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The Watering Hole Weekends, girlfriends or happenings ... no knife talk allowed!

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  #1  
Old 01-08-2007, 08:05 PM
Bob Warner's Avatar
Bob Warner Bob Warner is offline
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If you could start a company, what would it be?

Knifemaking does not have to be part of it.

My current boss (demolition company) likes me and the way I do things. He has asked me to come up with a business that I would like to start with him. He will front cash and I will front brains, together we will be partners.

I know about partners and protecting myself and documenting who owns what. I am looking for good ideas for a company that is profitable in the long run. The demo business is quite impressive in its ability to bring in cash. It would be great to do some kind of spinoff of Demo but we already recycle and resell good stuff so a spinoff might be difficult.

I would like to find something that would be able to be completed by unskilled labor.

What do you people think? What would you do if you had the opportunity?

Nothing is out of bounds to suggest but I would not be interested in some industries. Anything the average wife (or me) would object to is out (opening a porno shop or building cages for securing kidnap victims).

Prefer to think about things that can be done utilizing the shop, office and 5 acres I currently have.

Lets hear your ideas.


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  #2  
Old 01-08-2007, 10:10 PM
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Brett Holmes Brett Holmes is offline
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no idea what yoou should do but if it were me i would start up an sircraft charter business, preferably floatplanes in some exotic location, now thats a job.

i think manufacturing would be something you would be after, mabe you could think of a tool that isnt readily available and make it a mass produced easily accesible item, maybe make a brand name for your self, i think someone needs to make a hobby sized surface grinder, but im not ure if there would be enough sales for you.

good luck on your search.
brett


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  #3  
Old 01-08-2007, 10:13 PM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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Interesting question.

I read a book once called: The Millionaire Next Door. It said that the most profitable single propriety business in America in a coal mine. Since you live in Texas, that's out of the question.

Now I'm thinking low overhead, high return. That means service industry. The problem there is personnel--They are the product, and that brings a whole new set of challenges to the table.

For me, I like to work alone or with a small group that I like and trust. I also like to work with my hands. I think I might try to develop a way to serve the industries in which I have an interest. I might design, test, and then make and sell a line of tattoo guns. It's simple technology that fetches premium prices. A guy who can heat and form metal and who has a basic understanding of current could do it and a creative artistic guy could do it very well.

It's very tough to make ends meet as a full time knifemaker, but a few guys who serve the trade do ok (or it would seem). Darren Ellis comes to mind. He has a product line that appeals to knifemakers and a great many other crafts as well.

Bob, I have you pegged as a builder--more than that, and inovator. A short tour of your shop and all the cool gizmos and "why didn't I think of that" gadgets you have created for your own convenience showed me that. You could design and build a line of forges for example. There's a guy by the name of Ken Scharboro (I'm sure I jacked up the spelling) who does this and has an enormous Ebay store. I don't know what kind of local presence he has, but I bought a forge from him for a very good price and it works great for what it is. Punch in an ebay search for 'poor boy forge' or hobby boy forge' and you should be able to visit his store for a glimpse of his business model.

In our far too brief vist, I didn't get a chance to explore all of your interests, but I'm betting they are quite varied. Just identify a need and fill it. Sounds easy, I know, but remember this: I was in a concrete mixing plant in Missouri once. Dirty smelly place--the dirt even had dirt on it. There was a poster on the office wall (covered in dirt) that I noticed when I was getting my shipping bills signed. It read: (paraphrased) "Successful people make a habit of doing what unsuccessful people think the are too good for". I took that as, "Dirty jobs pay good."

For what it's worth buddy. I hope you make the most of the opportunity. Good luck.


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  #4  
Old 01-09-2007, 01:40 AM
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Dwane Oliver Dwane Oliver is offline
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Bob , I agree with alot of what Andy said. I have never met you pesonally , but from what I gather your a real "hands on " type of guy , like me.
I had a great mentor told me once " if you want to be sucessfull , then surround yourself with sucessfull people "
If I had the chance you have ....it would be.... Big D's Rod's Rail's and Ride's.
I would build sandrails , streetrods and custom motorcycles. It would require a huge shop , some tallented individuals and customers with alot of money. Probably never happen , but thats what I would do.
Good luck in your venture , sounds like the table has turned for you.

Dwane


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  #5  
Old 01-09-2007, 06:27 AM
Coutel Coutel is offline
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My 2 cents...As your already in the demo and recycling business, how about considering being a one of those large dumpster contracters....Own the dumpsters and vehicle and rent them out to building sites etc..., deliver, collect and dispose of. Not difficult to train someone up and can go hand in hand with the business your already involved in...may actualy compliment it.


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  #6  
Old 01-09-2007, 08:00 AM
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It's a bit of a long term investment but NY State farmers have been saved by the Food Network. Many of them instead of competing with the mega-industrial farms have gone to organics and legacy plants. Many of them are just growing things so that they are not the hot house, barely ripe fruit. With that much land you might consider the possibility of an orchard with any of the stone fruits like peaches, nuts like pecans, or any of the other fruits that would do well in this area. One of my suppliers of mammoth tooth main job is pecan growing. They take care of themselves for most of the year with some major activity during harvest. Not that it is all as easy as he makes it sound with frosts fires droughts (like the one we are still in) but it's an idea. The Central Market stores, a high end foodie sort of store, brag about how they get locally grown peaches and Dallas has more restaurants than any other city in the US from what I've read.

