Lex DeVille's - 200 Mostly Offline Rental Business Ideas

[YoungPadawan]

Grain bin rental space. $0.02 per bushel per month, build a 100,000 bushel grain bin, sit back and watch the checks roll in.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Here's one that is a niche of the moving industry...

Piano Moving Company
Pianos typically weigh 300+ pounds on the low end and up to around 1,300 on the high end. Some are awkward shapes and have weird weight distribution that makes them difficult for average joes to move.



This company also offers piano storage and piano rentals. You could probably sell in-home repair/tuning services, refurbished pianos, etc. if you have the space to store them.

 

[Guest921Y]

Chocolate fountains

Good one!

 

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[YanC]

I love this thread. I've been thinking about this recently as I'm in the real estate business and was wondering what else could be rented.

Why not marimbas?
Marimba Rental Business Hits All The Right Notes | Side Hustle School

 

[Guest921Y]

Unless I'm mistaken, these are not just small potential businesses. Some of these have HUGE profit potential.

Think about how often you can rent out some of these items. If you live in a relatively well populated area, there should be regular demand for most things on this list!

 

[Sander]

Why wouldnt your friend not just do it around you?

He doesn't have the money, and he isn't interested in risks.

It mostly makes sense. The main flaw is relying on "a friend" to do any part of this. Every single friend I've worked with in the past blew it big time. So I don't work with friends anymore.

If it's just $1100 bucks then it might be worth a shot. The worst that happens is you're out $1100 and some change. But since the monthly payment is low, it's really not a big deal, plus you'll get experience with how loans work.

Also, depending on the item, you could always check for referral offers. Don't know if you've read my thread on laser engraving, but I make anywhere from $200 to $500+ per month just from people who click my referral link on YouTube and then go on to buy a laser. So far this month I've sold 2 lasers without making any new videos and earned $200 in commissions.

Two questions I'd have before doing this:

1. How/where can you earn customers before you buy the item? (presell)
2. What will you do if your friend blows it and quits?

Thanks for the fast reply! Good to know the math makes a bit sense. I did read the thread, and I've already checked for affiliate deals on this product before you replied. It's a really cool idea, and I think it could work.

1. I can make a website to get leads online to proof the idea / business.
2. The guy of my mind is a family member, and the workload will be relatively low (1 product in the start, and if it scales, I will be home by then I guess). If it doesn't work, I will learn that lesson and solve the problem.

 

[banjoa]

How do you deal with people ghosting with your stuff?

A drone for example.

 

[Schwarz]

Printers.

More precisely, 3D PRINTERS!

 

[MakeItHappen]

7. Parking Lot Space
10. Garage Space

I thought about this years ago and still like the idea.
It's like simple mini real estate.
In bigger cities the value of parking space is pretty high.

 

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[Tossek]

What I have seen in my business area is that there is always a demand for ... climate test chambers (humidity and temperature). I already made some estimations on how this business would scale and it does not look to good.

Climate test chambers cost like 10 k each. They are extremely bulky and eat up electricity as hell (starts at ~ 2kw/h).

My idea would be to build up infrastructure and rent just the space for doing the testing. This would solve the "problem" the companies have for finding distinct spaces for them. However, you still need (at least) someone to carry out the testing and supervision. And this would mean you need >> 10 chambers and orders equivalent. I do not see how this can work out in the end :-(

 

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[Kid]

Yes, I tried to keep a balance between side hustles and things that could be rented out for a lot of money to businesses, contractors, govt. etc. Even some of the direct-to-consumer rentals could be a legit business.

One thing I've considered is teaming up with a local music studio to rent my studio out. I could set up the booth in their location and share the profits. They already have the target audience and the space. They already handle customers. It's a value add for them. So they keep half and do all the work and I just collect my paycheck each week or month or whatever. I'm just the guy who fronted the cash for the studio.

There's probably a lot of different ways you could make these ideas happen. The more expensive the item, the better the opportunity for renting it (in my opinion). But the small stuff can add up with consumers. You might end up doing more footwork for less pay with cheap or easily obtainable items though.

Rent a music studio, recording studio - Studiotime

 

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[itfactor]

In my city, there are lots of new power companies popping up.

Recently, they're leasing out air conditioners at around $20/unit/month for 72 months.

Not sure if it includes the power bill or not though.

 

[Timmy C]

Electric car rental.

 

[Bhanu]

Few things which can be Rented :
-Medical equipment .(Like my cousin rent Oxygen Cylinder)
-Coat/Gown for marriage (I feel the coat we buy for Marriage is just used once in your life.At least in my country we wear it once and that's it. Big waste of money)
-Person who can help old people in buying grocery,take them to Hospital ,Do small errands for them etc.
-Your car (in my country we have concept of Zoom cars quite interesting)

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

Contribution from my niche and experience in business:
- Bolts, flanges, and hydrostatic testing equipment
This is a big thing. No further explanation.

