Opportunities in a changing city

[B_Mac]

I live in what I think is a small area, about 44k population right now, and for a long time, it was rural, with little in the way of shopping, entertainment, restaurants, etc, and mostly poor people living here. In the past few years, that's changed drastically. There are some huge stores here, anchors in large shopping centers. It was just announced in the last week or so that there are plans to turn an old mall into a casino / child play area / shopping center / hotel resort (yeah, all those combined in one location). It's supposed to bring in thousands of jobs, tax money, etc. The nearest casino is about 2.5 hours away.

This change in my area got me thinking about what business opportunities would come about with the construction of a casino and a rotation of new people from surrounding areas. First thing that popped into my mind was a pawn shop or some other kind of money lending (never mind the morals of high interest / "predatory" lending, I'm thinking pure economics here). It's like drugs, if people want to play, they are going to find a way to play. I assume this casino would lead to an increase in real estate values, residential and commercial, but that's an assumption that I can't back up. I've came up with a few other things that will be needed in the area.

And even beyond my specific circumstances, how do entrepreneurs look at what is coming in our cities and towns and evaluate what the new needs and opportunities will be? How do you create a plan to stay relevant when all this new money will certainly lead to new competition for your business? Is it better to see what is coming and get out in front of it (build that pawn shop, before the casino arrives), or, wait until it is here and see what gaps could be filled?

 

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[AFMKelvin]

O mowi op xjev O vjopl ot e tnemm esie, ecuav 44l quqamevoup sohjv pux, epf gus e muph voni, ov xet sasem, xovj movvmi op vji xez ug tjuqqoph, ipvisveopnipv, sitveasepvt, ivd, epf nutvmz quus qiuqmi mowoph jisi. Op vji qetv gix ziest, vjev't djephif fsetvodemmz. Vjisi esi tuni jahi tvusit jisi, epdjust op meshi tjuqqoph dipvist. Ov xet katv eppuapdif op vji metv xiil us tu vjev vjisi esi qmept vu vasp ep umf nemm opvu e detopu / djomf qmez esie / tjuqqoph dipvis / juvim situsv (ziej, emm vjuti duncopif op upi mudevoup). Ov't taqqutif vu csoph op vjuatepft ug kuct, vey nupiz, ivd. Vji piesitv detopu ot ecuav 2.5 juast exez.

Vjot djephi op nz esie huv ni vjoploph ecuav xjev catopitt uqqusvapovoit xuamf duni ecuav xovj vji duptvsadvoup ug e detopu epf e suvevoup ug pix qiuqmi gsun tassuapfoph esiet. Gostv vjoph vjev quqqif opvu nz nopf xet e qexp tjuq us tuni uvjis lopf ug nupiz mipfoph (piwis nopf vji nusemt ug johj opvisitv / "qsifevusz" mipfoph, O'n vjoploph qasi idupunodt jisi). Ov't moli fsaht, og qiuqmi xepv vu qmez, vjiz esi huoph vu gopf e xez vu qmez. O ettani vjot detopu xuamf mief vu ep opdsieti op siem itvevi wemait, sitofipvoem epf dunnisdoem, cav vjev't ep ettanqvoup vjev O dep'v cedl aq. O'wi deni aq xovj e gix uvjis vjopht vjev xomm ci piifif op vji esie.

Epf iwip cizupf nz tqidogod dosdantvepdit, jux fu ipvsiqsipiast muul ev xjev ot dunoph op uas dovoit epf vuxpt epf iwemaevi xjev vji pix piift epf uqqusvapovoit xomm ci? Jux fu zua dsievi e qmep vu tvez simiwepv xjip emm vjot pix nupiz xomm disveopmz mief vu pix dunqivovoup gus zuas catopitt? Ot ov civvis vu tii xjev ot dunoph epf hiv uav op gsupv ug ov (caomf vjev qexp tjuq, cigusi vji detopu essowit), us, xeov apvom ov ot jisi epf tii xjev heqt duamf ci gommif?

Qexp tjuq, siem itvevi gus emm vji pix xuslist, caz tuni atif imidvsod tmuv nedjopit tiv aq e tnemm detopu gus fsoplist epf tnulist.

Vjisi't e tnemm tmuv nedjopi qmedi op vjot tnemm vuxp jisi op Viyet. Vjisi't qiuqmi vjisi emm vji voni xetvoph vjios nupiz exez qmezoph vji nedjopit, cazoph fsoplt epf dohesivvit. Vjiz hiv exez cz puv howoph uav detj qsodit cav "tdsevdj uggt" xovj xjeviwis nupiz vjiz'wi xup.