Give me your email address. I'll send you a paypal invoice for services rendered helping you lose your money.
Pay the invoice, then it's win/win.
You're welcome.
Personal Anyone with any experience running a gas station or mini mart?
- Thread starter sparkuri
- Start date
Pay the invoice, then it's win/win.
You're welcome.
This is mainly land acquisition & life purpose.
I'm officially retired.
This is in a dry & conservative county, so no booze license headaches, or scratch tickets.
If I or anyone needs gas it's across the street.
Some positives, I can do most of the finish construction required, eg, framing/plumbing/electric/pad work.
Although I'd hire the asphalt guys.
I also have 2 kids that could work it.
And kids next door need jobs(7 kids), plus high schools & others around begging for jobs.
No CCR's is big.
I am the only current parking lot on a 2-lane highway to turn around 7 minutes in either direction, so people come through anyway.
And cops park there all the time to catch speeders & possible DUI's.
So I could
1. Tell them to get off my lawn
2. Sell them breakfast lunch, dinner, coffee & donuts.
My neighbor has a logging business and a saw mill so there's a material positive.
All the pork and poultry being raised across the street.
All the produce sourced on-site Which I'd be growing.
As far as campground, this isn't that type of area.
HillBilly's don't camp, same with laundromat.
But those services could exist because semi's park here.
They're going to need a shower stall & bathroom might as well throw in a coin-op washer and dryer.
Then I can peg it on Google Maps & trucker apps.
The wedding venue there is already awesome.
I'd be contracting the fireworks show after the reception.
I'm officially retired.
This is in a dry & conservative county, so no booze license headaches, or scratch tickets.
If I or anyone needs gas it's across the street.
Some positives, I can do most of the finish construction required, eg, framing/plumbing/electric/pad work.
Although I'd hire the asphalt guys.
I also have 2 kids that could work it.
And kids next door need jobs(7 kids), plus high schools & others around begging for jobs.
No CCR's is big.
I am the only current parking lot on a 2-lane highway to turn around 7 minutes in either direction, so people come through anyway.
And cops park there all the time to catch speeders & possible DUI's.
So I could
1. Tell them to get off my lawn
2. Sell them breakfast lunch, dinner, coffee & donuts.
My neighbor has a logging business and a saw mill so there's a material positive.
All the pork and poultry being raised across the street.
All the produce sourced on-site Which I'd be growing.
As far as campground, this isn't that type of area.
HillBilly's don't camp, same with laundromat.
But those services could exist because semi's park here.
They're going to need a shower stall & bathroom might as well throw in a coin-op washer and dryer.
Then I can peg it on Google Maps & trucker apps.
The wedding venue there is already awesome.
I'd be contracting the fireworks show after the reception.
Its work, especially if you want to keep it nice, but there's money to be made.
You can run em like an air b&b these days and do online reservations.
But that trash and dogshit ain't gonna pick up itself and if there isn't someone there paying attention I guarantee some yahoos will cut down your green trees for firewood.
5 seasons as a Ranger, I've seen some shit lol.
If it's old the tanks would likely need to be upgraded to current standards and no way that'll be cheap.
Not personally, but I've had two sets of Uncles and Aunts that have ran one at different points of my life.
In a well populated area with competition nearby, profit margins aren't really enough to make it worth it IMO. Being across the street from work helps though. Especially if you don't have existing debt.
Being in the middle of nowhere and somewhere where hunting and fishing trips are big will help along with the gas station. Serve subs during the day so fisherman can bring lunch to their fishing spot, and sell basic kitchen/pantry items for the hunters headed to their deer camp. Spices, condiments, and side dishes for cooking the hunt of the day at camp along with something basic to eat when they come back to camp without anything. All of that along with beer and liquor seems like it'd be a pretty decent business.
Add in a restaurant / pub, and depending on the area could be a good business if the locals like to have a good place to go out on a weekend evening to wet their whistle and grab a good bite to eat. A lot of rural areas don't do that a ton though. They commonly like to hang out at home with their drink of choice and the grill fired up. You'll have to be the judge of that based on your knowledge of the locals.
All that said, running a gas station, mini-mart, and pub seems like a lot to take on. Maybe if the local grocery store is a ways away, you'd get a bit more business out of the mini-mart for basic groceries. Either way, good luck. I think you should price out what you'll pay for supplies and compare that to the grocery store versus what you think you can charge to see if it is worth it.
