[mark_roberts]

SO nobodys wanting to stay in carpet cleaning then.  Wonder why.

Mark

[Hilton]

I think the idea of the topic is other business ideas to run along side your current business,

[clarkson]

 hi
 i have been thinking of a coffee shop, there are two neros, 3 costas, and a coffe republic plus other independents.

 And i still line up  for a coffee, at 2.50. i counted in costa the other day there where 6 queing one woman spent 15
 another 12 the others drinks and cakes, 40 quid in minutes. i  know the over heads are massive but so is the spend.

 i think its down to rents on the premises you can get 2000 square feet, for 30,000 a year but in good location can be 100k pa. so you need the bargain where its busy but not top rents.

 got my eye on an empty bar nice wine bar fitted out. just a new coffee  machine of we go new tesco superstore opening up over the road so be busy next year.

 so any investors interested we need 100,000

 cheers

 john   
 
 

tesco's = costa, well it does where we are.
and now youve got costa machines in all or most shell garages.  and there latte's are TDF, lol

[Ian Gourlay]

mobile is the way to go with coffee shops........ carnivals, car boots, country fairs etc..etc

yeah I have been looking on Ebay for the equipment that fits in the back of a small hatch.

Even tried Google.

Found Ice Cream Bikes  Was thinking of Sandringham Estate but as John says local Mafia will want their cut

[Elfyn]

I would be a consultant. Not sure in what, but it's money for old rope.
I signed up, a couple of years ago, to a scheme that WAG was running to have your IT needs assessed.
A guy turned up at my workshop, we had a 20 min chat about computers and a cup of tea and left.
I was sent a copy of his consultation report and he'd writen down, almost word for word, my opinions on my computer needs (he had rurned it into a 5 page report though).
I later found out, by accident, that he was paid £500 for each one.

[Kinver_Clean]

Ian--- you mean our Phil??

[peter maybury]

I love carpet cleaning. I enjoy learning other things and have had several other businesses since being in carpet cleaning and to be honest I think that I am very good at what I do. With my business I have the equipment to take on anything and there is not any aspect of the business that I am not in control of.
Despite being in the sign business for 5 years the sign business employing 9 people at one time we were swamped by overheads and there were aspects of the business that I had to rely on other people for. Not many as, I have a lot of skills but I am not a graphic designer. I had excellent selling skill as being in business has taught me a lot. I think if you are looking for a fast easy buck it is not so easy to find. Any business takes time and dedication and I do not think that I can get a better return on my labour than carpet cleaning without sacryficing a lot of time and expenditure to go into a new field. My other interests took me away from my core business and impacted my turnover. I think that there are a lot of people in the carpet cleaning  business that expect to earn a lot of money without any knowledge or investment in descent equipment and these are the people that are doing the greatest damage to the industry. If you are goijng to go into anything you need to be professional, you cannot go to bed and wake up the next morning as something else.
Me I will stick with carpet cleaning. There may be other add ons but focus on your strenths.
Peter
www.carpetcleaningcardiff.com

[Paul Wade]

People say to me that they are thinking of the next best idea or you have to have something original, i dont agree, everybodys already done the next best idea unless your an inventor or something!

I think that you just look for something thats doing well and think how you can do it better!

Obviously training will come into it but everybody is capable of learning.

I also think if you could be bothered with the hours and late nights a pizza shop or take away or sandwich shop/coffee shop of some sort is probably one of the best money makers out there. I know a couple of people who have went this way, one has sold the business for a fortune and now owns a pub which he turned around to an unbelievable standard and is so busy its unreal, and i know hes making a fortune because he lives next door to my parents and hes been putting extensions on the extensions he already put on and the other one is still raking it in!

Cheers, Paul

[Carpet Dawg]

Who says you (the silent partner) has to do any of the late nights? 

[Paul Wade]

True enough like!

These days you normally find the Turkish and the whole family behind them in the same Pizza shop....

I actually say good luck to them cos we seem like we cant be arsed with it!

[Carpet Dawg]

Yeah, alot of older generation business people (mainly Asians etc) believe they cant run a business without being there 24/7. Mainly a trust issue.

You will undoubtedly lose some money and quailty leaving the business in the hands of someone else (very little with the right systems in place). But you cant scale up a business without employee's.

I know of several very wealth businessmen in my city that run several bars/resturants without ever being there. And half of them are as thick as  s h i t!  

Thats where the true money is! Putting in the intial investment and risk, and then letting other people work thier socks off lining your pockets (Smoking cigar smiley) Puts the earnings of the highest earning cc to shame...

Tony

[Paul Wade]

makes me think i wish i was that thick sometimes haha

[Carpet Dawg]

Luck, timing, street smarts and "who you know" plays a big part in it too.

[Paul Wade]

damn right it does mate......

everything ive done so far has been quite alright in the fact i seem to be able to get work quite easily, so im hoping this rubs off on the new carpet cleaning venture!

Did you read my post?

Im actually passing your way every 3 weeks at the most as my bairn lives up in Beith! u know where that is?

[Ian Rochester]

Some of you may be aware that I run a bike hire and transfer service up here, delivering bikes and people to Whitehaven, Edinburgh etc to do the C2C and other cycle routes, however I've now been told that I need to have a private hire licence in order to transport paying passengers!!

So on Tuesday I'm buying a 9 seater Fiat Scudo Combi, registering it as a private hire vehicle, putting myself and a couple of others through their taxi licencing and setting them away on a evening/weekend and we'll see how it goes, whatever comes in will be a bonus as it's primary purpose will be for the bikes and as an additional work vehicle if required. 

We already have 20+ bike transfer booking for it for 5+ people that I would previously have passed to another hire company, including a delivery to Ardrossen for some Americans who are doing a 9 day ride and then being picked up from John O Groats!

[Ian Gourlay]

Ian--- you mean our Phil??

But I do not want my head chopped off.

Last time I had Dinner with him I got pushed along the line by a lot of Ex Air Force Types

[Ian Gourlay]

Some of you may be aware that I run a bike hire and transfer service up here, delivering bikes and people to Whitehaven, Edinburgh etc to do the C2C and other cycle routes, however I've now been told that I need to have a private hire licence in order to transport paying passengers!!

So on Tuesday I'm buying a 9 seater Fiat Scudo Combi, registering it as a private hire vehicle, putting myself and a couple of others through their taxi licencing and setting them away on a evening/weekend and we'll see how it goes, whatever comes in will be a bonus as it's primary purpose will be for the bikes and as an additional work vehicle if required. 

Its a good job you did not come before my Committee i would have banned you before you started.

Is there no end to your Enterprise   Well done

We already have 20+ bike transfer booking for it for 5+ people that I would previously have passed to another hire company, including a delivery to Ardrossen for some Americans who are doing a 9 day ride and then being picked up from John O Groats!