We had an eye opening exercise this morning. Wouldn't it be fun to list all of the businesses we've started in the past ten years? As we have, on December twenty ninth, been married ten years.
Out of this list of twenty, three were (are still) producers.
Of the three, one currently produces six figures.
Of the two, only one (will produce) millions.
Looking back over our list, Tony inquired, "What does this tell you?"
"It tells me that this is why people buy franchises!"
Some of these businesses never made it past the idea stage, while others have taken considerable time and cash lay out. I won't say which is what, but here is the list. As you can see, I don't lack for a stinking idea, do I? Diversity doesn't seem to be much of a problem either.
- Moving company
- Marketing company
- Nutricuetical company
- Dance company
- Energy deregulation company
- Entertainment company
- Real estate holding company
- Weight loss management company
- Aloe vera products company
- Entertainment company #2
- Talent Agency
- Funeral Event Agency
- Inventions: weighted walking vest, inflatable camping supplies, dog bicycle trailer
- Restaurant: in which you only get the proper calories for your body/age/gender
- Art company
- Radiant barrier company
- Pimp My Minnow (parent company of Pimp My Worm) fishing industry company
- Marketing company #2
- Photography company specializing in high end model-esque effects
- Entertainment company #3
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Wow! I'm impressed. What a nice diversity of companies!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that art, dance and talent companies are not included in entertainment, probably with a good reason.
I wish you lots of success with all the twenty companies!
At some point can you explain what a "funeral event agency" is? :)
ReplyDeleteDUTA,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! (But I've only 3.) LOL
"A",
ReplyDeleteThis funeral event planning business was in response to a market trend I was reading about, Jan. 4th or so, 2007- Entrepreneur Magazine.
Baby boomers, it seems, want much more control over their final arrangements.
Additionally, our friends own a funeral home-
which I have always admired and think is just so cool. You should see what these people have done! It's so state of the art. They are awesome.
While Tony was off with his friends at his "Super Bowl Off", where he goes bowling on the Sat. before the Super Bowl, I sat at home drinking coconut rum and diet Coke, and that's where the idea sprang forth!
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008273467_apfuneralconventionboomers.html
What the hey are "nutriceuticals"?!
ReplyDeleteI have a saying. Just thought it up, in fact. Invented it, you might say (patent pending). Might apply to business, not sure. Could use some input.
"To try but once and fail, that is disgrace.
"To try many times and fail, that is mediocrity.
"To try many times and finally succeed, that is everlasting glory."
Postman,
ReplyDeleteNutricuetical: fancy smancy word for vitamins.
But do go check out the joint- http://web.winltd.com/wingallery/corporate/Album1.htm
I'm going to use this before I have to have a license! (LOVE IT! You are so creative.)
"To try but once and fail, that is disgrace.
"To try many times and fail, that is mediocrity.
"To try many times and finally succeed, that is everlasting glory."
Good morning! I'm here getting caught up on my post holiday blog reading. Is there coffee?
ReplyDeleteHi Marilisa
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a number of businesses! You are an ambitious girl! I could probably learn a few things from you. I'd like to start a business. All I have is $1000 for start up costs. Any ideas? Glad your Christmas celebrations went so well.
Hugs, Rhondi
Ah, good, that clears that up. I tried to take a look at that link and the dang thing froze up on me. Wouldn't go. But I'll take your word for it.
ReplyDeleteNo copyrights yet, so quote away! I'm flattered you like it.
Julie,
ReplyDeleteAlways a delight having you stop by.
I was sitting here earlier with my cup of coffee too! I started with one big Starbucks Mocha followed by two or three more black coffees.
Not a morning person...
Postman,
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Try this: http://web.winltd.com/
Rhondi,
ReplyDeleteI am ambitious, that's true. But I don't drive myself crazy with it, you know?
You BET I have a business idea for you! But first, I'd ask you questions to see if it's a match.
When starting any venture, it's good to first study market trends and have a good understanding regarding what's going on in the field you'd like to enter.
The company that I have making six figures? I started that with less than one thousand dollars!
Postman,
ReplyDeleteHere's so more info: I used to hang out with these people ten years ago.
Listed by D Magazine in their "100 Most Expensive Homes in Dallas"
Ralph was telling me, back in those days, that he makes $250.000.00 a week. Really, they live in the ghetto compared to what they could have. Ha!
Cathy and Ralph Oats
$8,769,700 home price.
After two decades of driving a truck, ralph oats had had enough of the daily grind, of barely getting by. So in 1984, facing college tuition on a single income of $38,000, the Nashville-born high school dropout and his wife threw caution to the wind, and Cathy started selling water filters through a multilevel marketing plan. The goal was to earn a little extra cash, but within a year they projected an income from her part-time MLM work to exceed his full-time income. Ralph quit driving and joined his wife, building up a network of sellers.
By 1992, the Oatses had something like 687,000 distributors selling more than $1 billion worth of product. The two retired to Florida in 1990, but the downtime bored them, so they set up their own multilevel marketing company, Wellness International Network, which focuses on meeting the vanity desires of Baby Boomers with products promising better health and youthful energy. They hooked high-profile sports celebrities to endorse their products and their MLM line, and offered the usual MLM promises of expensive cars, cruises, mansions, and bling to those distributors who were top sellers.
The Oatses will tell you—repeatedly—that theirs is a classic Horatio Alger story. But their fairy tale has a dark subplot. There’s been no shortage of controversy over the Wellness International Network’s aggressive marketing of ephedra-based products back in the late 1990s and early 2000s before ephedra was outlawed, and a dozen lawsuits filed by two score distributors who alleged deceptive business practices, fraud, breach of contract, and RICO violations, according to a report in Money magazine. More than a dozen of the lawsuits were settled out of court with confidential terms.
Still, under the Oatses’ guidance, Wellness International Network has gone, well, international, and it’s a long way from their humble beginnings. Lawsuits or not, from their corporate headquarters in Plano’s Legacy Park, WIN is considered a leader in the MLM world and has a corporate longevity that escapes
that escapes most MLM's. Oops.
ReplyDeleteThis is so encouraging! One of these days I'm gonna get to that "everlasting glory." Thanks for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteWhoa dang, that's impressive, lawsuits notwithstanding. That they could take an idea like that and turn it into something that grandiose...an eight-million dollar home...jeez. Amazing. Thanks for writing all that. What an eye-opener!
ReplyDelete