Whats a good one man small business?

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seafever17
seafever17
WA
360 posts
WA, 360 posts
10 Mar 2010 9:09pm
Me: Work up north 28 on 28 off. Competent mechanically , fit.

Looking for something to do on my time off. Not full time but a couple of hours a day is no problem.More if there is no wind or swell.I thought initially of something like a lawn mowing gig but people generally want their lawn cut monthly or less.Plus an ex mower man i spoke to said his arms are ruined from the vibrations. I want to ruin my arms kiting.

Dont mind paying tax on the earnings but a little bit of cash on the side would'nt hurt.

What fits??

Cheers..
busterwa
busterwa
3782 posts
3782 posts
10 Mar 2010 9:26pm
Tax inspector jim quick hide the receipts!!!
manafacturing?

shark
shark
WA
361 posts
WA, 361 posts
11 Mar 2010 12:35am
Im guessing you are a seaman, maybe with Farstad or one of the other bigger mobs working up north?
and hence on around $100K a year-must have some big bills to pay??

You could set up an Ebay store?

However if 28 off is too long you can do some extended swings, though your union probably wont like it.

My advice-things to do cos you have TOO MUCH FREE TIME? Spend it with the kids, go camping, learn to surf.
If you dont have kids, travel see things, make the best of it...
j murray
j murray
SA
947 posts
SA, 947 posts
11 Mar 2010 7:51am

" I give give in,....what is a good one man business?"

I guess, 1... your own !-----2...a millstone , ----- 3... drug dealer,

4.....politician,----- 5....shoe shine,----- 6......bra fitter,------

plenty of opportunity out there for thinking out the box
sausage
sausage
QLD
4874 posts
QLD, 4874 posts
11 Mar 2010 11:38am
Pie van
doggie
doggie
WA
15849 posts
WA, 15849 posts
11 Mar 2010 9:58am
Mr Whippie van YAY!
Surfdude100
Surfdude100
6 posts
6 posts
11 Mar 2010 12:16pm
I'd go with Internet work, easy money if you find the right website...
Sailhack
Sailhack
VIC
5000 posts
VIC, 5000 posts
11 Mar 2010 3:32pm
call me old fashioned, but I'm with shark on this one...how much money do you need? 28 on is pretty tough, but I expect you're remunerated well for it...so enjoy your 28 off...you work for it, you deserve it.
FlySurfer
FlySurfer
NSW
4460 posts
NSW, 4460 posts
11 Mar 2010 4:50pm
Prostitute?
landyacht
landyacht
WA
5921 posts
WA, 5921 posts
11 Mar 2010 5:36pm
Home handyman. lots of blokes start off doing it for their lawnmowing customers, and then just stop lawnmowing. just be ready to do lots of trips to the big giant hardware store
Gizmo
Gizmo
SA
2865 posts
SA, 2865 posts
11 Mar 2010 8:48pm
landyacht said...

Home handyman. lots of blokes start off doing it for their lawnmowing customers, and then just stop lawnmowing. just be ready to do lots of trips to the big giant hardware store

Been there done that!!!... I didn't find it that good, people I found weren't prepared to pay a fair price for the jobs you did.

Perhaps a better way to work out "Whats a good one man small business?" is to start from what do you want out of it and work backward re; inward and outgoing costings.
An ideal small business would have minimal outgoings,
nothing that has a use by date,
or goes off or stale,
or kept cool/warm
or transport costs.
When you put these limitations in the mix it tends to limit things...

seafever17, you mentioned "competent mechanically"... trade or DIY level? what other skills / interests do you have



Carantoc
Carantoc
WA
7298 posts
WA, 7298 posts
11 Mar 2010 8:09pm
Make spokes for dirt bike wheels

Recondition Harley Davidson starter motors

Chrome plate Holden gear stick knobs

Import Maui Ultra Fins

Weld up exhaust couplings for pump motors

Fit roof insulation

Sell cordless extension leads

Grow bonsai trees

Wreck lawn mowers

Cast uprated rotors for RC helicopters

Go to a newsagent, close your eyes, buy a random magazine. Open it on any page near the back, look at the smallest ad, then do exactly what they do but put an ad twice the size in two magazines.

