'Dead' end, or buried treasure?
 

Years ago, right here on SowP (I'm pretty sure I found it on here), I would visit the blog of a young man who wrote (and monetized) about out-of-the-ordinary businesses. Many of the bizes were the essence of the Side Hustle, before the term was even coined.

An interesting one ... just odd enough to have the appeal of candy, involved enterprising folk who used modern methods (gentle chemicals and tools) to rehab aging and ugly grave markers.

Yesterday, I tripped over a 5-year-old story in the Mansfield (CT) Patch about one such company. At the time, the couple's business was a month-old newborn.

Here's the story: https://patch.com/connecticut/mansfi...the-gravestone

Alas, as we know, quite often the businesses featured in these fluffy promotional stories often dry up and fail ... sometimes in short order. Curiously, and without a lot of optimism, I clicked on some links.

I was pleased to learn that the business, by all indications, appears to be strong and vital, having carved out a couple interesting sub-niches.

Clearly, this is the kind of "business" that isn't really a business at all. It is a "build your own job." But for this couple, who seem to get along well enough to work together, it looks like they have a decent job for both of them.

Best of all: No bosses! (OK, yes, when you are in business, EVERYBODY - all your customers and even prospective customers - are your boss. But in this case, you could even make the case that their "bosses" are all dead and buried!)

For me, it sounds like a lot of hard, hands-on work for not a lot of money. I can't imagine people are shelling out big bucks to brighten the tombstone on great grandma's grave.

In the pro column, somebody who enjoys the outdoors and working with their hands (and has a knack for attention to details), this could be a fun little Side Hustle.

And for the marketers out there, just imagine to potential for press coverage.

Newspapers and local digital media (like the Patch properties) should be easy picking!

The "buried treasure" in a "build your own job" type business...
 

Hi Robert,

Thanks - interesting topic!

About those "businesses" that sound like it's "building your own job"... Here are a couple of stories...

Earlier this week I met an entrepreneurial guy, who I've known for a while, but this is probably the first time I've chatted with him about his history.

He started working very young - around 5 years old, helping his Dad with his window washing business.

Eventually - when he was still a kid - he started his own window washing business...

Washing windows? Sounds very much like "build your own job"... You have to go around, and wash all your clients' windows... It's work.

At around age 15, he sold the business... I think it was for around $12,000. This was in the 1980s... Not bad money for a 15 year old kid in the 1980s!

That's one big difference with a job... You can't sell a job! But if you have a list of clients, who all regularly want their windows washed, you have a business you can sell...

He told me how his teachers were trying to persuade him to remain in school, because he was a smart guy, etc. But then, he inquired how much his teachers were making... And he found out he was making more money than his teachers were!

He switched over from washing windows to selling and installing security systems... Alarms, then security cameras.

From there, in the last few years he's developed a van which he decks out with the latest security gear. It has a huge pole out the roof of the van, with video cameras. It has a panel of screens inside, showing the video being captured by the cameras. He has a system where further video cameras can be installed on nearby trees, etc. It's a security system that can be instantly set up and used at festivals, large outdoor events, etc.

These vans sell for just under half a million dollars each. He told me he'd just done a deal to sell six of them to the police forces of a south-east Asian country. (I'm not sure if I should mention which country that is publicly.)

The key is, these "build your own job" businesses can also lead to other, bigger things...

Okay, a second story. There's a guy in Australia, named Jim. He started a small business mowing lawns.

That's another "build your own job" type of business... You have to physically mow the lawns of your clients.

However, Jim found he was quite good at generating new jobs with his advertising. Many others mowing lawns didn't advertise, or otherwise were not as good at generating jobs.

Jim found he was generating more jobs than he could handle himself. So, at first, he sold the jobs to other lawn mowing businesses.

So, not only was he making money mowing lawns, he was making extra money selling the extra jobs to other businesses.

He then changed his business model, and started a lawn mowing franchise business. He offered a great deal - he guaranteed each franchisee a certain amount of income every month. He felt he could offer this, because he had no trouble generating the jobs.

