Business Ideas for Coming Times

[campandtravel]

I want to start with what this thread is *not* because people got confused last time I tried something like this. I am not asking for recommendations on work I could do or jobs I could get. I am not asking for a stock tip.

Any time in history, including a crisis like serious depressions and wars, there are people who come out on top or at least not as far down as the average. Looking back it's always easy to say why that worked. The people who profited from the gold rush sold pickaxes instead of panning for gold. Someone got the idea to import silk from china, or to build a ferry across a lake, or to grow turnips instead of potatoes. Whatever. Know what I mean?

So I'd like to open this thread up for people to brainstorm economic activities, businesses, trades, hustles that they imagine will help people thrive in coming times. Not stuff that you could do now, definitely not anything that relies on big tech and big government and big pharma (so no suggestions to be a Youtuber or pharma rep please), and not just ways to hunker down and survive as though it will be possible to shut out the world, but new ways to interact with the world that is arriving that will leave you in a good position later.

Let's see what brainstorming skills this forum has.

I'll start with my thoughts which is not very original I'm sorry to say. But it's to learn how to sew, mend, patch, fix, oil, grease, refurbish, etc. everything you can. So that means stocking up on the tools of that trade while it's affordable and available.

Also, develop a barter network as much as you can. Start today by posting on craigslist what skills you have and what you're looking for. Post a note at the local supermarket too. Whatever it is you can do - oil changes? Hemming and sewing? Tutoring? Hauling stuff in your truck? Catering? Figure it out and put up your posts this week, why not?

Okay your turn.

 

[tmttactical]

I started a local knife sharpening business. Slow going but does also open up some possible networking. People like to talk while I sharpen their knives.

 

[Jim Costa]

My family & heirs will be sitting on a lot of precious metals on the backside of this.
People can have two money problems: Not enough and too much. On the backside they will have the latter.

I am writing a procedure manual on how they can become the local investors in other local enterprises because the banks will have shut down.
New businesses will need investment capital. This will most likely come from local persons with too much money.

The manual will teach them how to qualify investments, how to legally secure assets and real estate as collateral; how to watch their investments and help them succeed. The success for local businesses is paramount for the community to thrive. If property must be repossessed than the investor has failed to support their investment "partner".

 

[Jim Costa]

My sons have inventoried metal, tools and equipment to open a welding shop.
They have some experience in that area.

They have a 50 foot by 50 foot steel building that can be used.
They have a dump trailer and an assortment of other trailers for that purpose.
One has a portable welding rig.

When the time is right they can come together and begin.

 

[Jim Costa]

As a former CPA, a CPA friend of mine asked for my view of the future of the CPA practices in a world without complex taxation (assuming we go to a sales tax in place of personal income taxes).

I gave him this:

Proposal
Future CPA Practices
JFC 10/24/21​

Problem:
As we go through the US Governmental and Financial Collapse and Reset, what will be the future for the CPA practices?

Facts and Assumptions:
1) Certain Industries Will Collapse:

Commercial Banks;
IRS & State Taxing authorities,

Financial Investing & Wall Street;

Universities, hospitals and legal system will collapse and recreate themselves.


2. Major global corporations will collapse leaving a vacuum for local small business growth by for the most part, unskilled business management persons from those industries.

3. Start-up Capital will be abundant. With the banks gone local investors will be required. There will be plenty of newly wealthy persons from the Reset if accomplished by the good guys. They will need a place to invest their funds in outside of the failed banking and Wall Street systems.

4. Most new companies fail for two reasons: Lack of Capital and/or Fast Growth.

5. CPA firms will fail because they will loose their big customers write-up service due to client bankruptcy resulting from the economic change and the CPAs will loose revenue from tax service because it will no longer be needed.

6. Newly founded small businesses will be unable to locate the skilled business leader to cover for the owner’s lack of experience in those areas of business because one those persons are few and secondly the owner won’t be able to afford them full time. At best he will have to bring in one as a business partner, again expensive.

7. A newly formed business will create itself and will later realize it needs a business manager.

8. The skillsets needed by the foundling businesses will not be in one person but rather a team of persons – a consultant team.


