, he had to start with the first well and went on from there. You could start out selling balloons and end up owning the rubber company. Dont get sucked into schemes. Turn on the BS detector and look for an opportunity. Be patient. Dont listen to how well Joe drop-ship is doing or how Chamwow is the way to go. My third child starts college in the fall. (All 3 will be debt free) The bills are paid. I have 6 employees and a successful business built from zero. Wanna argue that? Pack a lunch chump.

The smoking ban does not kill the bar business. Look at places that have a smoking ban. Plenty of bars doing good business there. The opponants of the smoking ban tend to lose all of their arguments when you study a place that has banned smoking for years. The only one that survives is that the ban is a dangerous infringment on personal rights. It is that.

Hard work and perserverence do eventually pay off, but you also need luck, connections and a break or two. Most new businesses fail. Many (probably most) successful business owners started several businesses that failed before they foud a successful combination. All too many business owners have experience with bankruptcy protection.

I am not saying to stay away from opening a business. But go into it with your eyes open. Yes hard work, honesty etc will get you there eventually, but the road may not be straight. As a business grows, one mistake by you or by an employee can completely tank the whole thing. " Ooops, I did no know that I had to read the insurance policy, I have a certificate that looks like there is insurance coverage - - - oh there is an exclusion - - ohh my. "

It does nto take much to crush a small business. However from what I have seen, honest hard workers evnetually find success, even if preceded by eight or ten failures.

[Cliffie]

I know a therapist and a landscape architect who got out of their fields because they made so much more money reselling the used books they found at yard sales on eBay.

[JGatti]

Just to give an update about my post regarding the slideshows. I was laid off 6 months ago and decided after reading this post to start throwing some adds around to offer my services for slideshows on DVD's. I offered 100 photo's printed to be scanned or in digital form. 2 minutes of video edited and added, customized printed DVD with cover for $100. This service would have cost about $300 from other companies a couple years ago. 0 response. Not one call for a kids graduation, nothing. So just wanted to let you know that is why I made the point I did. The best biz in one that people need right now, not want.

[sunshineann]

I;m sorry to hear that JGatti.

this question is for anyone:
In racking my little brain...what are people in need of? the necessaties are shelter, food, clothing, job. So what is it that someone can offer that people need, and can pay for?

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by sunshineann

I;m sorry to hear that JGatti.

this question is for anyone:
In racking my little brain...what are people in need of? the necessaties are shelter, food, clothing, job. So what is it that someone can offer that people need, and can pay for?

Good question!!! Even with water I find I use the clients house insurance more and more. Now to be in business it seems you not only have to sell but, try to help come up with the money too.

[mr penguin]

If you can stand it or find a nice situation there is always live-in care for the elderly....maybe expand on that idea a bit. Like offering to stop by and cook a meal, house clean and generally check up on older people living alone. I'm sure there are folks that would LOVE to find someone to help out grandma or cut dad's grass, etc. Just thinking out loud

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Driller1

Good question!!! Even with water I find I use the clients house insurance more and more. Now to be in business it seems you not only have to sell but, try to help come up with the money too.

No kidding. You have to help clients creatively work it into their budgets.

Here's an idea: mosquito treatments. A company just did our neighborhood and probably 60 or 70 homes just in our hood signed up for the $165 service. It probably took the guy 2 - 3 days to do them all.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by magellan

No kidding. You have to help clients creatively work it into their budgets.

Here's an idea: mosquito treatments. A company just did our neighborhood and probably 60 or 70 homes just in our hood signed up for the $165 service. It probably took the guy 2 - 3 days to do them all.

Doesn't that require a license??