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I just borrowed $40,000 and want to start a business. Ideas?

Dynamite Shikoku

Congratulations, you really deserve it!
Your easiest path forward is to either return the money or purchase another rental property. I don't know how cheap the houses are in the poor parts of where you live but they often generate good cash income especially if they're section 8.

If you can't purchase a rental property with $40,000 then I would return the money.

I'm an accountant also and yeah the work is boring but I would keep at it until you either get promoted to a position that's more interesting, get enough experience to start your own business, or work long enough until you can develop a business plan.

Being an accounting grunt is awful work but at many corporations you'll eventually get promoted out of the monotony and into something a lot less structured and more self driven. If you own your own small CPA firm eventually, the aspects of running the business and dealing with clients is not monotonous either.

Where on Earth could you buy a rental property for 40k?
 
Return the money quickly, not to be harsh but if you need a Video game forum to tell you how to spend 40k then maybe you're not meant to do it.
 

labx

Banned
OP reading your humble resume of yourself truly. I have a couple ideas out of the bag

0. Return the money ASAP
1. Make a kickstar for a unique board game (or card game) about the things you are good at.
2. Learn to play an instrument and become a rockstar with that money.
3. Learn to dance and become a popstar with that money.
4. Return the money ASAP
5. Write about about left social justice, publish it yourself.
6. Return the money ASAP
7. Make a documentary, mockumentary (like American Vandal), or an indie movie about the perks of ballroom dancing.
8. Return the money ASAP
9. Make a play! like Rent, because it would have a lot of things that you like.
10. Return the money ASAP
 

Bsigg12

Member
Who gave you 40k with no idea what you would do with it????

It sounds like he presented an idea to multiple banks and now the idea fell through so he's currently +40k with the lenders' understanding that he would use it for the idea he pitched.

Or someone had some drug money they needed to launder.
 
Who gave you 40k with no idea what you would do with it????


I have a feeling those of you asking this didn't actually read my OP. I had an idea, and now it looks like it might not work out. I was looking for backup plan ideas, but instead this thread is full of criticism for my life choices so I guess this thread was ill-advised.

To the person who suggested opening a card shop: Thank you but unfortunately the Charlotte market is currently flooded with card shops. I wouldn't get very far. But I sincerely appreciate the idea.
 

Mephala

Member
I am a licensed CPA but I don't have enough experience to open my own firm and I'm starting to think that it was the wrong career for me because accounting is boring.

If you have a good and stable job you should perhaps stick to it. If you're bored yet not experienced enough to open your own firm then maybe its time to perk up and look into what you're lacking at the job. If this doesn't pan out then you can consider a career change as well.

I'd love to be bored at work and own 3 houses. I would simply find excitement during other times. Work though? Don't look for excitement per se, look for ways to improve.

Either way you aren't in a bad position yet until you go into debt for no reason at all. Worse is if you put up your house for said debt.

Maybe you just need a holiday.
 

Luminaire

Member
I have a feeling those of you asking this didn't actually read my OP. I had an idea, and now it looks like it might not work out. I was looking for backup plan ideas, but instead this thread is full of criticism for my life choices so I guess this thread was ill-advised.

To the person who suggested opening a card shop: Thank you but unfortunately the Charlotte market is currently flooded with card shops. I wouldn't get very far. But I sincerely appreciate the idea.

What was the ideaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
 
What was the ideaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The idea was to start a futures market on Magic the Gathering cards, letting people buy options for them so they can speculate without actually buying the cards.

The snag I've run into is that I need access to a Magic card pricing app in order to make this happen, and the only one that's been even mildly cooperative keeps putting me off, saying that the API will be ready "in a few weeks" for over a month now. So my hopes are dimming that this will work out.
 

Clockwork

Member
The idea was to start a futures market on Magic the Gathering cards, letting people buy options for them so they can speculate without actually buying the cards.

The snag I've run into is that I need access to a Magic card pricing app in order to make this happen, and the only one that's been even mildly cooperative keeps putting me off, saying that the API will be ready "in a few weeks" for over a month now. So my hopes are dimming that this will work out.

Yeah. I would return the money even if the pricing app issue got sorted out.
 
I have a feeling those of you asking this didn't actually read my OP. I had an idea, and now it looks like it might not work out. I was looking for backup plan ideas, but instead this thread is full of criticism for my life choices so I guess this thread was ill-advised.

To the person who suggested opening a card shop: Thank you but unfortunately the Charlotte market is currently flooded with card shops. I wouldn't get very far. But I sincerely appreciate the idea.

You're getting criticism because you borrowed $40k without a backup plan, and then came to an internet forum to ask people what you should do. You gave us a bunch of info about your hobbies, and you said you taught for a while and find accounting to be boring. We don't even know if you have any other skills or business acumen to speak of.

You can't just borrow $40,000 from banks and then say "Well now I don't know what I want to do with it." First of all, as was mentioned previously in the thread, you might be in violation of the terms of the loans you took out. Second, if you don't have an idea that's actually going to work out in your financial favor, or at least has a chance to do so, all you're doing is driving yourself into debt.