The Plan:

Create a consulting firm offering the skillsets needed.

Work for cash or barter.

Offer non-compete guarantees to customers. Thus a car lot need not be concerned you are also helping his competition.


Services Offered:

Management of their bookkeeper;

Production and interpretation of financial statements, Cash Flow, growth, etc.;

Budgeting and Cash Flow forecasting;

Business law, Banking & Finance; Contracting

Organization Change & Human Resource assistance,
(Matching management style with changes in the company.);

Computer Assistance, Spreadsheet programming, free software, etc.

Business Trends, Prediction;

Critical Thinking;

Creating the Future (the Secret / Law of Attraction) & Remote Viewing;

Advising the client in all ways, an unofficial Board of Directors for advice.


Pros:

Business office not required.

Minimum Capital Investment.

Utilizes your business experience.


Cons:

Lots of learning/study needed.

 

[DrHenley]

Ideally, the job of "Tax Accountant" should not even exist. Especially for individuals. You should not have to hire someone to figure out how much tax you owe. We don't need to hire a tax accountants to tell us how much sales tax we need to pay when we go to the supermarket.
The problem is these people make so much money off of the Byzantine tax laws, they can't allow their livelihoods to vanish, so they will fight tooth and nail to prevent any major simplification of the tax code.
And the government uses the tax code as a social reward system to reward behavior they deem "good" and to punish behavior they deem "bad." They aren't going to just give up that powerful tool without a fight.

 

[Jim Costa]

Warm & Fuzzy Businesses.

Some local businesses will begin that are more like friends networking and working together on an as needed basis when there is work to be done. They will not have store fronts.

The new corporate economic system created after the Collapse by local communities will not be cash hungry like its outside cousin corporations. Nor will it be burdened by wages, taxes, worker’s compensation insurance and large overhead. It will be a lean, mean non-cash hungry machine that can cherry pick the profitable business contracts and take them away from the large established businesses.

These Ad Hoc businesses might be viewed as partnerships coming together just to work one contract/job at a time.
They might be formed and reformed continually.

It will be like genetically creating a new small, warm fuzzy animal similar to a rabbit to be released into the jungle. It will not be very hungry. It will just sit in the bushes. But when it does get hungry it will be able to easily devour any lion it chooses.

 

[Jim Costa]

Biden Economy a Boon For Pawn Shops.
Project Patriot Article

 

[Jim Costa]

Campandtravel: Thanks for opening this thread – it is much needed.

There may be two ways to project the future of jobs. One is the Deep state wins and we are forever in a depression and owned by the bankers and corporate giants. The second is the elites lose, we are in a period of economic chaos for a year or two then work our way back out of it.

I foresee and plan on the latter. The government will be greatly reduced and many codes and legal requirements will go up in smoke. Most corporate giants will collapse such as Walmart and Home Depot. All of this will require local communities to bring up their own businesses to fill those vacuums. So the business possibilities will be wide open.

However, gone will be most speculative credit lending such as for expensive housing or business start-ups.

Here is a rough suggestion of business needs in community that might be considered.

Local on-line free newspaper to unite the community. It might be funded by a grant.
It’s purpose is to gain and pass out community information to create a vibrant healthy and wealthy atmosphere for the future.

That newspaper could spin off a job bank of work needed, contractors to be called upon and workers to fill positions.

Bulk Purchasing agent. If materials and supplies continue to be backlogged perhaps bulk ordering or sending a truck elsewhere to purchase might be in order.

Local Insurance Coverage. Perhaps a lot of insurance companies will collapse in the chaos so now local Insurance business can be started.

Holistic Healing might be in order if there is a collapse and reorganization of the current medical industrial industry.

Local Consumer Supported Farming is way overdue. Subscribers will supply the seed & fertilizer to the farmers in place of the current banking systems. Orders will be placed a season early so the farmer knows what to plant. Instead of cash payments some may provide volunteer labor.

Local Currency can be created. This will enhance bartering. This will require a banker to maintain the system. Local citizens will create currency by signing their IOUs and later redeeming them. This is how currency created the wealth of the U.S. until England tried to outlaw it and resulted in the American revolution.

