If you had a pile of money, what business would you start?

[Bluzmann57]

I already have a (very) small landscaping business as well as a "regular" job but I want something else. So if I had enough money, and a GREAT line of credit, I'd love to open up a Blues Bar/music store. When I say Blues bar, I mean something that could compete with and complement (yeah it can happen) two Midwest Blues Bars, Blues on Grand in Des Moines, IA and The Slippery Noodle Inn in Indianapolis, IN. In this area, it is unlikely that something like this would succeed, but I'd still like to try. It won't happen because there is a a thing called real life which gets in the way, but a man can dream can't he?

[Shell Beau]

1. No question. I would start a no-kill animal shelter.

I'd have to educate myself a little more than I am (I am pretty educated about dogs, but I am a little clueless about other animals). I'd love to be able to volunteer my time to that.

[emilyg]

22. We could be

partners. You take the dogs, I'll take the cats.

[Shell Beau]

2. And a blues bar would be awesome. Love me some blues.

I am from the MS delta.

[intheflow]

7. Oo! Oo!! Can I sing there?

:hi:

[Bluzmann57]

11. Sure.

But no Karaoke. We will not do that.

[intheflow]

15. No karaoke!

I sing my blues a capella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1_vBJ3s4w8

[kayakjohnny]

3. Someone once said, 'Life is what happens when you had other plans'.

Kind of fits here.

I'm amazed at the people who follow their dreams and make things happen from a point of complete focus and devotion.

I happen not to be that way. I'm interested in a million things, and I'm easily distracted. Bad combo.

But life is pretty sweet anyway.

It would be cool if you posted some time down the road, that this dream actually came true.

The only big dreams that ever worked for me, were the ones that I put at the top of the list.

Above EVERYTHING else.

That's the only way it works for me.

Cheers.

[fishwax]

6. "interested in a million things, and ... easily distracted"

I can relate to that :rofl:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

28. John Lennon said that. Life happens while you're making other plans.

[Gormy Cuss]

4. A domestic microlending bank.

I'd love to see people with little means but some hope get ahead.

[triguy46]

5. Brew pub with wood fired pizza.

[BlooInBloo]

8. A little rundown neighborhood bar. That partners with someone to get KFC delivered.

[intheflow]

9. A housing/GED/parenting/job training program for pregnant teens.

:)

[dana_b]

12. aw... very cool and always needed!! n/t

[tigereye]

23. you always take on the big stuff, hey!

:hi:

I can deal with intense teens one on one, but a bunch of em - that's impressive. But my dream job would not involve teen problems in any way, other than edifying them with books and good music.

[intheflow]

27. I would totally incorporate books and good music into the mix!

It'd be a group home, each family unit would get a suite of rooms. If the father was around and they were still a couple he could also live there and participate in the program. The key would be creating community (good music helps!*) while teaching a skill or talent with potential for economic benefits. Like teaching folks how to bake kick-ass cakes or run a landscaping business or become a published poet. :)

I have several properties in mind in Denver--if money were no object!

* Also to build community and help with GED study, I would have the group read books aloud at night instead of watching tv. Maybe not every night, but at least thrice a week. And reading to their infants would be required for the parenting part of the program.

[tigereye]

43. so important, academics and success for teen moms is so critical to them, the

fathers and their kids.


As for me, having once worked in a group home for female teens after I got out of grad school, I have to say that I never want to work in one again, but I admire those who can.

[one_voice]

10. Years ago..

I opened a teen club. It did rather well, but we had to close cuz we had asshole neighbors. If I ever had the money I'd open another club. It gave the kids something to do, we kept it safe, no drugs, no drinking..etc. We always filled to capacity.

On a side note, before we entered into the teen club scene, my idea :think: was videos through the internet. Everyone thought it was a bad idea. x( Wanna know what they think now? :shrug:

[dana_b]

13. if I was very independently wealthy...

I would do a "Patch Adams" and open a clinic in a lower income area. Have a couple of MDs, some NPs, Rns and/or LVNs to take care of the folks. Also an x-ray and mammogram machine would be on site. a small lab for running specimens that didn't need to be sent out. There would also be a vet service next door so the folks could bring their pets in.

[Bluzmann57]

14. Good Grief!

I must be the only person who is a bastard in here. I want to start a Blues Bar to advance an American art form and everybody else is idealistic. Oh well. We volunteer for Special Olympics among other things so it doesn't matter. I want a business that makes money anyway. Thak you all for your responses. Peace and prosperity to you all. :)

[Initech]

16. I would start a brewery.

[DarkTirade]

30. Meadery for me.

Its damn near impossible to find good mead these days.

[femmocrat]

17. An art gallery.

And a place for abandoned dogs.

[Brickbat]

18. I would open a book store/coffeehouse in the small town nearby.

It would be fucking AWESOME.

[old mark]

19. I would sell exploding firearms to Republicans...nt

[Kali]

20. I wouldn't mind doing some kind of city slickers guest ranch thing

but we are almost too real and I'm not into house cleaning so "guests" would have to be able to handle all of it - the hard work, the dust, sleeping in the living room with cats walking on you, the crappy vehicles and other broken stuff along with the beautiful landscape, clean air, real work, good food and good partying.

[tigereye]

21. book store, even with Amazon out there...

one with music, the occasional band, good eats and cozy chairs.

[JTG of the PRB]

24. I'd open a restaurat with a couple current co-workers - homemade pizza and beer.

Nothing huge, but I think it would be fun. TONS of work, but fun nonetheless.