It would also leave you some time for your knife making.

Jim


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  #7  
Old 01-09-2007, 08:46 AM
James Puckett James Puckett is offline
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Living in Texas and having a small piece of land already the posibility of a dirt contractor is where i would head. Build locations and lease roads. Haul dirt and rock. or maybe a hotshot company hauling oilfield equipment and supplys around.
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  #8  
Old 01-09-2007, 08:49 AM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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"Gentleman's" club!


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  #9  
Old 01-09-2007, 08:58 AM
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I've thought about the same thing myself. (If I've gotta work for an idiot, it might as well be one I like!) 'Course, you kinda limited the scope by cutting out anything illegal or immoral.

A friend of mine that has successfully started (and sold off) several businesses tells me that the most important thing is to line up customers before you start the business. If you have that, it's not a problem to get cash. Sam Colt's original pistols were very popular with the Texas Rangers. During the Mexican War, the US Army was so impressed by the effective use of the pistols by the Rangers - who were acting as scouts for the Army - that they sent a huge order. Colt had gone bankrupt and closed his business when the order came. He took it to the bank and the rest is history. If you walk in with work orders, you'll get the same response.

So, perhaps TKN is the wrong place to ask the question. Ask the customers served by the demo company what they need most. You may be surprised.

One thing that comes to mind is for you to do training. There's usually a pretty strong demand for qualified welders and such, but they can be hard to find. Same could apply to other trades. Training people to do that could be a decent business, and wouldn't require much capital. You may be able to get government money as well!!


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  #10  
Old 01-09-2007, 09:20 AM
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Don Halter Don Halter is offline
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Well shoot...if a on-line porn site is out, I can't really think of much more.


Construction rental equipment is always good in TX. Try and get a small business loan or grant and hit the auction circuit for universities and state agencies. I go to a lot of these and have met several guys doing it. They buy up large dozers and such and then just lease them out.

Check out some of the medieval armouring sites. The business isn't in armour production...but tooling production. Every week it seem another 20 "new armouries" spring up. I was selling shotputs welded to 1" square bar for $40. More specialized items like creasing stakes made from 4140 or 1045 rod goes for $40-60. If you want more info on this, shoot me an email.


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  #11  
Old 01-09-2007, 10:23 AM
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Making something like this for the hobbiest

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...TOOL&ihtoken=1

There is a lot of info on doing it out there, but with your skills, could be right up your alley!

--Carl


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  #12  
Old 01-11-2007, 10:55 PM
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I would think with all the time/money saving instructions that used to be on your website (by the way what happened to all of those), you could make a few of the gadgets/fixtures such as the engraver for far cheeper than some of the other places are selling them. Or even making your own knife grinder. If you could keep it competitive with KMG's prices or even better them than I know you would get buisness.

I know my step-brother was looking into one of those hydro jet cutting machines, there is a little investment up front, but the pay off seems good, espically if you could find a source for rims and wheel blanks or even making blanks for kit knives.

I don't see them as much as I used to, but five acres is plenty big enough for a car salvage, and if you specialized in say corvettes or mustangs I know people who have driven cross country to find a part to restore theirs.

A guy I go to church with makes a very nice living making custom metal fences for private individuals and larger companies.

Or you could go with metal building fabrication. I know the couple that installed my parents made pretty good money because they had seven kids and both drove new vehicles, but then too she was pretty much all he had for a crew so there wasn't as much going out to pay salaries.

Real estate is always lucrative, you could join the house flipping sensation. Or, if you don't mind putting up with people and repairs, you could invest in some rental properties.

Personnaly my dream job would be training horses with my wife and building knives. But that's me. I guess the real key is finding something you love to do and figureing out how to make money at it.


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Old 01-12-2007, 07:21 AM
AcridSaint AcridSaint is offline
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Jayson sort of touched on what I was going to suggest, real estate. The only difference is that I would look into commercial properties. The owner of your company is going to know contractors, realtors... everyone. If he demos property then he's close enough to that industry to know who to ask about deals. Commercial realestate is *huge* money. Look at it like this, you look at a property appraised at 10M and purchase for 9.5M. 5% turnover isn't that high, but when it's $500,000 it's not too shabby. Use the banks money and your boss's credit to get low or no-money down deals. The name of the game for short-term realestate is to use someone else's money, because it increases your profit margins.

You already have a bit of expertise in this area and it's not difficult in most states to get qualified as a real estate agent. It's not hands-on or shop oriented, but that's one of a few things I would do if I had someone willing to invest in me.


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  #14  
Old 01-12-2007, 08:23 AM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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Buy a "gut-truck"--one of those mobile kitchens on wheels, hire a darn good cook that does authentic but simple mexican stuff, and make lunch and dinner time stops at all the warehouses, beer bottling plants, and other places with dozens and dozens of 18-wheelers waiting to load and unload, and you'd make a mint! A MINT I SAY!

I was a trucker for several years, and the gut-truck was like a visit from a favorite aunt that always showed up with goodies to eat!

Service industry pays very well..., for excellent service.


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  #15  
Old 01-12-2007, 12:32 PM
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1. A mailing/printing store.
2. a pizza place eat in w/delivery or take and bake
3. espresso coffe drive through hut(s)
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