Business Ideas

[Edina Street]

If you could do it, what would you do?

If I had land I would turn it into Edinburgh's first and only Pet Cemetery.

Given that people already pay hundreds of pounds to have their pets cremated, and pets die en mass every single day, why is it that there are only two pet cemeteries in Scotland? One in Cullen and one in Balmedie. Both in the Grampians.

Surely for someone with land, a Pet Cemetery in or around Edinburgh would make an absolute killing, and a good alternative to selling their siblings inheritance away to the next housing developer?

Why on Earth do we not have a Pet Cemetery? I think someone needs to open Edinburgh's first Pet Cemetery and call it Rainbow Bridge.

So, what would you do if you could?

[patch1875]

Wasn’t there one down seafield?

[Jack]

I wish I could develop apps.

Over the years I've had a few "good" ideas 😆

[Edina Street]

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Wasn’t there one down seafield?

Not in my life time. Must have been before the area flooded.

[Scouse Hibee]

Don’t open a chippy!

[Edina Street]

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I wish I could develop apps.

Over the years I've had a few "good" ideas 😆

I don't know why nobody as yet has not developed a website with board game apps where people can play each other for money. (Monopoly, Chess, Checkers, Scrabble et ecetera).

[Pretty Boy]

I've always wanted to run a walking tour business.

Do it properly. Well researched, minimal gimmicks, a real delve into the social history of Edinburgh. Leave the Harry Potter, Greyfriars Bobby and ghosts to others (no disrespect to them, many do it very well).

It's something I plan to look into a bit further when my kids are a bit older. Do it as a second job at first and see how it goes from there. Tbh the actual research and 'performance' element doesn't worry me at all. It's the web side, online bookings etc that I'd struggle with.

[Bridge hibs]

Nothing that will ever make me millions but Im very handy and creative so more of a niche thing. Im buying a “man” shed when I retire and Im going to make bird boxes, bird tables and small childrens toys, the toys I will likely donate for free but the other stuff probably online sales or sell at market stalls

[Smartie]

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Don’t open a chippy!

We could have a separate thread where we warn folk off doing what we do because the reality is very different to how it looks from the outside.

Funny you mention having a chippy - that’s one of the lines of work that has featured in the papers quite regularly lately in relation to the struggle to make ends meet - and it sounds really, really tough. I own my own business and the past few years of rising costs and staff recruitment and retention issues make me look around at the business landscape and wonder how anyone actually manages to make a living and stay sane.

[Edina Street]

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We could have a separate thread where we warn folk off doing what we do because the reality is very different to how it looks from the outside.

Funny you mention having a chippy - that’s one of the lines of work that has featured in the papers quite regularly lately in relation to the struggle to make ends meet - and it sounds really, really tough. I own my own business and the past few years of rising costs and staff recruitment and retention issues make me look around at the business landscape and wonder how anyone actually manages to make a living and stay sane.

There are success stories however. Just as everyone else in the Private Hire Business were selling up and calling a day on Taxis, a certain owner of a certain PHC firm came along with just a couple of cars at what people said was the worsed time possible to start a taxi business and today the company are well advertised at Easter Road Stadium, and have had adverts on the television.

The owner is a genius in my opinion, and one of the big strokes of genius imo was something as simple as the unique telephone number.

Also the name of the Taxi company was important.

But the owner does not seem afraid to spend what many would say is an insane amount of money in order to accumulate.

The same could be said about the Chip shop industry. There are at least two chip shop owners currently in Edinburgh right now that made their million from the industry.

How did they succeed where others did not? That is the philosophies that entrepreneurs need to hack in to.

[CropleyWasGod]

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There are success stories however. Just as everyone else in the Private Hire Business were selling up and calling a day on Taxis, a certain owner of a certain PHC firm came along with just a couple of cars at what people said was the worsed time possible to start a taxi business and today the company are well advertised at Easter Road Stadium, and have had adverts on the television.

The owner is a genius in my opinion, and one of the big strokes of genius imo was something as simple as the unique telephone number.

Also the name of the Taxi company was important.

But the owner does not seem afraid to spend what many would say is an insane amount of money in order to accumulate.

.

Are they doing well, though? I can't see any accounts online.

[Edina Street]

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Are they doing well, though? I can't see any accounts online.

I finished with that game in 2016. They were doing well until they lost me.






Or maybe it was Covid that gave them a hit.

