What Type of Business Would You like to Have? JFF

I owned a business, it kicked my butt. I'm not a good "captain", but I'm a great "First Mate".

A business I would love would be an Autism Employment Advocacy Liason. If I could get paid to connect qualified autistic individuals to businesses that could benefit from having them as employees, while educating the businesses on managing/working around the potential social/communication challenges that crop up, I'd be one happy mama.

I don't think I'd be a good type to be a business owner.
I couldn't sell water in a desert.
I just don't have the marketing gene.

I would love to do party planning...it incorporates two of my favorite things...partying and spending other people's money...LOL

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Marie, I've done your dream, and yes, you don't want to do that at home. Found myself telling myself "stop working!" at 8pm one too many times....

I'd like millionaires to pledge to pay me for reading books, cheap trashy magazines and watching tv on a chaise lounge while sipping martinis or G&T's, depending on the season. Yep, fantasy-land!

Yeah Veruca, they do seem to have some "flexible" hours.

I joke with my husband about opening an underground restaurant. He is an amazing cook. Only in the summer, patio seating, best BBQ around. But then I get lazy and it never happens....

Yes, I have always wanted to own a small shop, but I have also worked in retail for over 30 years and know better.

Before anyone owns a business, they should actually work in a similar business for a at least a year. Or start off renting a space in a small shop and sell your items there to see how well they sell. Consider cooping with other like minded people and this way you all can share the work load, but still do your own thing.

Around the country Food Trucks are popping up. All sorts of versions of them..

A small trailer selling wine and appetizers for on the spot! Happy hours could be really cool around business centers that have lots of young adults.

String up lights, have up and coming singers perform..
Example. Here in Austin On Mondays, close to the Dell Computer Campus, Then on Tuesdays close to The Logic Computer Company, then Wed, at a gathering of Traveling food trailers that meet up in special areas of town.. Oh lord, I need to stop. This is how I get into trouble, helping people start businesses!

I used to manage a store with a dear friend. One of our clients and her best friend purchased a local shop one August and we were shocked. We had no idea she was interested in retail.

In November she called us crying saying she had no idea how hard it would be. She had to be there every hour that the shop was open and could not find help that would actually show up.. as well as all of the paperwork, ordering, pricing. Then she was not able to go to her kids events with school, or after school. She had to order Thanksgiving meals. Then she had not put up her Christmas Tree or decorated her home for the holidays! We laughed and told her we totally understood.

She said, "I bought this store because you 2 make it seem like so much fun!".. We told her, we had been in retail so long, that we knew the sacrifices and so did our families. The actual owners of this store? They had never had children.. The store was their life. We reminded this woman about his and it all dawned on her.

She closed down the business right after New Years.

Micky,

My girlfriend opened her own consignment shop after a house fire. It's HARD work...

I would love to own a shooting range - teach people about guns, gun safety and give them a safe place to come to fire weapons...

Another thing I would love to do?? own an RV Campground. I know the liability and insurance is NOT cheap....it's hard work....but it would be soo much fun!!

My husband would love to own a Bed & Breakfast with a bar...and yep...have a shooting range on it...and offer courses like mud runners or rugged racers - just not at 12K length...use the KISS method - allow people to get away from it all and burn off energy with strategy and energy...

I would love to run a day care. (Not home-based, but in it's own building. Maybe even extend it to a preschool.) I had to write a career paper and chose hat as my topic, so I know just what it takes to do so. I'm currently in school getting my degree in business management, and my school has a good early childhood education department, so I'm thinking about going for a degree in that as well when I graduate next Spring. Maybe someday I can make my dream a reality. :)

We do own our company. It's hard work and very rewarding. The bad part is you never quit working because it's a 24/7 job.

We are in the raw materials industry ( plastics) and we are quite pleased with our growth.

I would like to operate a coffee/tea bar that has baked goods.

I love to bake, I make cakes for friends and family birthdays.