 

[Sander]

Just got this idea from reading this thread. Never dealt with this type of business before, but it's really interesting. Hope to get a response on my math below to see (not great at it), if it makes sense.

I found a niche product. Cost is $1100. Multiple companies are renting this out, some focusing only on this product, others as just another product of their equipment available for rent.

The daily rate to rent this goes from $40-$75 / day.

My idea is this:
It's possible to get a loan for $1100 with a 5% interest on a 3 year periode. I've never taken a loan before, so I don't know if this is good or not. I guess it means I will pay the person back $1265 after the three years. It's around $35 / month in payments (correct me if I'm wrong).

Since I'm traveling at the moment, I can't personally be there. Thinking about offering a friend 20-50% of the company for doing the manual work with the product and customers.

I think it's possible to lower the daily rate magnificent, so I will have a price advantage. Could be $20-25 / day.

I will then have to rent the product out 2 days / month to break even. Everything else is at least 50% profit for me.

Does this make any sense?

 

[Andreas Thrane]

Just got this idea from reading this thread. Never dealt with this type of business before, but it's really interesting. Hope to get a response on my math below to see (not great at it), if it makes sense.

I found a niche product. Cost is $1100. Multiple companies are renting this out, some focusing only on this product, others as just another product of their equipment available for rent.

The daily rate to rent this goes from $40-$75 / day.

My idea is this:
It's possible to get a loan for $1100 with a 5% interest on a 3 year periode. I've never taken a loan before, so I don't know if this is good or not. I guess it means I will pay the person back $1265 after the three years. It's around $35 / month in payments (correct me if I'm wrong).

Since I'm traveling at the moment, I can't personally be there. Thinking about offering a friend 20-50% of the company for doing the manual work with the product and customers.

I think it's possible to lower the daily rate magnificent, so I will have a price advantage. Could be $20-25 / day.

I will then have to rent the product out 2 days / month to break even. Everything else is at least 50% profit for me.

Does this make any sense?

Why wouldnt your friend not just do it around you?

 

[Lex DeVille]

Just got this idea from reading this thread. Never dealt with this type of business before, but it's really interesting. Hope to get a response on my math below to see (not great at it), if it makes sense.

I found a niche product. Cost is $1100. Multiple companies are renting this out, some focusing only on this product, others as just another product of their equipment available for rent.

The daily rate to rent this goes from $40-$75 / day.

My idea is this:
It's possible to get a loan for $1100 with a 5% interest on a 3 year periode. I've never taken a loan before, so I don't know if this is good or not. I guess it means I will pay the person back $1265 after the three years. It's around $35 / month in payments (correct me if I'm wrong).

Since I'm traveling at the moment, I can't personally be there. Thinking about offering a friend 20-50% of the company for doing the manual work with the product and customers.

I think it's possible to lower the daily rate magnificent, so I will have a price advantage. Could be $20-25 / day.

I will then have to rent the product out 2 days / month to break even. Everything else is at least 50% profit for me.

Does this make any sense?

It mostly makes sense. The main flaw is relying on "a friend" to do any part of this. Every single friend I've worked with in the past blew it big time. So I don't work with friends anymore.

If it's just $1100 bucks then it might be worth a shot. The worst that happens is you're out $1100 and some change. But since the monthly payment is low, it's really not a big deal, plus you'll get experience with how loans work.

Also, depending on the item, you could always check for referral offers. Don't know if you've read my thread on laser engraving, but I make anywhere from $200 to $500+ per month just from people who click my referral link on YouTube and then go on to buy a laser. So far this month I've sold 2 lasers without making any new videos and earned $200 in commissions.

Two questions I'd have before doing this:

1. How/where can you earn customers before you buy the item? (presell)
2. What will you do if your friend blows it and quits?

 

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[Lex DeVille]

How do you deal with people ghosting with your stuff?

A drone for example.

Have rental agreements just like any rental company, or use a third-party rental platform like Fat Llama who has their own agreements and insurance.

 

[Matt Hunt]

True. I guess what I mean by that is I'm unsure how much demand is there. Though we do have a local business here that rents out camera gear, so there must be some. But I'm in a local photography group on Facebook, and the subject of gear rentals rarely comes up.

 

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[Jeff Noel]

Just got this idea from reading this thread. Never dealt with this type of business before, but it's really interesting. Hope to get a response on my math below to see (not great at it), if it makes sense.

