background: I am a 20yo male, i have a macbook, phone, and reliable transportation and about $500 to my name. I live in the PNW about 30 minutes outside a city with a metro population of +3.5Million people.
I have always been a “wantrepenure” i like to think im very passionate and business-minded. Its a notable mention that i am pretty shy so typical sales roles -probably- wont be right for me. i am not employed or in school full time either. i do have a wonderful mom whos willing to be my business partner/full time employee.
I am looking for business ideas as i dont know what “fits” me and would love some suggestions. some ideas that interest me are something like a dry cleaners. easy and fairly passive but ideally id like something i can run from my office at home. “IT” type jobs do not interest me. though i am down for gig type jobs as long as its not doordash-uber type things.
I do have a -very- rough draft of a business plan for running an Estate sale’s company (from home). minimum monthly operating costs would be about $650 for things like a phone line, LLC cost’s, Auction websites, online Advertisements, signs, things like that. additional start up costs would be about $3-5k. the reason im unsure about this is because i dont exactly know the saturation of this market in my city, it seems to be dominated by the same 3-5 companies and im unsure if i would spend all this money on opening up just to get 0 business or be railroaded out.
Another thing im passionate about is streetwear/fashion/niche T-shirts. I am working on my own clothing line (Print on demand for now, would eventually like to make enough money to get my own suppliers/stock). i have the name and the website totally designed and am just working on the actual clothing line for the first drop. i dont know yet how or where im exactly going to advertise or anything but am working out the kinks. i truly am very passionate about this but dont know if its exactly worth it to pursue as its taken months and hundreds of hours of design and time. id be lying if i said i cant help but think that everyone will dislike my designs and ngl that is daunting/holding me back mentally.
so thanks for reading this long post. any and all ideas or words of wisdom are helpful! both online businesses and in person things.
Listen man, you’re out here working on your dream, and immediately that’s respectable. So good shit.
Second, it’s natural to be nervous about judgment and failure, it’s an awful feeling. But much like anxiety, it’s a motivator for changing personal habits and reflecting for improvement. You just have to take that first step.
All businesses are going to be sales roles, but don’t get worried about that. Sales are fundamental to your business, whether it’s an investment pitch, business pitch, daily interactions with customers, developing a financial strategy, etc. Sales are all about confidence and belief in yourself and your objectives, and has a lot to do with numbers and margins rather than a pitch. Don’t fear failure, failure teaches you about the real issues instead of minutiae. There’s more wisdom from failure than success.
It seems like you’re into the clothing industry. I’d recommend selling your clothing on Poshmark at first just to begin trying to earn money first and foremost, and mixing it in with other similar fashion brands to increase exposure and maybe validate your brand.
Second, I would email some local clothing stores, or ask for their manager/buyer and see if you could sell your clothes at consignment; provide the clothes for no upfront cost to the owner, and develop a profit cut 70/30 or 60/40 etc. when and if they eventually sell.
It takes away personal investment from the owner, and for retail stores, it’s free advertisement having your brand present, establishes credibility when you move to other stores, and gets you a network of like minded folks.
Then move onto e commerce when you have yourself a small brand with some credibility. But you got this man. You have your whole life to figure out your dreams, just keep trying every day and it will work out.