View Full Version : WHICH BUSINESS TO BUY
Can I ask the opinion of the people on these forums that have bought or started business's in the Florida. Which in their opinion are the most successful as regards giving you a better quality of life. I know this kind of question has been asked many times. But there must be lots of you who have done it and are quite happy with their choice and equally those of you that look back in hindsight and think I should have done such and such. I know that much like anywhere if you work hard and do long hours you will most likely make a decent income. But I think this defeats the purpose of moving to and living in Florida. I certainly would not like to do much more than I do at home. Is this unrealistic or is it part of the package that if you worked hard at home you work harder here?
florida4sun
28-02-2004, 05:20
Its an open ended question. How hard do you work at home? If you buy any business it alway very hard worked for the first 12 - 24 months. One thing over is generally that you cannot relay on anyone to work under there own steam for long. Multitasking is a skill in short supply. We typically work 8 - 5pm and have occasianal call outs of hours. It was very different for the first 12 months. 7 days a week and most evenings.
quote:Originally posted by bond
Can I ask the opinion of the people on these forums that have bought or started business's in the Florida. Which in their opinion are the most successful as regards giving you a better quality of life. I know that much like anywhere if you work hard and do long hours you will most likely make a decent income. But I think this defeats the purpose of living in Florida. I certainly would not like to do much more than I do at home. Is this unrealistic or is it part of the package that if you worked hard at home you work harder here?
Most people do work harder here. The Americans tend to work longer hours and if you want to compete in what is an aggressively competitive environment, you need to work just as many hours. I would agree with Martin ahout staff and the idea of just managing falling down. My staff are lovely but they cannot work on their own without supervision effectively and have no initiative whatsover. I have heard stories from others about staff with too much initiative undercutting the employer and pinching his contracts. You hence need to keep your eye on the ball all the time.
One of the problems is that the Brits here tend to buy into businesses with long hours and hard manual work such as property management, pool and lawncare, cleaning, shops, gas stations and convenience stores. That is because these businesses do not need transferable skills and can be run by what were mostly white collar workers back home. They are traditionally hands on businesses with long hours or call outs.
The rates of pay here in these businesses are traditionally quite low. For example, I charge $65 for cleaning a villa and use around $5 worth of cleaning materials, paper products and freebies. It takes 4-5 hours so I am on around $12 an hour. So I have to do a hell of a lot of cleans to make a living wage. The rate for a pool care guy paid by a management agent will be around $60 per month ( some get less!!) and for that he will need to call four times so is on $15 a week per pool. Again a hell of a lot of pools to make a living wage. Management, traditionally $100 per month or $3 per day, For that you are on 24 hours call out.
I wish I had a magic wand and could conjure you up a business where you work 30 hours a week, spend the rest of the time sitting by the pool and still earn a living wage. If I could, I would be doing it. To be frank, this is why a large proportion of Brits in Orlando eventually turn to realty though you wont get a visa initially to do this.
v8anglia
01-03-2004, 00:36
by "realty" do you mean buying and selling property or renting? is there a market for buying run down properties fixing them up and selling them like there is in the uk? i have been told the americans aren`t into diy like the british prefering to buy ready built is this true?
Realty is eatate agency, selling houses. Property developpment, yes I have heard of people doing that here by buying foreclosures and doing them up but it is passive investment and wont get you a visa. Nothing based on property does. The Americans do like buying new. English people buy the resales.
chrizzy100
01-03-2004, 05:55
quote:Originally posted by esprit
Realty is eatate agency, selling houses. Property developpment, yes I have heard of people doing that here by buying foreclosures and doing them up but it is passive investment and wont get you a visa. Npthing based on property does. The Americans do like buying new. English people buy the resales.
Can you just buy and sell quick in FL.....?
We have been told that in Mass you have to own the house 3 years before selling or you get hit hard with taxes.....
No idea, Chrizzy. In Celebration, it is deeded in that you cant sell within a year. The only villa I have sold I had for more than three years....