I found a niche product. Cost is $1100. Multiple companies are renting this out, some focusing only on this product, others as just another product of their equipment available for rent.

The daily rate to rent this goes from $40-$75 / day.

My idea is this:
It's possible to get a loan for $1100 with a 5% interest on a 3 year periode. I've never taken a loan before, so I don't know if this is good or not. I guess it means I will pay the person back $1265 after the three years. It's around $35 / month in payments (correct me if I'm wrong).

Since I'm traveling at the moment, I can't personally be there. Thinking about offering a friend 20-50% of the company for doing the manual work with the product and customers.

I think it's possible to lower the daily rate magnificent, so I will have a price advantage. Could be $20-25 / day.

I will then have to rent the product out 2 days / month to break even. Everything else is at least 50% profit for me.

Does this make any sense?

Do you have hot leads, people ready to put down the cash to rent the item and maybe the worker that comes with it (at another $60+ hourly rate) ? How many customers or days rented do you need to make profit ? Is there enough need to justify an employee ?

Check your numbers, it'll give you a good idea on how long it would take to repay the loan and become profitable.

Edit: Sorry, I just realized the post I replied to is 2 weeks old.

 

[93world]

Not sure if previously mentioned, but could you not run the whole idea through an app where you own none of the stuff?

Similar to a market place app, you allow members of the public to list items they don't mind renting or hiring out (drills, lawn mowers etc) and people can make offers on what they want.

People make spare money on items sitting unused, people get tools they need without paying, app owners/developers take a small percentage..

Maybe im being naive!

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Not sure if previously mentioned, but could you not run the whole idea through an app where you own none of the stuff?

Similar to a market place app, you allow members of the public to list items they don't mind renting or hiring out (drills, lawn mowers etc) and people can make offers on what they want.

People make spare money on items sitting unused, people get tools they need without paying, app owners/developers take a small percentage..

Maybe im being naive!

You mean like Fat Llama?

Sure, you could do that. It's a different route to profit and there will be some special considerations. How will you handle insurance? How will you keep their property safe? Things like that. But someone could definitely start a similar website.

In the past I considered it and concluded that if I were going that route I'd take it local first. Start the marketplace in a single location, and draw people through word of mouth, and maybe sites like nextdoor.com. In time it can grow into a nice business, or scale internationally as Fat Llama has done.

 

[Simon Ashari]

44. Video Games / Video Game Systems

I had heard of people renting video game systems. It isn't a very wise financial decision but people still do it.

I just looked up an Australian website that allows you to rent an XBOX ONE 500GB version.

[NOTE: the following numbers are in Australian dollars]

You could buy one of these brand new on sale for about $300.

You could also rent one from this site for $48.45 per month on a 48 month rental.

$48.45*48= $2146.56

It's unfortunate that people make stupid financial decisions like that... but what can you do?

 

[Simon Ashari]

If you just wanted to try out an xbox, and you discover you hate it, then you've saved yourself $250 for the system plus however much you'd spend on games.

The price of $48 per month assumes you are locked into a 48 month contract.

They have a 'flex' plan for $58.37 per month.

Unfortunately, none of these rental plans come with games included.

 

[Lex DeVille]

The price of $48 per month assumes you are locked into a 48 month contract.

They have a 'flex' plan for $58.37 per month.

Unfortunately, none of these rental plans come with games included.

Source?

 

[Lex DeVille]

That gave me a chuckle... you certainly know nothing about Nigeria, or even my own Ghana

Not saying it cannot be done... but for small items, your only security down here would be to take a refundable deposit -- large enough to cover the cost of the item in case it's never returned or it gets damaged. And, unless you want to run a tiny operation only catering to your immediate locality, you also have to worry about payment infrastructure and delivery (again, not so trivial down here as it might be in the western world.)

Yeah! I can see how that would be a problem!

 

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[classichouse]

The biggest problem with renting things with a low value of goods is the cost of oppression. At the agreed time, someone has to hand over the belongings, take them back at the agreed time and check their function. Of course, if you're not honest with yourself, it's worth it. If you are honest enough to set a reasonable hourly wage, it is usually a minus business. Alternatively, would you have to raise the business so big that it is worthwhile to put somebody full time?

 

[reedracer]

I like combining things. An event space with a custom home theater, soundproof recording studios for video and audio, garage with a lift, and meeting spaces would make life a little less boring.

 

[Thoelt53]

There is a company near me that “rents” construction labor. No skilled jobs. Mostly demo, clean up and other types of manual grunt work.

They pay well, have 200 employees, gross ~$20-30M per year (as of 2 years ago, and grown since), and the company is only 10 years old. A bit of math (I’m in the industry) leads me to believe they have about a 30-35% profit margin. Pretty damn good business.