Nowadays, Jim Penman has a huge franchise business in Australia, called "Jim's Mowing." He's also now expanded into other areas (Jim's cleaning, Jim's antennas, Jim's fencing, etc.), as well as into other countries, such as New Zealand, the UK, and Canada.

You can see the boggling full range of franchises he offers now here (scroll down on the page)...

https://www.jims.net

I saw an article saying that, in 2012, Jim Penman's business (known as "Jim's Group") was worth around $50 million bucks... It would be worth more than that now...

The point? A "build your own job" type of business is not "really" like a job... First, it's something you can sell if you want to stop, whereas you can't sell your job! And furthermore, it can potentially build into something much larger...

Cheers!

Dien

Robert your post triggered some ideas
 

I read your post and wrote down 10 ideas for add-ons and related things.
This could be an excellent little moneymaker, with a residual element.
Definitely "fly low" and outsource the work.

I'm going to give it some thought and maybe do some testing. We'll see what happens.

Ron

PS I have found that there are many retired people looking for something to do. They are honest, competent, skilled, able to take instruction and complete things. They also have transportation. All I have to do is supply the opportunity. That's the easy part.

Re: The "buried treasure" in a "build your own job" type business...
 

Great post, Dien. Yes, you can build a job type of business or service business into a full blown business. Especially if you have any kind of marketing know how. Good marketing can take you from a dead stop to 60mph in record time.

I'm happy to hear that Jim Penman is doing so well. I think I first read about him from a link someone posted on this forum, some years ago.

He seems like a super nice guy and his story is very inspiring.

I hope you're feeling well these days, Dien.

Ron

Live wire vs dead end>
 

Our old friend SteveSki, pet photog extra-donaire did pretty well with a camera.

My point, for every guy out there cleaning tombstones, shoveling dog poo, washing windows, painting curbs...doing the MANUAL LABOR routine,

there is someone, somewhere,

taking pics, creating memories, selling products with high profits to those people who have money to spend on their kids, pets and friends.

A lot less digging to do to find some gold.

Gordon

Re: Live wire vs dead end>
 

Everybody runs around with a camera (phone) all day, but there is still some good money to be had providing "keepsakes of the now" for folks.

Any number of profit-able niches, including families (kid pix), pets, amateur athletes ... and of course the old standbys like weddings and portraits.

Think about it and something might "click," huh?

Thanks, you gave me an idea.
 

Thanks Robert J.

So, I was running around yesterday, camera in pocket (phone) and I went to bank, and Discount Drug Mart, my fav store, a sort of throwback to a Woolworth's, a bit of everything...

And I noticed at the counter they had a special, for 1.99 I can get an 8x10 COLLAGE printed.
Well, our downtown is being redone, and what was a pedestrian mall for 30 years is being opened to traffic, a 12 million dollar project.

I read your post and wondered, why am I not snapping pics along the way? What a great opportunity to CREATE a keepsake, mix in a few OLD 1975 pics with TODAY'S construction, and offer a COLLAGE.

Well, today and tomorrow, I'll be snapping and creating a few pics, and then maybe offer them at Alumni sites. My class had almost a 1000 kids in it, close to 3k in a 3 grade high school. With thousands of alumni, and a bit of nostalgia, I should be able to make it worth my while, just walking around as usual, but being AWARE I have a money maker in my pocket, if I choose to use it and my NOGGIN, and cheap ready to use technology. I'm going to blow the 8x10 up into a 18 x 24 poster, and see if that can be sold.

Good ideas are here, when people decide to post. We just never know what someone will do with these ideas.

Gordon

Here is an idea that someone might want to run with.
 

Here is an idea that someone might want to run with....I did this site and after doing it realized there was a pretty decent market for it, and a pretty fair profit for the time involved in doing the site...and the nice part is the leads are readily available and the content is basically given to you...all you have to know (or learn) is basic html to bring it all together.

I don't usually give my ideas away...but in reality my plate is full and overflowing, and I will most likely never get around to doing this for a profit...so perhaps a member here might see the opportunity present and want to persue it.

The site I am referring to is joyceforden.com

That's a great idea!
 

Thanks Cornell... That's a great business idea!

Best wishes,

Dien