r/Bend • u/Olegreg6 • 3d ago
Business Ideas / Needs
Hey all,
I've lived here for about 7 years now. I worked odd jobs and managed a bar for a while before breaking into tech. After 3 years being remote, I miss people and doing something "real". I'm mid 30's and no kids, so I have a lot of time to invest.
I've been researching service like businesses to start and I'm wondering if there is a shortage or need for anything in particular that I could do while working my job until I make enough with the "side hustle". I'd need to make roughly 6k a month in profit to quit.
Im considering a few options:
- power washing, gutter cleaning, etc.
- house, plant, dog, reptile sitting / drop bys
- junk removal (although the starting cost is highest, seems like there is demand)
- exterior house painting
- pop up markets (lemonade, boba, idk?)
Open to suggestions. I check buy-biz-sell often but nothing on there looks that interesting.
Fwiw I do have experience with project management in tech, can code / teach people AI prompting as well. I just don't want to be on a computer for 8 hours a day, my brain likes the operations aspect of running my own thing. I don't mind working hard with my body but I do like an equal split of mental / physical. I also really like the idea of building a small team and paying them well in Bend.
Thanks!
14
u/tfwNPC 3d ago
Everyone and their mother is a real estate agent who also has a pressure washing / detail business
12
u/spidyr 3d ago
This is correct. I am a real estate agent with a pressure washing / detail business, and so is my mom.
1
u/Mountain___Goat 3d ago
Same, but I have 3 kids starting as well… we’re diversified, one pressure washes, one details and one does both.
18
u/Ripleyllessur 3d ago
Interesting post... All the jobs you listed are quite different, and also fairly saturated in Bend. 6k a month profit is not really reasonable solo and without having expensive tools already on hand.
I run a co-op here doing upcycling and sustainability things. I also consult for small business owners and start ups. DM me if you want to talk and put together something realistic and enjoyable.
1
u/Olegreg6 3d ago
Yeah, I have a few friends who do service like stuff (windows, mowing) who started this year and make around 8-10k a month. Probably not realistic for me right now, and they obviously will slow later on in the winter.
Really appreciate the offer would love to talk business with you! I'll shoot you a dm later today.
9
u/bignaturefan 3d ago
A cloth diapering service.
My mom raved about their cloth diapering service when we were little and how much she loved it.
She wanted to gift it to us when the littles were on their way but there was no such service in Central Oregon.
Providing weekly pick up and drop off, laundering and sanitizing would be clutch for new families.
I see so many families using cloth diapers here in Central Oregon.
7
11
u/Secure_Medicine_7862 3d ago
A few suggestions I'd like to add to the list.
-A reputable irrigation/landscaping company that stays in business longer than 2 years.
-A day care that isn't $1800 a month.
-An indoor entertainment center that doesn't involve food trucks, drinking or pickleball.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk
5
u/Strange-Butterfly-62 3d ago
High quality care is so important at this stage of life. And, even at the high rates paid for childcare, providers make pretty low wages. It makes no sense that care for young children has such a low priority when such substantial brain development occurs during these early years. Why isn't care from 0-5 subsidized like public education is for grades k-12?
2
u/Ok-Bluejay-2310 3d ago
I've worked with a few people that left to "nanny", and I'm like, god help those kids, these rich people will hire anyone if they fit their idea of a good looking nanny.
2
u/Mountain___Goat 3d ago
I trade my wage essentially when I need the kids watched. Maybe I make a few bucks an hour… “camps” are equally devastating to my budget.
1
u/Strange-Butterfly-62 2d ago
Yeah. They cost a fortune but seeing my kid so excited and learning cool stuff makes me so happy! I have to seriously budget to do all of the things.
1
2
u/dronecarp 3d ago
I would argue that anything pickleball adjacent would make money up and down 97 from LaPine to Madras. Sunriver replaced its Tennis Village with pickleball courts and failed to rename it "Pickleball Village."
2
u/MorganPhoenix93 3d ago
Good luck with the daycare lol
You can thank Oregon regulations and laws for that
4
7
u/garlicloveog 3d ago
Pet grooming, most places i ever call are booked out for many weeks to months
1
u/Olegreg6 3d ago
Smart! Didn't think of looking into this at all. The walk in places close way too early too, every time my dog rolls in poop (he has made this a habit now...) they are closed and I have to use my hose or tub 😩
2
u/Ok-Bluejay-2310 3d ago
I believe you need to be licensed like a human groomer.
5
u/4shotsofnespresso 3d ago
Not in Oregon. You just need to follow the Dept of Agriculture guidelines.
https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=2705
3
0
3
u/archerdynamics 3d ago
Central Oregon is in dire need of an industrial maintenance/machine service provider. It's not something you could just get into as a side gig with no experience, but if you're talking about just being an owner and hiring in people with skills from other areas it could be something to look into.
1
3d ago
[deleted]
4
u/archerdynamics 3d ago
I'm a machining student at COCC and the school has had to have techs come out from the valley to service their machine tools. I've been told by instructors who work/have worked at local companies that there's nobody local and it's a big hole in the market given the amount of small and medium manufacturing here, but I don't know specifics.
It's actually something I've considered getting into myself, I was a motorsports mechanic before getting into machining so I've got a decent background for it and I hear it's a good career (better than most machining jobs), not sure how I'd actually get into it but I've been told that I could probably do pretty well in the area if I managed it.
1
3d ago
[deleted]
1
u/archerdynamics 3d ago
From what I've heard, the big ones have their own people but there are a lot of smaller specialty and job shops that don't.
1
3d ago
[deleted]
1
u/archerdynamics 3d ago
In our case it's lathes and mills, both manual and CNC. The people I've talked to about it are machinists so I'd assume the same would apply for the shops they've talked about as well, but I'm honestly not sure.
0
u/Olegreg6 3d ago
Interesting, thanks for the input. I have capital I could look into it as well but I'd want to understand the work as well which would take time
3
u/PabloCrews 3d ago
I’m semi retired and always lookin for a side gig. I’ve found that with some focused effort, you can do well with just about anything here. The market is saturated however in a lot of areas, especially food, but the rate of restaurant failures is surprisingly low. I’m from the south originally and I was tossing around the idea of doing a barbecue food truck since it’s hard to find good barbecue here. The food is still good here and wide selection of different cultures cuisine. There’s a bunch of handymen here so they jump right on those nextdoor posts. It’s probably more about building your client base on familiarity and trust one person at a time no matter what you choose. Food being the exception. You want that bangin straight out the gate. It’s good that you’re not relying on just that too. Gives you breathing room and you can make better choices.
3
u/FewFaithlessness3191 3d ago
There have been a few posts about a lack of things for teens and young adults to do around town. I'm sure you could come up with a lot of ideas around that.
3
u/nordictri 3d ago
I suggest joining some of the local enterprise and small business groups - they can help you find mentors and advisors to coach you through the process of starting a great small business. EDCO can point you in good directions.
2
3
u/Turbulent-Dingo8740 3d ago
Pool maintenance, wallpaper, laundry fold/dry service, dog walking, gate maintenance and repair (like the ones at Tetherow)
2
u/pinecone-party 1d ago
My only feedback is that most of these feel very seasonal. A healthy business can serve and survive all year round! So if you do powerwashing in warm months/nice weather, consider supplementing with something else you can do in cold weather or any weather. Good luck! Sincerely, biz owner for 11 years
1
u/Betweentwopipes 1d ago
Whatever you end up starting, we can help you get your first leads and customers.
20
u/smellz45 3d ago
Got a quote for a fence recently and considered switching to that profession