Business Development business that will bring the money, the entrepreneurs and future employees together and help them organize themselves and get off the ground. If there is a shortage of windows to be had perhaps they could assist someone locally to get permission to salvage windows from derelict buildings for example.

Before squealing that some of the above may be against the law consider that if the government downsizes and we go back to more Common Law the Code Law the above may not be against the law.

This is just a few things to be considered. Remember that we are entering new times that will open up new opportunities for those the look.

 

[jduggan620]

Martial Arts training will be valuable to you and the community. It creates order and alliances.

 

[jduggan620]

Herbs of all kinds will be in demand, especially recreational ones. Alternative medicine.

 

[jduggan620]

Electric energy via solar panels and wind generators could be a big business.

 

[jduggan620]

Hydroponic grow systems. Organic fertilizers.

 

[Antidavos]

depending on where your mind is, if you believe in the reset and economic collapse. push bikes mechanics are going to be in demand as are bikes we have already planned on wveryone in the family using bikes and backpacks to and from the store while we can still buy items, if we bug out the bikes will be use to travel the property, with associated repair kits and spare parts. animal and gardening knowledge with become invaluable as will preserving food. don't assume people know what you know. being able to build and repair animals pen will help

 

[Antidavos]

Hydroponic grow systems. Organic fertilizers.

I've thought about this, problem is power for the pump and money to buy the liquid fertiliser

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

Providing housing....boarding houses were a thing from the Great Depression. Widows would often rent out rooms to single men or women in exchange for lowered rent payments and perhaps some "fix it" work around the property.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

For ideas, all you really have to do is look at the Great Depression, people were doing things like putting another wage earner(s) into the market.

Women, then, largely, were not working outside of the home or farm so, during the depression, many of them began doing for others what they had always done in the home (sewing, baking, child care, cleaning homes of wealthy people). Children, even the young, were put to work and no one complained.

My father was born in the first half of the 1920’s. By 8 he was delivering papers, shining shoes and mowing lawns (with a manual mower not a motorized one). The money he made was given to help support the entire family, as was that of his two older brothers. Once a week they might be given a penny or two to buy a piece of candy in town.

Each morning before school, the three of them were given a rifle and told to get breakfast/lunch/dinner. If they scored big, the excess was sold to a neighbor or someone in town before the end of day. They had a small icebox and ice cost money, so throwing it in a big modern freezer was not an option. There was not a guarantee that my grandmother would have time or money for the supplies that day to do any canning because she was also out working.

The family was losing farm land every year, sold to pay property taxes. Eventually, all that was left was the barn and about 5 acres. Land was the one thing that still had marketable value and sold easily.

They turned to raising guinea pigs and rats to sell to the labs for experiments. They had a cow for milk and chickens for eggs. The excess of which was traded or sold to the towns people, or at the local market IF they were buying that day. They were hardly the only ones selling their produce.

Firewood was also another commodity that they had while they still had property. People then, unlike today, almost all had wood fireplaces in homes.

 

[DrHenley]

Firewood was also another commodity that they had while they still had property. People then, unlike today, almost all had wood fireplaces in homes.

Cutting and splitting firewood should be in high demand. Make sure you cut the oak logs before they season if you have to use a manual saw.

 

[Jim Costa]

Entrapment.

If you live in one of the eight states most impacted by SCOTUS Thursday by their Conceal Carry ruling go trolling.
This is especially true of New York.

If you are not a convicted felon, on probation or a declared nut, strap on a gun and go outside.

If arrested for violation of the gun law, then sue the arresting officers and police authority for
False Arrest, Violation of Civil Rights and False Imprisonment, all in civil court.

Wait for a week first so officers can be trained and leaving them no excuse.
This can be done up to the time the state passes a new gun control law to replace the one just outlawed.

 

[campandtravel]

Just doing a quick summary so far. I think we have

- bike mechanic (@Antidavos)

- gardening and husbandry consulting && pen construction & repair (@Antidavos)

- food preservation consulting (@Antidavos) [- I could really use this personally!]

- firewood processing (@dr_henley)

- welding shop (@JimCosta - though no explanation why this is going to be more important than it is now?)

