re: What are some good small businesses to start for less than 50-75K?

I used to have a friends dad had one about 5 years ago. I think it will need to be in a high traffic area to make good returns. He didn't get much buisness and its kind of expensive to get it built.

Have you considered franchises? Subway can make some serious coin if you find a market that isn't already saturated. You won't make a killing on one, but can start with one and build from there.

If I could think of any other viable ones, I wouldn't be in this office right now.

Pappa murphys

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How successful are those automatic car washes people open up? How much are they to start? Obviously you would need the land to put one on.

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the one in opelousas seems to do well. it has 2 bays. about 10 bucks per wash. the bum that cleans up around there told me that they get about 4-500 cars a week. that seems a little high to me...

I enquired about the cost to build one from a company and they claimed about 125k per bay if I remember correctly. Plus I always see the one in opelousas being worked on. I also asked him if they recover the water and treat it but he said no, so I imagine the water bill is pretty high. regardless, if what he said was true you are looking at about 20k a month before costs.

I think the biggest problem with these washes is that they get dated after 5 or so years, which probably coincides with the time you finally have it paid off.

Car washes are not cheap, primo land is even more $$$

that's the thing I think that most people tend to forget about car washes. sure if you're interested in one of those smaller ones with maybe only 3 or 4 bays and a couple vacuums on about a half an acre of land (or less), then maybe you can do it for less than $50K. however to open one that will actually generate some revenue you're going to likely invest at least $250K.

it's not the individual "do it yourself" bays or the vacuums that cost big money. it's those fully automatic, fancy units that can cost a fortune. then like 504boy said above, have fun finding cheap land in a popular area.

Serious suggestion - suicide/homicide cleanup.

Nobody wants to do it, anyone who will gets paid. Most cities do not provide this service, it is almost always contracted out.

There was a story a few years ago about a husband/wife team in NYC making seven figures doing this. Surely in BR it doesn't pay that well but the pay has got to be incredibly good considering it is basically janitorial work.

Screw that, I've cleaned up trucks where guys had been hit by RPG's. Never again.

I think those lifts are pretty expensive and finding guys that aren't gonna frick up peoples vehicle for $10 an hour would present a problem too

As fast as those things are popping up somebody has to be making money, I don't know if it's the guy operating it or the one that sold it to him.