Best Small Business Start Up Ever; Pavement Marking, Parking Lot Striping

(1) 6K or less. Most of that is machine. The remainder is incidentals: 18″ Traffic Cones, a 30′ Measuring tape…etc.
(2) No real shop is necessary. Most work from their own garage. I did for (12) years. Many work from an enclosed trailer. Some may rent a (24) Hour Access, U Store It, type garage.
(3) No real inventory. Paint and stencils are the inventory. Buy paint on the way to the job, after you’ve been given the job. Buy stencils once. I manufacture stencils. My Handicap stencil is 28 years old. Buy as you go. Buy as you grow.
(4) You don’t have to quit your day job. Firefighters don’t. Teachers don’t. I did. ( I then had to buy health insurance. ) Stripe the bank's parking lot on your day off. Stripe the restaurant's lot before they open, even if it means (2) trips.
(5) Almost any economy. I’ve been through both. In a good economy, people build, repair and seal coat parking lots. Stripers are needed. In a slow economy, people only “Re-Stripe”. ( Think about retail stores or car dealerships during a slow economy. They chose to only Re-Stripe. ) I still had work.
I needed / wanted a side business. “Pavement Marking” = Parking Lot Striping, met the criteria. I was broke when I started. ( When you’re broke, it has nothing to do with money. ) Now I’m not. It wasn’t easy. I had no one to talk to. After (16) years of full time striping, I wrote my book; How I Stripe a Parking Lot…to help others. The title also says; 24 Years, By Myself. It’s now been (28). 
If you’re looking for something that can really work, consider parking lot striping. Take a look at; My Site HERE. Read the first (4) pages of my book HERE. Take a look at my stencils HERE. Call me. Everyone starts with the same (2) questions: “what machine do I buy, what paint do I use ?“. I have the answers. I can help. My name’s Dan. www.AmericanStriping.com.

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