Running a business is typically hard work, but it doesn't always have to be. If you're currently working full-time, you may not want to take on the added time expense necessary to run an involved business. Thankfully, a few businesses will mostly run themselves.
You may have to hire one or two employees, but you don't have to spend time developing a marketing strategy or devising future business plans. If you purchase one of these businesses for sale, you'll be able to quickly begin generating a reliable monthly cash flow without much input from you. Below, you'll find the best low-maintenance businesses you can buy.
Institutional Food Service Establishments
These types of businesses are quick food service establishments located within a larger building. Examples of these businesses are a ready-made sandwich shop in a hospital or a small coffee shop in a mall.
Institutional food service businesses can often be operated by a single unskilled employee, and the fact that they're in a larger building means that you don't have to worry about upkeep or security. While you'll need to pay a leasing fee to the building you're located in, you'll have access to a steady flow of customers. The constant customer base gives you a reliable income, and these businesses are simple to manage.
Gas Stations and Convenience Stores
Similarly, gas stations and convenience stores also have access to a steady flow of customers. As long as the business is located in a busy area, people driving by will constantly stop in to fill up their cars or to pick up snacks and drinks.
These businesses are slightly more complicated to run than institutional food service establishments since you'll need to manage a larger inventory. However, you'll most likely be able to maintain the vendor contracts that the last owner had — you don't have to negotiate them on your own. Most gas stations and convenience stores can be staffed with one or two unskilled employees, which keeps employment costs low and payroll manageable.
Laundromats
While the above two examples required staffing, laundromats often don't require you to hire any staff at all. You'll have to check the dryers and washing machines regularly to ensure that they're in good condition, and you'll have to call a repair technician whenever they break down.
However, you rarely need an employee on-site to manage your business. You simply check the laundromat every once in a while to collect the change that people put in the machines and to see if you need to call for repairs.
Car Washes
Like laundromats, car washes will run themselves. Self-service and automated car washes require no employee intervention. However, you also have the option of expanding your business later by adding an auto detailing service. This allows additional revenue for customers who want their cars to be spotless, both inside and out.
Overall, all of the businesses above rely on the fact that customers have a natural demand for your services. People need to wash their clothes, wash their cars, get gas, and eat. You don't have to worry about marketing or detailed business plans — as long as you find a business for sale in the right location, you'll have a steady flow of customers, and this brings you reliable monthly revenue.
Have you ever thought about the names of big companies that have done well in the local market? Although many folks are quick to dismiss businesses, the fact of the matter is that the way they were named can have big implications for their success in the future. Great business names should be simple, easy to remember, and non-offensive. However, a lot of names don't fall into these categories. Check out these posts to find out great information that you should know to protect your business from day one--when you select the right name for your company. The right name could start your business off right.