In a well populated area with competition nearby, profit margins aren't really enough to make it worth it IMO. Being across the street from work helps though. Especially if you don't have existing debt.
Being in the middle of nowhere and somewhere where hunting and fishing trips are big will help along with the gas station. Serve subs during the day so fisherman can bring lunch to their fishing spot, and sell basic kitchen/pantry items for the hunters headed to their deer camp. Spices, condiments, and side dishes for cooking the hunt of the day at camp along with something basic to eat when they come back to camp without anything. All of that along with beer and liquor seems like it'd be a pretty decent business.
Add in a restaurant / pub, and depending on the area could be a good business if the locals like to have a good place to go out on a weekend evening to wet their whistle and grab a good bite to eat. A lot of rural areas don't do that a ton though. They commonly like to hang out at home with their drink of choice and the grill fired up. You'll have to be the judge of that based on your knowledge of the locals.
All that said, running a gas station, mini-mart, and pub seems like a lot to take on. Maybe if the local grocery store is a ways away, you'd get a bit more business out of the mini-mart for basic groceries. Either way, good luck. I think you should price out what you'll pay for supplies and compare that to the grocery store versus what you think you can charge to see if it is worth it.
I don't know anything about running a place like this except what I learned from the Indians in Queens.
What I learned is... it's HARD fucking work. No days off. Very few hours to yourself.
But it makes them good money.
What I learned is... it's HARD fucking work. No days off. Very few hours to yourself.
But it makes them good money.
Actually, that depends on the number of Haitian immigrants in the area. Cooked dogs could do well!
I have to blow away strays frequently.
Not utilizing this side hustle is a black eye on frugality.
It sounds like he's retired and wants to provide a source of income for his kids. Plus, land is a good investment and something to leave behind.
An honest living is a good living.
All of this is true.
I managed 5 gas stations/convenience stores while in college. Did the books & ordering while working 12hr nights.
For non branded fuel, you’ll be subject to distributor spot pricing & all environmental regulations will be solely on you.
If you go branded, the sponsor company will have requirements but will also chip in a decent share of liability as well as legal representation if needed. They’ll also set pricing through the veeder-root system. You’ll need to manually update the pumps but your margins will be set for you.
For the store most use Core Mark. They’re a ripoff imho. If you have a Costco business center near you, get supplies there & place only min orders to keep Core Mark account open as they do come in handy at times even at the prices they charge.
Like any business it’s very dependent on your area & service provided. Of the 5 I managed only 2 were real money makers & 1 lost its ass as the city wouldn’t allow the store to expand.
That's great and all but sounds like the property is in the middle of nowhere. Doesn't sound like a place with a big enough population year round for all that he wants to do. That's a big outlay of cash to get going. Could be better off investing in other types of real estate endeavors (more passive), if he wants to be in the real estate business.
I could also be completely wrong but I never am.
OP if you want to do some food, keep it simple. pizza, coffee and ice cream have great margins and would be good sellers if it's a summertime type destination.
I'm actually thinking of going a different way to start, a food trailer.
I can put the kids to work.
Reason being, I can muster capital to expand a cafe or restaurant in the future.
Now out here there's nothing BUT pizza & fried food.
It's all heart attacks & diabetes. There is a Subway about 10 minutes away, but there's your insulin resistance & poison.
What I want to do is a healthy keto/blood type foundation, with a separate area for losers.
Reason being I'm already growing healthy keto veggies, and just need to upscale.
I've sourced by beef & things like almond flour, & am sourcing local goat stuff.
My pond has catfish & bass, and the river & lake supple world record trout.
My strategy is that by sourcing & advertising local, then creating incentives for local farmers, they will remain healthy & happy long-time customers.
I'm in a place where free range bird eggs are selling for $3 a dozen rather than fakes for $8.
But people often give them away because they're to fat from hush puppies to cook.
I don't WANT to open a restaurant to make money.
If I wanted to make money, I'd just open an electrical contractor outfit.
I want the property across the street.
Cops hang out there 24/7.
If they're going to be on my property, they're gonna have to buy brisket sandwich & kale chips drizzled in tallow & Himalayan salt.
Also, I get the cops on my side.
Also, when SHTF I own the tank of gas that becomes gold.
Really I just want to rule the territory ultimately, as the iron is hot here.
Thanks
@rmenergy , good input!