My husband keeps talking about wanting to open a restaurant...my daughter is an amazing baker and my boys make the best food critics! Ha!!

There is a place about an hour north of us for painting pottery pieces...called That Pottery Place. I'd LOVE to have something like that more local.

But I know I don't want a work from home or own my own business kind of set up right now. I worked from home before and I found myself working all the time. Now, when I leave the office, I don't think about work. I like it better that wy.

I always thought there should be a sports equipment exchange.
Like charge a yearly membership fee--donate soccer shoes, get a bigger pair when they're outgrown for like a buck or two ( plus your donation).
Soccer shoes, baseball cleats, football shoes, bats, gloves, hockey pads, etc.

Opening a gluten-free bakery where the "stuff" actually tastes good.

All the bakeries I know do not carry any gluten free items :(

Actually, it was a longtime dream of mine to own my own construction company. A few years ago, it became a reality! My husband and I work together, and our niche is commercial tenant improvements. I wouldn't trade my job for anything, but I will say that it can be very stressful at times. Recently, we needed to hire additional employees right at the time when one of our biggest clients was very late in paying a big chunk of invoices. I don't think I slept at all for about a week worrying about what we were going to do. Thankfully we were able to resolve it, and business is great. What I love the most is that I have flexibility in my work schedule. That was something I sorely lacked when I worked for other people!

I'd be a writer. That's like your own business, right?

Two things: and bed and breakfast with a bistro...or a cafe that sells pasties and cakes.

A book store with an attached wine bar. Cute cafe where you could actually SEE a real live book on paper.

My husband and I owned a wholesale and retail bakery. It was hard hard work. Now I'm the CEO of a for-purpose organisation. Over the Christmas period I contracted a consultant for three months to do a project for me. When he finished he was excited to open up a real-estate agents. Yesterday he came back to me and said he hated it, and wanted to work for a not-for-profit as it was so fulfilling.

What I do a little of now, between a full and part time job - Non Profit Consulting and Grant Writing. I am damn good at it, with a great reputation in my area - but the economy is killing the industry. Sigh.

Catching up with this site and like this question!
I'd love to have a business that some how helps increase the self esteem of teens that are/have been abused. I feel passionate about helping kids feel better about themselves despite harsh situations they've been through.
I'd also love to have a non profit that helps find homes for older dogs. My heart goes out to dogs who've been taken to shelters. It breaks my heart!
To sum it up, I'd love a business where i can make a difference!!

I always thought it would be fun to have my own small business being a wedding planner..that is until I watched a few episodes of Bridezilla! Nope, I don't have the patience for that :)

A. photography
or
B. bed and breakfast

If you want to be in the service industry, work in it for 10 years before even considering opening your own business. This applies to B&Bs, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, etc...
My husband and I run a pop up restaurant - we rent out existing restaurant space and bring in our own staff and inventory and serve once a week on a day the restaurant is closed. We are lucky, we are the only gig in town that serves this type of food (no competition), we have very little overhead, and the books are easy to keep since I don't really have any employees. Before this, my husband owned a pizza shop, and it ran our lives, not the other way around. He now works two other jobs beside our pop up gig, and we both agree that there are pros and cons to working for other people.
Eventually we will own our own place again, something full time so he can quit his other jobs, when the kids are out of high school. This is not an easy industry to be in, but since we've BEEN in it for 12 years, we pretty much know what to do and not do to make it successful. But it was not easy getting to this point. It's one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had, but just because you are a good cook doesn't make you a good restaurant owner. In fact often the two are mutually exclusive, one person needs to run the business and the front of the house and one person needs to run the kitchen. We are lucky that we love to work together and we have complimentary skills, neither one of us could do this alone, but it is also the most strenuous, back-breaking, exhausting work. Read Kitchen Confidential if you want to own a restaurant. It's all true lol!

I'd love to run a daycare facility for infants and toddlers up to age 2 only. That age is my favorite as they learn something new every single day.