[CropleyWasGod]

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I finished with that game in 2016. They were doing well until they lost me.






Or maybe it was Covid that gave them a hit.

Are you talking about Beep Beep? They haven't been trading a year yet.

[patch1875]

Capital cars? Not sure they are that great of you speak to the drivers.

[Edina Street]

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Capital cars? Not sure they are that great of you speak to the drivers.

They feed their own cars? I can understand how a Taxi controller on a 50/50 that is sitting there watching their own cars on GPS might be tempted to feed them. However there are other reasons why a Taxi driver may find a job going to number two on the zone. Such as a female phoning up asking specifically for the company to not send number one on the zone because the driver is creepy.

[Since90+2]

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There are success stories however. Just as everyone else in the Private Hire Business were selling up and calling a day on Taxis, a certain owner of a certain PHC firm came along with just a couple of cars at what people said was the worsed time possible to start a taxi business and today the company are well advertised at Easter Road Stadium, and have had adverts on the television.

The owner is a genius in my opinion, and one of the big strokes of genius imo was something as simple as the unique telephone number.

Also the name of the Taxi company was important.

But the owner does not seem afraid to spend what many would say is an insane amount of money in order to accumulate.

The same could be said about the Chip shop industry. There are at least two chip shop owners currently in Edinburgh right now that made their million from the industry.

How did they succeed where others did not? That is the philosophies that entrepreneurs need to hack in to.

I'd genuinely be interested to know what chippy owners are making millions. Only one that sprung to mind was Tony Crolla but I'd not class Berties as a chip shop.

[Billy Whizz]

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Don’t open a chippy!

Or in my case, don’t open a Juice Bar

[CropleyWasGod]

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Capital cars? Not sure they are that great of you speak to the drivers.

Their accounts suggest they're not in a good way.

[Edina Street]

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I'd genuinely be interested to know what chippy owners are making millions. Only one that sprung to mind was Tony Crolla but I'd not class Berties as a chip shop.

The term millionaire is a throw away term. But Giovannis and Javits can't be doing to bad. Growing and branching out.

And the Crolla's have more investment in Liverpool than they do Edinburgh. So whilst owning Berties may not seem all that impressive, Berties is only a spoke on a wheel which spans at least two different cities.

I only know this because I once had a person in a taxi I was driving that was sent from Crolla's in Liverpool to work for the Crolla's in Edinburgh, and the person did nothing but complain about how rubbish Edinburgh is compared to Liverpool.

Apart from that I have absolutely no information about their operations.

[Bridge hibs]

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The term millionaire is a throw away term. But Giovannis and Javits can't be doing to bad. Growing and branching out.

And the Crolla's have more investment in Liverpool than they do Edinburgh. So whilst owning Berties may not seem all that impressive, Berties is only a spoke on a wheel which spans at least two different cities.

I only know this because I once had a person in a taxi I was driving that was sent from Crolla's in Liverpool to work for the Crolla's in Edinburgh, and the person did nothing but complain about how rubbish Edinburgh is compared to Liverpool.

Apart from that I have absolutely no information about their operations.

Giovannis only have the chippy in Northfield, what other places do they have ?

[Edina Street]

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Giovannis only have the chippy in Northfield, what other places do they have ?

Well it is not a secret that they bought the Barracuda and changed the name to Northfield Fry. So they actually own two chippies in Northfield. One on Northfield Broadway near Scotties, and another that might just be classed as a Franchise, at the other end of Northfield Broadway near the ex Right Wing.

How many other Franchises they have I don't know, but two alone in Northfield.

[matty_f]

I would love to do my podcast full time. I tried to start a business doing leadership training after being made redundant last year, but some illness in the family meant I had to sack that idea and go back into full time employment.

If it wasn’t the podcast i had a coffin rental business idea with Colin, or a proper nice burger van.

[Edina Street]

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I would love to do my podcast full time. I tried to start a business doing leadership training after being made redundant last year, but some illness in the family meant I had to sack that idea and go back into full time employment.

If it wasn’t the podcast i had a coffin rental business idea with Colin, or a proper nice burger van.

We need to find someone with land to build Rainbow Bridge. You modify your idea for human coffins, and instead make small pet coffins. Then all we need to do is find a pet transporter that will extend their services to include pets that are not currently living.

[Stubbsy90+2]

Played golf abroad recently and can only think they make serious money renting out clubs.