The best path for you to follow right now is just to do as everyone is trying to tell you and return the money; pay the loans off before too much interest accrues.
 

Hex

Banned
My friend runs a gaming store, you will NOT make money in it.
His is slamming busy every night, Sells Magic and every other card game imaginable, board games, Warhammer 40k...you get buy but you do not make money.

Also nothing to do with Video Games.
The age of the cyber cafe/Lan center is over.
 

Maridia

Member
The idea was to start a futures market on Magic the Gathering cards, letting people buy options for them so they can speculate without actually buying the cards.

The snag I've run into is that I need access to a Magic card pricing app in order to make this happen, and the only one that's been even mildly cooperative keeps putting me off, saying that the API will be ready "in a few weeks" for over a month now. So my hopes are dimming that this will work out.

Ah, the joys of integrating with third parties.

What's the interest rate on the loan, if you don't mind my asking?
 

nbraun80

Member
I have a feeling those of you asking this didn't actually read my OP. I had an idea, and now it looks like it might not work out. I was looking for backup plan ideas, but instead this thread is full of criticism for my life choices so I guess this thread was ill-advised.

To the person who suggested opening a card shop: Thank you but unfortunately the Charlotte market is currently flooded with card shops. I wouldn't get very far. But I sincerely appreciate the idea.
Some probably didn't read, but you also threw some really random stuff in there, like the part about directing, that probably made people think you have no idea what you're doing or trolling. And like others have said if you got a business loan you usually have stipulations of how you spend it. If you just borrowed against one of your homes, it's probably not a good idea to just spit ball with $40k. Return the money, brainstorm, research, develop a new business plan, and try again.
 

massoluk

Banned
The idea was to start a futures market on Magic the Gathering cards, letting people buy options for them so they can speculate without actually buying the cards.

The snag I've run into is that I need access to a Magic card pricing app in order to make this happen, and the only one that's been even mildly cooperative keeps putting me off, saying that the API will be ready "in a few weeks" for over a month now. So my hopes are dimming that this will work out.
....Wait, did you actually go to the bank, sit down, and pitch this idea to the bank loan officer?
 

MGrant

Member
Doesn't Magic retire and reset legal cards every 2-3 years? Sounds like a high-risk, low-profit commodity market to me, but I don't know how crazy people are about Magic cards these days.
 

20cent

Banned
but instead this thread is full of criticism for my life choices so I guess this thread was ill-advised.

Every following sentence is funnier than the previous one:

I like to play board games and puzzles. I've been into Magic the Gathering for 23 years. I follow politics very closely and consider myself a left wing social justice warrior. I am a licensed CPA but I don't have enough experience to open my own firm and I'm starting to think that it was the wrong career for me because accounting is boring. I like musical theory but I'm not very talented at performing. I really enjoy ballroom dancing and spent 9 months as an instructor at Arthur Murray. I am not very charismatic in person usually. I am an okay writer, but not good enough to make a career of it. I currently own three houses, two of which I am renting out at a tiny profit, and I am interested in eventually acquiring more real estate but I don't think I have enough capital to actually do that. I think I would make a great director for either movies or theater but I have no idea how to hone that skill.

You are either trolling or very immature / not ready to do your own business. Starting your own business for the sake of starting a business will fail, and none of your "skills" listed before make us confident that you will succeed. You are free to do what you want, but you can't complain about the criticism from the thread when most people came up with the best option to help you: give the money back.
 

Xtyle

Member
What was your original business idea and why do you think it wouldn't work anymore, if you care to share...no one can steal your idea now since it isn't gonna work anyway.
 
The idea was to start a futures market on Magic the Gathering cards, letting people buy options for them so they can speculate without actually buying the cards.

The snag I've run into is that I need access to a Magic card pricing app in order to make this happen, and the only one that's been even mildly cooperative keeps putting me off, saying that the API will be ready "in a few weeks" for over a month now. So my hopes are dimming that this will work out.

This is so Gaf
 
VvLPoPG.png
 
HIre a bunch of people on airtasker to pre-order iphone Xs using your 40k then flip them all on eBay for a 30% markup then pay the bank back.
Kidding. But really that's about the only can't miss idea I can think of and right now you can't gamble the money because the interest cost can sink you.
 
Every following sentence is funnier than the previous one:



You are either trolling or very immature / not ready to do your own business. Starting your own business for the sake of starting a business will fail, and none of your "skills" listed before make us confident that you will succeed. You are free to do what you want, but you can't complain about the criticism from the thread when most people came up with the best option to help you: give the money back.

I wasn't talking about myself to provide a resume of my skills. I was talking about things I like, because it makes more sense to go into business doing what you enjoy than just doing something random. I guess this was not clear in the OP.
 

old

Member
Make and sell those little circular bandaids again. I couldn't find any at Kroger or Walgreens last week.

24/7 Spa club. All the best parts of a good gym without exercise stuff. Free coffee, wifi, hot showers with seats, hot tubs, heated pool, steam room, and sauna. Members only to keep out the riff raff.
 
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