There were a couple of things that @jduggan620 said but they were kind of scattered, not really answers or suggestions, sort of incomplete thoughts. Please feel free to develop those thoughts, they seemed interesting! For example, "Martial Arts training will be valuable to you and the community. It creates order and alliances" is a statement but it is not a point. Are you saying that becoming a martial arts instructor is a good business idea? If so, please state that and develop the thought. Etc.

There was also some other talk that didn't cohere into ideas but if that changes I'd love to hear it. The mention of a local online newspaper for example - what about it? We can create an online newspaper in 4 hours for $20.00 and do it today. But why? For what purpose? What is the actual idea you are trying to convey? Etc.

And I have no idea what the comment about gun laws was for. The title was "Entrapment". Are you suggesting that commiting entrapment against the police is a good business idea? Are you just making a political point in a non-political thread? Please don't do that.

 

[Cindyd]

I have no idea what the state of things will be either locally, nationally or worldwide...so all I can think of is generally speaking... as in services along the lines of necessities that will always be in need: Providing food and means to prepare. Water, shelter, health care, safety/security/including protection from environmental elements, disposal of waste, transportation, communication...

Unless there is a heaven on earth...these things will seemingly always be in demand. Not much of an answer but not sure a grand plan could be made unless you know what circumstances will be ahead of time...be ready to think fast on feet for providing the necessities to self and others. I like the martial arts idea, the firewood, the herbs/holistic ideas, organic fertilizers, solar, etc. Lots of good ideas I see presented here. I really hadn't thought about having business ideas due to thinking only about how will I/we survive...I know I'm not answering your question but It's a good one to think about and I'm liking some of the ideas offered up...
How about running shine?



Ya never know! Likely not to go out of style anytime soon!

 

[Cindyd]

I meant to put a smiley (or 3) on that post!

 

[Jim Costa]

There was also some other talk that didn't cohere into ideas but if that changes I'd love to hear it. The mention of a local online newspaper for example - what about it? We can create an online newspaper in 4 hours for $20.00 and do it today. But why? For what purpose? What is the actual idea you are trying to convey? Etc.

And I have no idea what the comment about gun laws was for. The title was "Entrapment". Are you suggesting that commiting entrapment against the police is a good business idea? Are you just making a political point in a non-political thread? Please don't do that.

Campandtravel:

First let me apologize for the poor joke. No, it was not political but rather a legal joke. Thursday when SCOTUS ruled on the gun control issue, the SC nullified the NY gun law. That afternoon someone posted an article quoting a mayor somewhere saying their community would ignore the court's ruling. That prompted my poor joke as in a normal world one doesn't ignore the Supreme Court and survive financially from that experience.

I do a lot of serious writing and sometimes I can't resist having a little fun.

Now to answer your second question, the purpose of the newspaper is to begin organizing a community to mitigate its suffering. The payoff for doing so is it will create many ventures that will both help the community and pay your salary. Many of the ventures will probably draw grants to fund them, including creating the newspaper once it begins to materialize and demonstrate its purpose and possibility.

I have already created a website that details all of this and can be freely used as a blueprint by others to start with. No money changes hands. All support will be provided with like minded communities creating their own support groups for mutual assistance.

Note that the home page states a $100 annual membership. That is not true. It is so that recipients of an invitation letter will be thrown in the trash if it is free, whereas if $100 is stated the reader will give it a quick look to determine if it is worth spending someone else's $100.

Note that one person doesn't have to do it all. Form your own founding group to assist in the undertaking.
If you are not a mover and shaker no problem. When the time is right present the idea to one who is and hook your wagon to their wagon.

See: link Be sure to see: Program Options and Program Details

 

[campandtravel]

Hi Jim, I've decided to put you on Ignore. I don't have time for bologna, and if your posts here are not bad enough I did read your website. Or try to. Wow. (Also it's a Wix website with a gmail contact address - from the person who suggested a web-based newspaper for the coming times. Just wow.) Good luck, no reason you can't keep posting in this thread, but now with you on Ignore I don't have to waste any more of my time reading what you write.

 

[Jim Costa]

No problem. Best of luck to you and your family Camp.