Summer Company Ideas?

crispygoat · #1 03-03-2009, 08:53 AM

So the company I worked for last summer, which said they would hire me next summer, closed down. Therefore, I decided to apply to a program called "Summer Company." Basically, they give you $1,500 CAN to start your own company. The profits are yours, you make your own schedule and blah blah. At the end they give you an extra $1,500. I was wondering what could I do?

I live in a small town of 6 000 and there is nothing near except for forests.

My first idea was to sell Open Source computers - Make cheap computers, sell them for around $500.00 briefly $100.00 more than I pay for. The computers would be running Ubuntu. The fact that they would run on Ubuntu might be a problem.

My second idea was to pick up berries. I would drive an hour or so out of town and collect berries from say 8 to 12 and sell the berries every two weeks. Mostly blueberries and raspberries.

What do you think? Good idea? Any better ideas?

thank you.

wabbit · #2 03-03-2009, 09:04 AM

Two words:

Lemonade stand.

sarcastro83 · #3 03-03-2009, 09:06 AM

If you're handy with a set of tools, I'd say just start a smallish handyman business. Plenty of folks in relatively high tax brackets out in the burbs (the more affluent parts of Whitby & Oshawa specifically) who are more than interested to shell out cash for small-scale home repairs rather than doing them themselves. If you've got access to a van and some tools, this could help maybe?

Berries would depend entirely on how good the season is (case and point, last summer was a bad one) and computers already have way too much competition. Everyone has a cousin who is good with computers or knows someone in IT these days...

Just a thought.

Araillac · #4 03-03-2009, 09:15 AM

Donuts man. If there isn't a nearby donut shop then you should start one. If they weren't opening a 7th or 8th pizza place in my town where I wanted a store at, I'd make it a donut store. Cause who wants to drive 20+ minutes to get donuts and then 20+ minutes to get back home when you can walk 5 - 10 minutes or drive 2 minutes total time to get donuts?

MJ5150 · #5 03-03-2009, 09:17 AM

Buy a black book and start filling it.

-Mike

Phalex · #6 03-03-2009, 09:30 AM

Get yourself one of these:

wabbit · #7 03-03-2009, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Araillac

Donuts man. If there isn't a nearby donut shop then you should start one. If they weren't opening a 7th or 8th pizza place in my town where I wanted a store at, I'd make it a donut store. Cause who wants to drive 20+ minutes to get donuts and then 20+ minutes to get back home when you can walk 5 - 10 minutes or drive 2 minutes total time to get donuts?

Won't work simply because in Canada, there's approximately 2.63 donut shops per person.

sarcastro83 · #8 03-03-2009, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wabbit

Won't work simply because in Canada, there's approximately 2.63 donut shops per person.

the .63 is for the drive-thru only donut shops.

Aged_Clayman · #9 03-03-2009, 01:51 PM

I`ve read this "Freakonomics" book (or was it "The undercover Economist", both are great anyway

a while ago and there was a story about the Guy who brings in the bagels. I mean, selling something direct to the customer seems to be a dodgy business, but if you can sign a contract about bringing in the bagels with some company - that would mean a steady income.

MakiSupaStar · #10 03-03-2009, 01:56 PM

Find a local lake. Buy a couple of kayaks and inflatable vests, and drive out to the lake and start a kayak rental business. Use the 1500 dollars to buy two fully equipped kayaks, maybe three if you can find some good used ones. Must buy inflatable vests. There was this dude on the Big Island, and Cookes Point (which is a great snorkeling scuba diving spot) that sat on this point across from the cove. He had a total of four kayaks and a lot of homegrown and he just rented kayaks and sold dope all day. Great business. He easily made the cost of his kayaks back.

MatticusMania · #11 03-03-2009, 02:02 PM

Build a waterpark in your front yard using kiddie pools, sprinklers, hoses, and a slip-n-slide. This should cost you about $100. Rent/Buy a bouncehouse. And a small grill. Charge $4.95 admission to the waterpark, $10 for parking, and $8.95 for a hotdog and fresh berry lemonade. $5.00 for a berry lemonade souvenier cup, which will be a red plastic Solo cup thats been drawn on by you with a sharpie. Sell souvenier refills for $2.00. Stamp peoples hands for re-entry. Post flyers. You should make at least 500% profits your first day.

MakiSupaStar · #12 03-03-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Build a waterpark in your front yard using kiddie pools, sprinklers, hoses, and a slip-n-slide. This should cost you about $100. Rent/Buy a bouncehouse. And a small grill. Charge $4.95 admission to the waterpark, $10 for parking, and $8.95 for a hotdog and fresh berry lemonade. $5.00 for a berry lemonade souvenier cup, which will be a red plastic Solo cup thats been drawn on by you with a sharpie. Sell souvenier refills for $2.00. Stamp peoples hands for re-entry. Post flyers. You should make at least 500% profits your first day.

Pfft. Or fill them with pork and beans and hire some sexy asian chicks to wrestle in all this inflatable goodness. You'll make your money back in one night.