Have some money to play with, but also am thinking about maybe getting a small business loan.

Have 2 commercial buildings and 5 acres in a town of 1500. Roughly an hour in each direction to cities of 75k+++

I am at the point where I am ready to be self employed. I have been in sales and service all my life in an ag environment and have been trucking, farming, and land management for the last 7 years.

Besides my full time job I flip things all year round.

IF YOU WERE ME WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

ETA completely changed this whole thread for better advice and ideas! Thanks in

Take a look into self-storage.

Wouldn't be a good fit with what I've got

Its hard for me to imagine anything working well in an area that remote.  Would people drive an hour to come to your thrift store?  I dont see a population of 1500 supporting much.

Have you tried leasing the buildings?

No they wouldn't, which is what I've been thinking.

I also changed the thread direction for other possible directions.

It makes most sense to get my dealers license and flip vehicles and equipment etc

Would just have to see what is all required for dealers license here. And how much more money I would need to come up with.

The property is basically perfect for it. And I'm already kind of doing that anyways.

Can't really think of any other viable opportunities.

I live in a town of 1500.

I have 400k in equipment parked out front that is for sale. We buy equipment, repair and flip some. Some is stuff we took in trade when we sold a new one. Feedwagons, skid steers, backhoes.

I'm lucky if 2 people a week look at any of it. If I were in the city nearby, it'd probably be 20 or 40 a week.

I'd starve to death if we made our money that way.

I do know what you mean. That's why I post most everything up online. I can only sell so many vehicles a year without a dealers license, and also the dealers license would let me buy vehicles and equip at wholesale rather then retail. Would make it a lot easier.

I am almost thinking this is what I need to do, small dealership and try to maybe branch into other things? Tires, oil, small service?

As I said I am open to ideas and listening to you guys with MUCH more knowledge.

I am passionate about all things outdoors hunting fishing shooting but cant make a career out of it most likely, I am also passionate about vehicles and stuff so I think thats where to go.

Ever thought of a niche bakery?  Seems to be all the rage and with a good enough product the people will come to you.  I know two people who have done this in towns with <5K pops and they make good money doing it.  It won't make them rich but they've already accrued enough wealth from their prior 9-5s that it provides a healthy supplemental income for them to be able to take a few weeks off touring the world every year.

Do you have any culinary students in the family?

Not the right kind of buildings, know absolutely nothing about it and honestly couldn't get interested in it. And I am in my late 20's. Not sure that scenario could work for me.

I'm thinking more like dealers license, or gun store, or??

You're not going to get rich selling gloves in Florida, and owning 30 acres of swamp is useless.

Move where the money is my friend.

Even if you were to do a Jimmy John's franchise, they like to see 25,000-30,000 ADT at the proposed site.

You have acquired these buildings and 5 acres in a po dunk town somehow. Maybe bought them, maybe inherited them, who knows and it doesn't matter.

This would be an ideal setup if you had an existing business there that needed the space like farming, trucking, dirt contractor, etc.

I can't think of any business you could do where you are selling anything to the local community that would work because there is not enough population and you are too far from things.

Maybe you could make something there that is sold online? There are lots of trailer manufacturers, pickup flatbed or accessory manufacturers, etc that are in BFE.

I can't think of anything you could have there that people would travel to. It needs to be something you ship to them or just sell the place and get something in one of those 75k cities.

You are spot on... and this is exactly why I am still working full time trying to figure out what this NICHE thing I could do is.

And equally said I am not super skilled in any of the crafts as that would be perfect set up if I went into automotive or into construction etc. I guess I could always go to school? I am only in my late 20's.

My biggest passion would be to open a gun store there. I have a good retail location for it but in a small town. However there are other small town gun dealers that do this but I am sure they all have income from other things not sure I could make it solely on that, and hitting all the gun shows and doing internet sales etc? I would LOVE it though honestly.

The 2nd passion is buying and flipping trucks & suvs and if I could come up with more money buying and flipping real estate and land.

What kind of commercial buildings do you own? Warehouse? Office? Retail?

You mentioned gun store but there are already others.
You also mention flipping trucks. Is there a need for this in your town?

Being that you live in tiny town, there has to be something you and your neighbors/colleagues bitch about that you don't have available.

I've lived in a small town most of my life.

Most people bitch about anyone is successful, they bitch about not having money, they bitch about having to work hard. It's a horrible environment for a retail or service type business.

The buildings could both be commercial / industrial just depends but the one was and can be a retail type deal. 1 being more of a truck shop type deal.

Flipping vehicles, well..... yes and no. I think its most likely that I get my dealers license and become a used or wholesale car dealer of sorts.

My area is very rural and most anyone here is looking for good deals on vehicles, as you know most dealerships only mess with brand new vehicles or only 1 or 2 years old, if you want anything else you have to shop used car dealers. Honestly in my area there aren't really that many and the ones that do exist are pretty horrible...

That's where I hope to come in. I can keep my day job no problem what so ever, but I would really love to get my dealers license and start with maybe an inventory of 5-12 used vehicles think anything from a small car up to a 1 ton truck and anything in between. Don't really want to get into the bigger stuff or big equipment because that part is covered around here.


Most likely a gun shop even if we offered gunsmithing  (very big shortage here!) I'm just not sure we could make it work.  The only other thing I can think of would be getting into the rental properties as there is a huge need for rentals around here, but that scares the shit out of me!

Why not take a look at businesses that don't use the local population for the profit and take advantage of the (normally) lower cost of operations in rural settings.

Think wholesaling products or creating a line of your own.  Look at products you can ship to the entire country and widen your customer base beyond those that are local to you.  Look for things that are small, light, and have a higher price point ($25-$30+).

I have sold cars for a few years. If you plan on selling automobiles be prepared to deal with some of the worst people on the planet. Crooked salesmen, awful lying customers, competing dealerships. I have been in sales for years and it seems dealerships attract the worst people, it brings the wolfs to feed on desperate sheep. I had to get out of it because I could feel my mental state changing, I was waiting on prey, the poor people that had no other option but the 23.5% loan I shoved in their face. It gets rough.