08 February 2009

Hare-brained Business Idea.

Joe's Vacuum Cleaner Cleaner business. That's right. You bring your vacuum cleaner in to be cleaned. It will cost you two cents to get this service performed, but the owners are planning to get a LOT of jobs at that rate, so they'll really get a LOT of money.

In fact, they'll be very rich.

Soon, the other vacuum cleaner cleaner businesses won't be able to keep up and they will go out of business. THAT is when they will slowly, slowwwwwly, very slowly raise their prices and get WOW a lot more money.

Yep, that's an Emperor and Elf idea there. I'd hate to bust their little bubble and tell them there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the work they'd get for two cents each... or that no one really wants their vacuum cleaners cleaned... they just use the cleaners to clean so they have clean floors after all that cleaning.

I haven't even gotten into the tax problem yet and how their Uncle Sam will take all their profits slowly, slowwwly, and finally bust 'em when they get a monopoly on the vacuum cleaner cleaning business. :p

16 comments:

  1. maybe they could sell the idea to WalMart!! ;)

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  2. LOL Patrick HATES Wal-Mart. He says it's run by Anarchists, which is kinda funny because it's too organized for that. :p

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  3. Argh! How do you live with it? I'd go loopy fielding all the wild ideas outta left field. You're not teasing are ya? Nah, you're not that unkind. I read this & my poor little mind nearly imploded ~ but I guess that's what you get for running a school for elves.


    P.S ~ just kidding round here. It's early & I haven't had my coffee yet.

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  4. Hey, they can clean mine. I'll even give them a buck (OK, 100 yen) . I have one of those no bag type, and the canister is really yucky right now.

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  5. LOL!!!

    Marissa never came up with business ideas. But, she used to enjoy coming up with get rich quick invention ideas. It never seemed to matter that she wasn't mechanical enough to operate a can opener... that she almost burned down the house assembling a lava lamp... or that she was failing science. She was going to invent something that kept her from having to work ever!

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  6. I'll pay them to clean my vacuum cleaner! And if they clean my broom and dustpan I'll double their pay!

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  7. Hey, it's a start. And someday your children will need to support you in your old age. At least that's what I keep telling my kids. That never fails to get a laugh out of them.

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  8. I think Patrick needs to do a guest post RE Wal-Mart.

    The business model isn't that off...dollar stores and new cars both use a similar "sell lots at minimum profits" model. What entrepreneurial kids you have!

    Allison

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  9. Ganeida, I get this a LOT but I don't write the big doozies down because I'm afraid no one will believe me.

    Sue, they would be THRILLED to get some Japanese money. You kidding? THRILLED. They would really like to hear a genuine Japanese person talk because THEN, what they say will match the mouth movements on the Pokemon movie they have.

    Yeah, it's not about cultural exchange or anything. It's about hearing the "real" cartoon voices LOL!

    Julie, Marissa just has to patent something mildly useful and silly like that roller-skate in a shoe idea. Then she really can be rich.

    Sorry, that idea STILL bugs me as a parent.

    Daja, the boys would love to come over and play with your bunch! And a *new* baby, too.

    Harry, be nice to your children. I hear some smartie said they pick your nursing home when you get older LOL!

    A, they're really enterpreneurial until it's time to do the actual work...

    I'll have to ask Patrick about the guest post. He keeps talking about starting his own blog that I'm not allowed to mention or link to. But hasn't gotten round to it.

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  10. Oh, I'd believe you! I had the child who invented words & then asked me what they meant.

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  11. It's amazin how Emperor and Elf both know how the big companies work. Come in with super lower prices and drive out the little guys. Then raise the prices.

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  12. I LOVE your kids. They crack me up! I know, I don't have to live with them, school them, or raise them, but dear me, they come up with some ideas!!

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  13. Ganeida, Emperor and Elf are kinda like that except they mix up words. Their Pokemon "involve" rather than "evolve" and when they were little they would have "rundididid" a long way before they got tired.

    DF, I think some little kids have been listening to discussions at home LOL.

    And thanks, Tracey! They're kind of "interesting" to educate, I know.

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  14. Poor little guys don't have a chance . . . actually though there is a resource for budding entrepreneurs at Bluestocking Press.

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  15. What an ingenious idea!

    My 12 yo always has these great ideas to make lots of money. Problem is when they ran a lemonade stand and I made them pay me back for the supplies he was not happy at all and decided he would have the idea and someone else would pay him to get it. To much work and not enough money to do it your self.

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  16. With over 15% of your profits going to taxes right off the bat when you own your own company, it's amazing any businesses stay afloat.

    I think that would make an excellent math problem, though: If Joe can clean 4 vacuums every hour, and works ten hours a day, five days a week, how much money can Joe expect to rake in every week? ($2)

    If the government takes 15% of the money in "income tax"--hey, you made money and Uncle Sam wants his cut--how much money can you keep to run your business? (.15*$2=$0.30 $2-$0.30=$1.70)

    If your cleaning supplies cost $3 a week, how much money are you paying for the opportunity to operate your own business and slave away for 50 hours a week? ($3-$1.70=$1.30)

    "Free Market" economies are great, are they not? [smile]

    ~Luke

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Non-troll comments always welcome! :)

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