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Geek Culture / Need input/suggestions on business use of space.

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xplosys
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Posted: 14th Mar 2010 03:52
It's kind of a strange topic, but this place is full of ideas and I could use some to get my mind going.

Behind my office, I have a very small warehouse, about 1300 square feet of conditioned airspace that I'm not using. I provide "small business computing solutions". I purchase product as needed and have most everything delivered to the job, so I have no need of storage. It's located in a business district and there is no shortage of Self-Storage facilities in the area. I am only in the office when not physically on a job so it's not open all through the day.

Besides the obvious rental of storage space, what are some other possible uses of this space that could produce income? I'm open to any and all suggestions, even if they require someone present all day and investment to a reasonable degree.

I've thought of all kinds of different things I could stock and wholesale, but that means sales calls and basically a whole new business. I'm willing to do that if it's a good idea, but so far I haven't thought of anything that good.

Thanks.

Virtual Nomad
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Location: SF Bay Area, USA
Posted: 14th Mar 2010 04:55 Edited at: 14th Mar 2010 04:57
how accessable is the "warehouse" to the public? ie, is there a private entry/pathway to the structure and is regular, daily foot traffic to/from possible? what i'm getting at is, i've always wondered if a "personal oasis" where local business-folk could escape for an hour or 2 throughout the day would be profitable. your location sounds ideal for this. divide the structure up into, say, 150 square foot furnished spaces with basic amenities, sound-proof walls, and privacy. decorate each with with pleasant "escape" in mind. perhaps add free wi-fi, cable tv, a microwave, etc... get my drift? i know you're probably not interested in running a mini motel, and i'd avoid trying to present yourself as such. instead, offer the illusion of "personal space" that the many people crammed in cubicles, offices, etc, all day could go to and "get away".

anyway, that's 1 idea

Virtual Nomad @ California, USA
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xplosys
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Posted: 14th Mar 2010 15:52
Thanks for that Virtual Nomad. I love it when people think outside the box and that's exactly the kind of thinking I'm looking for.

I got a few answers on Yahoo Questions like...
Quote: "CANNABIS FACTORY"

Quote: "lmao dont"

Some guy trying to sell me wholesale junk, and this one I also thought was very interesting...
Quote: "Are there people who bike to work in the area. If so, you could install iron bike racks and rent them out by the month to people who want to keep their bikes locked in a secure facility when they're working."


I don't think any of these would work well where I'm at, but a couple are interesting and may lead to other options.

Brian.

lazerus
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Posted: 14th Mar 2010 16:39
Dammit, i was going to say pot farm =___________=#

Well thiers my joke gone hmm...

err.

Mini casino?

Keo C
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Location: Somewhere between here and there.
Posted: 14th Mar 2010 20:20
Quote: "Mini casino?"

There's bound to be a huge license cost for this.


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lazerus
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Posted: 14th Mar 2010 21:49
Who said it had to be legal

If my first answer was going to be a pot plant, then can my second answer be any more serious lol

Horde something or build a boat.

Id love to have a large area to work in like that. Right now i have my room for work an i have to sleep in here aswell.

lucky if you ask me.

-Con

Indicium
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Posted: 14th Mar 2010 22:20
Invest in a lot of ps3's/xbox 360s and make one of those lan gaming centres??

Windows 7 32-Bit Home Premium Intel Pentium Dual-Core @ 1.46Ghz 2038mb RAM
Oolite
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Location: Middle of the West
Posted: 15th Mar 2010 00:40
I saw something on the tv a while back, can't remember where but this guy had a similar condition. He figured out in the long run it was better to install semi-decent computers inside and create a half decent office. He then rented out the computers and their space at a premium to professionals who needed a place to work for a few days(including travelling businessmen.
He ended up getting in freelancers, writers and artists who just needed an equipped office to sort out paperwork or just a change of scenery. He marketed it quite well as to attract the right people (ie. not gamers) and ended up making quite a bit of business. A few months later when they went to visit him he'd rented half the office out to a company who needed extra space for outside staff and the rest were all let out privately. He also installed a little coffee room with kitchen accessories.
It might be quite costly at the start but you could easily make a return quite quickly if the interest gathers quickly. My one concern would be that licensing various programs for the computers could be the most expensive part. You could start off small with a few computers each with single licenses on a few computer and when the money starts rolling in, expanding as you go along. Rather than (god forbid if it doesn't take off) ending up with a room full of unused, expensive software.

I think i have a thousand ideas for office spaces, thats just the best one that comes to mind.

Also, the local church in the city centre here rents out individual car park spaces on a monthly basis. If it has a decent sized car park you could make a bit of spending money that way.

xplosys
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Posted: 15th Mar 2010 03:48
Thanks Oolite. That's a lot to think about. I also have additional office space in my office that I may rent out if I can find someone with a complimentary business to my own.

Brian.

bitJericho
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Posted: 15th Mar 2010 04:59
Could make a datacenter!

Phaelax
DBPro Master
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Posted: 15th Mar 2010 05:31
After you said it was air conditioned, I was thinking a data center too, but there's a lot more to consider with that.


"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" ~ Arthur C. Clarke
bitJericho
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Posted: 15th Mar 2010 20:44 Edited at: 15th Mar 2010 20:45
So I was just reading this month's Inc. magazine and the same question's in there! The author recommended instead using the extra space to build a stronger bond with your customers, either by offering an extra (possibly free) service or space for special projects.

puppyofkosh
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Posted: 17th Mar 2010 02:43
Just a question, but if you have all of this floor space, do you also have the roof? I'd consider putting solar panels up. From what I hear, it can be pretty cost efficient(after a while) considering you can sometimes sell power back to the company, and in some states get huge tax breaks.
xplosys
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Posted: 17th Mar 2010 03:36
Jerico2day,

I searched the cover page, but can't find a link to that article. Could you link it if you remember where it is?

Brian.

bitJericho
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Posted: 17th Mar 2010 15:16
It's on page 32 of the March 2010 edition, it's the Street Smarts article by Norm Brodsky.

xplosys
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Posted: 17th Mar 2010 15:39
Got it. Thanks. That gets me thinking in another direction.

Brian.

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