Rented out clubs from a company not affiliated to a course, couple of folk got the top of the range for £125 for 2 days. Presumably the whole set would have cost about £2k or so, so you’d make it back fairly quickly.

I rented cheaper ones which were £65 for a set that costs £950. So about 15 days rental and they’re paid for. Obviously more to it than that but it seemed an opportunity to make a good amount of money if you’re place somewhere popular for golf.

[Bridge hibs]

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Well it is not a secret that they bought the Barracuda and changed the name to Northfield Fry. So they actually own two chippies in Northfield. One on Northfield Broadway near Scotties, and another that might just be classed as a Franchise, at the other end of Northfield Broadway near the ex Right Wing.

How many other Franchises they have I don't know, but two alone in Northfield.

Yeah they bought the Barracuda as it was pumping their business along the road, they have now closed that one down so back to one chippy and all the business back to their joint

Most likely the former Barracuda building will be raised to the ground as part of the building development of the former Right Wing site

[Edina Street]

1. A Brass Neck
2. A Sand Bag
3. A Sand Castle Bucket
4. Mortar
5. Sand coloured texture spray
6. A table to sell the sand castles on Portobello Promenade in the Summer.

[Edina Street]

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Yeah they bought the Barracuda as it was pumping their business along the road, they have now closed that one down so back to one chippy and all the business back to their joint

Most likely the former Barracuda building will be raised to the ground as part of the building development of the former Right Wing site

Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained!

And if Giovannis really have closed the NFF so soon after buying it, then they have made a terrible mistake given how much the Edinburgh council will be willing to give them in compensation to build their Student Appartments.

JB Stores got saved by the council. Apart from Shirley's Deli, they were unable to compete with Tesco Express. But JB stores branching away from the Londis franchise did turn into an accidental sound investment.

[Edina Street]

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I've always wanted to run a walking tour business.

Do it properly. Well researched, minimal gimmicks, a real delve into the social history of Edinburgh. Leave the Harry Potter, Greyfriars Bobby and ghosts to others (no disrespect to them, many do it very well).

It's something I plan to look into a bit further when my kids are a bit older. Do it as a second job at first and see how it goes from there. Tbh the actual research and 'performance' element doesn't worry me at all. It's the web side, online bookings etc that I'd struggle with.

Being a tour guide is definitely an ideal occupation for a history buff. You could try contacting cruise ship companies about offering shore tours. You could possibly make enough money from only having to work when a cruise ship arrives on the Firth of Forth that you could just leave the administration side of things to them.

Building a website is actually surprisingly easy however. Had I realised just how easy it was, I would have ventured into business a lot sooner than I did.

Having said that, web designers are certainly not put out of business by me.

[Smartie]

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Played golf abroad recently and can only think they make serious money renting out clubs.

Rented out clubs from a company not affiliated to a course, couple of folk got the top of the range for £125 for 2 days. Presumably the whole set would have cost about £2k or so, so you’d make it back fairly quickly.

I rented cheaper ones which were £65 for a set that costs £950. So about 15 days rental and they’re paid for. Obviously more to it than that but it seemed an opportunity to make a good amount of money if you’re place somewhere popular for golf.

Now you mention it - I was speaking to a mate from school at a wedding recently. He now lives in Scottsdale Arizona and coaches “soccer” for a living. I’d noticed that a few years back he’d put a few bits and pieces up about helping folk who wanted to go on holiday and go to the Phoenix Open. He said it was a mini side hustle he’d been half interested in but not really taken anywhere.

I thought there was definite mileage in that business. The Phoenix open is a fairly unique golf event that is a bit wild and young folk love - which culminates the same day as the Super Bowl.

I could definitely get on board with putting together itineraries around a booze soaked trip to sample some American Sport at it’s best - and I was surprised he’d just let it slide.

[Moulin Yarns]

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Nothing that will ever make me millions but Im very handy and creative so more of a niche thing. Im buying a “man” shed when I retire and Im going to make bird boxes, bird tables and small childrens toys, the toys I will likely donate for free but the other stuff probably online sales or sell at market stalls

I started my yarn dyeing business before I retired and do very little online business but word of mouth and Google drives customers to my studio. I open Easter to September 4 days a week as well as local markets and craft fairs.

Today I was asked to open for a group of Americans from Michigan, 24 customers on a trip to Scotland and I'm a happy bunny, now have to replace what they bought!! 😁