If you want minimal outlay don't do anything, just put the ads and see how many people contact you. If nobody calls in a month move on to the next ad.





megsie
megsie
35 posts
35 posts
11 Mar 2010 9:18pm
im looking for the same thing im on 28 - 28 and get sick of being around the house when there is no wind or swell. who are you working with seafeaver? there is always rig moves going on if you are an IR
cwamit
cwamit
WA
1194 posts
WA, 1194 posts
11 Mar 2010 11:50pm
How about making stone protectors to fit on boat trailors, all you need is basic welding skills, able to bend pipe and the items you need is shade clothe and aluminium to make it up with, lots of people travel long distance to fish and hols with their boat. To get some market exposure find paint shops that mainly do boats and try to get exposure to their clients, no one wants stone chips in a fresh painted boat. Cost would be around a couple hundred in materials and could sell them for close to 1k , a mate made one up and they realy look the part .
seafever17
seafever17
WA
360 posts
WA, 360 posts
12 Mar 2010 9:46am
Thanks for the responses guys.

Shark/Sail hack/Meggsie: Not an I.R but close. Marine Dept on a rig. Spot on about the big bills but thats not hard these days. If you have worked offshore for a while you would remember the ups and downs. Getting laid off every couple of years is the norm for guys offshore as different companies bring rigs in and out of the country. They generally lay everyone off when they depart. One of the reasons i would like to start a small business is to have something ticking along on the side if i ever get laid off and stuggle to pick something else up. Certainly not looking for fulltime work on my time off. Just want to have a plan B. Not just for me but the family. I can happily live in a van but not with them at same time!!

Landyacht/Gizmo: Home handyman sounds good as I would have most of whats needed to start up. A couple of small adds would likely keep it tooling along with the ability to latter spend more on advertising to generate more work if required.Plus nothing goes stale. I have renovated a couple of houses and yachts and so am relatively competent over a range of areas. I guess if you get a job,go look at it and if its beyond your skill set you just say so and move on.Or refer to a "training" website such as http://thereifixedit.com/

Meggsie: Not real keen on staying at primary job as a second job. Either are my employers....something about double time /half the effort . Plus for reasons up the top.

Carrantoc: Too funny !! I will take on the bit about double the size of the add and may move into removing insulation. I hear its a growth industry.

Looks like I am a handyman.

Anyone want a squeeky hinge attended to??

Taking bookings!!!
GalahOnTheBay
GalahOnTheBay
NSW
4188 posts
NSW, 4188 posts
12 Mar 2010 6:48pm
seafever17 said...

What fits??


I would say internet troll but the pay is lousy...
Gizmo
Gizmo
SA
2865 posts
SA, 2865 posts
13 Mar 2010 10:33am
Another idea for you...."Electrical Test & Tag"
I got my license when doing handyman work, an added benefit was to reduce my outgoing costs of complying to the law.
You don't need to be an electrician to get the license.
It ticks most of the boxes for a small buisness, ongoing work, good profits, not time critical, small ongoing costs (tags), smallish setup cost on outlay on test equipment, not location specific, good for your CV and future employment.
ginger pom
ginger pom
VIC
1746 posts
VIC, 1746 posts
13 Mar 2010 2:49pm
tim ferris - four hour work week...

wheelnut
wheelnut
WA
90 posts
WA, 90 posts
13 Mar 2010 2:25pm
Start a financial pyramid scheme.
Sell AMWAY, Tupperware, AVON and the like.
Write books on.. "How to get rich by writing books"
Invest other peoples money so you get the proffit and they take the risk.
Bristol
Bristol
ACT
347 posts
ACT, 347 posts
13 Mar 2010 7:05pm
What about "digital TV aerial" supply and installer?

