Non-IT business opportunities, Retail etc after R2I

Rajram · Post by **Rajram** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:15 pm

Lets have this thread to discuss business opportunities in India like the growing retail sector. We can share interesting ideas on ways to make money in India in a non-IT field as the IT field has generated so much cash in the middle class families and others are silently making tons of money by tapping into this, anything from a juice joint to a major retail outlet works in India.
This is really not finance/banking related as those threads are more for managing personal income.
We can also discuss personal experiences opening such ventures after R2I and what were the hurdles you had to go through like bribing etc.
All the other threads seem to have fizzled out, lets discuss something interesting for a change.

idlyvadasambar · Post by **idlyvadasambar** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:55 pm

this is good.i hope we can generate some interest in this.

Buro · Post by **Buro** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:37 am

Pleass see my earlier post regarding the question of building an interactive design business in India. Though it is somewhat IT related (which is good, because that talent pool can be harnessed far cheaper than in the US), this field remains more on the marketing/advertising side of the business and draws more from the commercial arts talent pool.

I have a national award winning portfolio to help get such a venture off the ground, and skills of my own to help train talent, but the question remains as to the sophistication of India's communication arts community, as well as finding work to support such an operation. The great thing about it is the lower entry costs compared to some other business models. I got my start in a boutique that got it's start in a basement. They ended up doing $3 million in sales in their first year.

Send me a private message if you'd like to speak.

Rajram · Post by **Rajram** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:52 am

Buro;73972Pleass see my earlier post regarding the question of building an interactive design business in India. Though it is somewhat IT related (which is good, because that talent pool can be harnessed far cheaper than in the US), this field remains more on the marketing/advertising side of the business and draws more from the commercial arts talent pool.

I have a national award winning portfolio to help get such a venture off the ground, and skills of my own to help train talent, but the question remains as to the sophistication of India's communication arts community, as well as finding work to support such an operation. The great thing about it is the lower entry costs compared to some other business models. I got my start in a boutique that got it's start in a basement. They ended up doing $3 million in sales in their first year.

Send me a private message if you'd like to speak.[/quote]
What do you think of a Kinkos style store with all amenities including printing, faxing, Internet access, Notory Public, a small coffee shop and courier services?

Chicago Desi · Post by **Chicago Desi** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:03 am

Buro, I sent you a pm. Thanks.

Buro · Post by **Buro** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:21 pm

rajram123;74049What do you think of a Kinkos style store with all amenities including printing, faxing, Internet access, Notory Public, a small coffee shop and courier services?[/quote]

I think it has potential, but the startup costs would be higher.

harsha25 · Post by **harsha25** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:10 am

rajram123;74049What do you think of a Kinkos style store with all amenities including printing, faxing, Internet access, Notory Public, a small coffee shop and courier services?[/quote]

Kinkos-Fed EX type with a complete Reprographics Center is great if you have 3 to 4 of them started in Bangalore at different locations. Sharing resources with multiple locations is the idea to have 3 or 4 and kill the competition

idlyvadasambar · Post by **idlyvadasambar** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:18 am

getting into service industry with kinkos type would need some big investment esp if one is planning multiple locales as suggested earlier. as one would has to compete with already existing mom and pop setups who know the place better than a newcomer.
starting something unique maybe the way to go.
starting a kids entertainment center maybe a good idea? i am not sure if there already places like this in major cities.anybody know of place like this?

Rajram · Post by **Rajram** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:27 pm

idlyvadasambar;74226getting into service industry with kinkos type would need some big investment esp if one is planning multiple locales as suggested earlier. as one would has to compete with already existing mom and pop setups who know the place better than a newcomer.
starting something unique maybe the way to go.
starting a kids entertainment center maybe a good idea? i am not sure if there already places like this in major cities.anybody know of place like this?[/quote]
Kids entertainment center is also a great idea. I thought about that. I went to some Chuck Cheese's style place called Fun City in Chennai in a local mall and parents were spending on an average Rs. 500 per kid on various games etc. But those machines may be expensive. If we get ten machines and put up a slide, it will be a huge hit anywhere in any city.

idlyvadasambar · Post by **idlyvadasambar** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:06 pm

new gen parents will spend money on their kids. birthday parties/celebrations is where the kids entertainment center will make money. also, any biz with kid focus like kids apparel will probably do very well in India at this time as parents have disposable income to spend on their kids.