[Dr Morbius]

25. Um, how big is this pile?

Because there's something I'd like to do besides start a business. Well, let's deal with the business first: it so happens that I know how to make Italian beef. Properly; as good as you've ever had it. This is because I had the good fortune of working for a guy who was a terrific cook. Anyway, I'd bring Italian beef to the west coast and Florida. I keep hearing from relatives that a good beef sandwich is something they can only get in Chicago. Well, garlic is available everywhere, herbs grow pretty much anywhere and I can get whole rounds from any butcher. I can do this, and I bet it would be successful.

But let's go back to that pile of money. I'd like to establish a scholarship, but not for kids to go to college. Rather, for talented kids of modest means to go to better high schools. The idea is to find excellence and bring it out when they're still young. If I won the lottery, I'd devote a portion of my winnings to this goal.

On the other hand, I am quite willing to accept any pile of money, however small. Or any spare gold bars you might not want.

[carlyhippy]

26. photography gallery

[quakerboy]

29. Business aimed at making money?

or just at doing things?

If its just freedom to pursue what one wills, I would start a company to hang out with people. There's a lot of lonely people out there who just need someone to listen to to them.

To actually make money? I think I would have to go after the potential of easy to use solar panels. There has to be a way to convert the power flow from a window sized solar panel back into the grid via a standard power plug. And if there is, there has to be a way to make it affordable. It should not be necessary to hard wire a solar panel, and that could open it for realistic consumer use, even apartment use.

If I really had the cash to blow, I would do both.

[Taitertots]

31. A strip mall

At one end a pawn shop with scrap metal pick up station and a firearms license. Next to that a pornography and head shop. Then a strip club. And a bar at the end.

The whole parking lot would be fenced in so people can come and go anonymously.

[pitohui]

32. every biz i've started is to make money not spend it

whenever i have an extra pile of $$$ laying around, i enjoy my life, i sure as shit don't need the hassle and scramble of starting a business -- i'm not employable so i "have" to create my own ways of making $ & frankly it stinks, anyone who can actually get a job w. benefits is living the dream life to 99 percent of self-employed persons -- there's no boss shittier who pushes you harder than YOURSELF

my guess is that starting a bar or restaurant is MUCH better as a dream as a reality, i tell everyone who has that dream to work as an EMPLOYEE in that business for two years first, it's surprising how many of them won't do that -- then they wonder why the bar/coffee shop/ etc. doesn't do so hot

but people who study and work can sure make big money doing that, new orleans is a great place for that IF you study and work, emeril wasn't from here but he got his start here, house of blues i think was first started here, you can think of a ton of others

sounds like you know a lot abt the blues business in yr area, why not learn about the business end a little? i don't know how hard it is to get a bar license in some states it's hard in my state all you have to do is not be a convicted murderer and not really really REALLY piss anybody off too damn bad

[Soylent Brice]

33. i wouldn't start my own business but i would invest heavily in nanotechnology. n/t

[Deep13]

34. If I had a pile of money, I wouldn't need a business. nt

[guitar man]

35. I'd set me up some digs similar to this

It's always been my biggest dream ;)

[MrScorpio]

36. I'd put together a foundation dedicated to rebuilding Detroit

Housing, investments, small business promotion, new building starts

It would be the start of transforming the Rust Belt into the New Center of American revitalization

[KamaAina]

38. Hell, Scorp, you could do that now

Just play another game of "Six Degrees of MrScorpio", only this time, you touch all those famous people you've worked with for a little dough to help get Motown revved up!

Also note that, in Detroit, our largest trading partner is actually the "Great White South", eh? On the other side of the bridge and tunnel, besides music bars with a 19-year drinking age and beer stronger than 5% :-) , is the potential for lots of trade.

[dmr]

49. I've a dream of buying Fox News & moving it to the Ren Center

I have definite plans for Fox.

I'm just waiting for the big money train to come in.
:sigh:

[LeftyMom]

37. One that would make me a bigger pile of money.

Duh.

[KamaAina]

39. Guerrilla philanthropy

All too much traditional philanthropy goes to who can work the grantmaking process, not to who really needs it. (Example: The many grassroots neighborhood groups that sprung up in NOLA after the Federal Flood.)

[BreweryYardRat]

40. Goth bar/coffee shop.

24-hr coffee shop/lounge out front, bar and dance floor in back. Pay the employees a living wage. Keep it quiet during the week, crank the amps to the max Friday and Saturday.

Semi-strict dress code. In other words, don't show up in a sports jersey, or a really bright outfit, or *shudder* preppy fashions. But you don't have to get dressed up either. Blue jeans and a dark shirt will be fine. Retail/blue-collar staff get an exception for work uniforms.

[Oceansaway]

41. a LGBT night club....

and i'd name it "Night Moves"....

[Zipp]

42. I would start a "Suction of The Ass" business if I had a pile of money.

Every time I got near something flat, I would sit down....almost like I had suction cups on my ass.

[Taverner]

44. A healthy fast food chain

Basically, a Koo Koo Roo in NorCal

[Callalily]

45. I would LOVE to

own/run a bed and breakfast, with hopefully enough land to grow organic veggies and herbs, which would be added to the fabulous meals that I would cook. ;-)

[Elmo39]

46. A Kick A**

Rib house.
I already make a mean rack of ribs and to die for 'pulled pork"

[bluedigger]

47. My own cultural resource management firm.

Try to do good archaeology and not screw my employees.

[Lindsey]

48. A bookstore/coffee house. n/t

[proteus_lives]

50. Comic Book Store.

I've been collecting comics since I was six. It would be a dream come true.

[lkz55500]

51. a nightclub