I don't think you'd need lots of equipment to set yourself up, and there's probably going to be a steady demand for a while. If it's windy, then it's too dangerous to be on a rooftop installing the mast. Win, win.
ginger pom
ginger pom
VIC
1746 posts
VIC, 1746 posts
14 Mar 2010 9:42am
ginger pom said...

tim ferris - four hour work week...




why the red thumbs?

It's a book about setting up a side business in such a way as to make good money.
wheelnut
wheelnut
WA
90 posts
WA, 90 posts
14 Mar 2010 7:05am
ginger pom said...

ginger pom said...

tim ferris - four hour work week...




why the red thumbs?

It's a book about setting up a side business in such a way as to make good money.


Maybe the red thumbs are because everything on (tim ferris - four hour work week...) on the web seems cryptic and leads to buying his book.

So ginger pom do you work a 4 hour week?
ginger pom
ginger pom
VIC
1746 posts
VIC, 1746 posts
14 Mar 2010 11:54am
wheelnut said...
So ginger pom do you work a 4 hour week?


nope, because ironically it's quite difficult. His book is interesting approach though

wheelnut
wheelnut
WA
90 posts
WA, 90 posts
14 Mar 2010 10:36am
ginger pom said...

wheelnut said...
So ginger pom do you work a 4 hour week?


nope, because ironically it's quite difficult. His book is interesting approach though



So has Tim Ferris actually done what he preaches or is he then promoting a "Hyperthetical Situation"
Over the years we have all dealt with "Experts" telling us what to do but have never done the hard yards in dealing in reality (and then rapidly vanish after the sprooking).
May I remind you of some recent "Global Financial Problems"

ginger pom
ginger pom
VIC
1746 posts
VIC, 1746 posts
14 Mar 2010 3:02pm
he has. He sold nutritional supplements through the internet.

The thing about the book is that it doesn't tell you to get rich, accumulate capital and retire early.

Instead, it advocates setting up small low intervention businesses that provide a modest income and allow you to restructure the way you live around it.

The book is about productivity, running a small business (and not meddling with it) and spending your leisure time on long cheap mini retirements.
zippyblue
zippyblue
NSW
111 posts
NSW, 111 posts
14 Mar 2010 3:07pm
**Affordable** windsurf rental business. All you need small van, 6-7 boards/sails. Sit out on the beach all day with a sign and some NP flags, must be visible and accessible to people who have gone to the beach without even realising they wanted to try windsurfing. Charge only what you need to cover costs, insurance etc. plus a tiny bit more.

Charge adults "full price" kids get to try for free. Read "new age of windsurfing" thread!

Then start selling Windsurf gear, and make some profit on that, after you've got people (and more importantly their kids) hooked.

Apparently a similar approach works for drug dealers...not too different really

Gotta beat mowing lawns!



zippyblue
zippyblue
NSW
111 posts
NSW, 111 posts
14 Mar 2010 3:24pm
...um I should add, no wind today and may have spent too long day dreaming on beach this afternoon
cisco
cisco
QLD
12365 posts
QLD, 12365 posts
15 Mar 2010 8:59am
Think Real Estate, it is like sex. You should get as much of it as you possibly can while you are still young.

Dig your well before you get thirsty.
gezza1
gezza1
WA
64 posts
WA, 64 posts
19 Mar 2010 3:48pm
masterbation??
sausage
sausage
QLD
4874 posts
QLD, 4874 posts
19 Mar 2010 5:59pm
gezza1 said...

masterbation??


How is that a small business, unless you're speaking from personal experience.
wheelnut
wheelnut
WA
90 posts
WA, 90 posts
19 Mar 2010 4:02pm
gezza1 said...

masterbation??

errrrr!! did mean sperm donation?
maybe not what most people would see as a good long term business.

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