DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Business Idea's

So....I was thinking of trying to get into business....specifically Africa. Me and Victor talked about a business idea here....but the start up is high, and i want to be a complete snake.

I wanted to buy some real estate, specifically around areas with the natural resources, as DRC(Congo, formally known as Zaire), is considered the richest country in the world with regards to natural resources.

I have a detailed way of doing it, but i wanted to know any anybody on this board had any experience or knew somebody who attempted such a feat?

I know many people that have developed real estate. Some made a bunch of money, some lost a bunch of money.

You planning on moving to the DRC? If not, forget it.

i'd plan on being back and forth. depending on the money flow.

Don't forget to hire your private army to keep that land after you've bought it. That is some of the most contested land in the world right now.

my homeboy's dad is Theo Kanene. Works for the government.

i know thats not a warm and fuzzy, but I'm sure we'll be ok.

So, what are the plans for the real estate?

first thing i have to do is register the business and get a RCCM number.

i guess it's gonna run me about $1,325. Trying to find property in Kinsasha(Brazzaville) or maybe venture far west in DRC. It's convenient as there's a strip of DRC that is attached to the Atlantic ocean.

That's the first step. Gonna be going to DRC to scoop the area's out, while my Visa is getting approved(already started).

Flights already booked from june 8th through the 26th. Also, hooking up with the U.S. Export Assistance Center, as eventually(read: soon) i want to start trying to tap into exporting the natural resources.

but...first is a nice visit to DRC to see if it's even worth it.

Dang, you have a full schedule. School, a part time job, now buying ground in Africa? (thinking about buying ground in Africa - DRC)

And you want to export stuff. WHAT stuff? They have natural resources (and I'm sure you know more about those than I do as I haven't done any research).......but what stuff do you want to export? To where? Who will be in charge? If you aren't there 24/7, who do you have that will be reliable and trustworthy to be there in your place?

Man, ambition is great. Taking calculated risks is fine - but be smart. Why would you pay for a RCCM number before you've even been there?

What is your area of expertise to even know if the land you are thinking of buying has anything of worth on it/in it? Who are you consulting with?

I'm getting 100 percent from the va. The part time job is simply so I'm not bored at home.

And I got so much paper stacked from saving in the military. It's not like I'm taking out a loan or anything.

Like I said, one thing at a time. First it's to see if it's even worth it.

If it is? Game time. Told you man, one percenter. If this fails, so what? Scared money doesn't make money. Then I'll just try something different.

Some people dreams are to be cops, or investment managers, or lawyers. Etc. and thats awesome. Follow the dreams!!

My dream is to own a 350 million dollar yacht. And making business deals while getting my feet massaged.

Or atleast not worry about paying my bills every month.

And I want the visa anyway. I'm going to do something out there. So imma need the number anyway.

Trying to get into contact with some officials out there, and thhis other agency based out of France, but the time zone difference, gotta find some time to call.

I guess you're not going to say if you're going after oil, diamonds, copper, or cobalt.

Before you do anything I recommend a book called the Lean Start up. It teaches you the lean methodology which will help you understand the scientific approach for startups which will help you validate your product.

Before you sink you life savings into something its a smarter idea to make sure people want the product and make sure people are willing to pay for said product.

just brainstorming. but yes, sure, all of that.

I got a link. this is my video i posted for my homeboy. me and him been exchanging ideas.

it's me, i'm sure Arch can confirm it, at least voice when he see's the video (sorry Arch, you're my proof now buddy)



it's probably gonna get destroyed by some of yall, but this is what i got, and it's a work in progress.

I don't know how smart this or whether you've really thought it through, but I admire anyone who takes action and doesn't just talk about it. Number one thing is to take smart, calculated risks. Get yourself as educated as possible. Arch asked some good questions.

If you truly are an entrepreneur and truly have that entrepreneurial spirit, you won't be deterred. But you have be actually be that. You can't fake it. Entrepreneurs are a special breed, IMO.

Word.

Yea i'm trying man. I already got the ball rolling for the recon. tickets already bought.

I might use my VA loan to buy the first house, but i need to see if i can use it overseas first. the problem is, even if i can use it, i have to actually live in the house to buy it.

however, one nice little loop hole is apartment complexes. vets have used the VA to buy apartment complexes, as you only need to prove you stay in one of the units in order to do it.

so thats a nice little way i can explore as well.

I may have a contact for diamonds.

I am not familiar with the area, but how stable is the government there? Is there religious strife in the area? Are there people who might decide that what's yours is theirs? What are the biggest problems you could encounter?

It's not about getting your idea being destroyed, for me its about how are you going to put yourself in the best position in order to succeed. I am a big fan of looking at other successful people/business and try to figure out how/why/what they did. Information is free, and pretty much can be found anywhere, how can you use this information to increase your odds of success?

I ask you how many hours have you put into this idea?
How much documentation have you written?
Who are your competitors?
How much money are they making?
How do you plan to market this?
How much marketing dollars do you need to use to reach 1 customer?
Do you plan to have employees?
How much are you going to pay employees?
What is your time frame?
How do you pay US Taxes?
How do you pay the countries taxes?
LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp?(will need a C-Corp for serious VC investors)

(I can keep asking questions but will stop)


What is your motivation? Everything I have read so far says that if the business is strictly about money, then it will have a very low success of being viable. You need to have something more then money because people who you will lead will need to have something to believe in.

Just for scale on my start-up, before I started telling my idea I spent 4 months, researching, creating documentation, creating road maps, creating layouts, identifying my key people ect. I also spend roughly 3-4 hours every night on this project.

If you consider that the country has had 3 names in the past century, I'd say it's not too stable.

There was a show on Discovery, I think, and it was basically a couple guy from the states who were buying plots of land in Africa and mining them for gold. I wish I could remember the name of it, but damn it was boom or bust, and they came close to losing their lives many times. So much poverty and corruption. Basically living by a string trying to hit that big lick and not get killed by someone else taking it from them in the mean time. These guys did end up doing ok, but their investment was into the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Gonna be honest, I hate the idea of exploiting their resources. That continent is getting such a bad deal. Their communities get turned into industrial sites, often forcing them to abandon their traditional lifestyle for that cheap, dangerous labor. They can't even afford their own resources, then once the profit is gone they are left with an environmental mess.

As an American consumer I know I play a role. As a shareholder in American Corporations I also play a role. But it stinks!

My suggestion: You, or a business partner should to try to get an internship or consultant role in an industry over there. Use your military background to land a security gig or supervision spot. Absorb it all like a sponge before you invest. It will help you find the best opportunity. Give you valuable experience. I know you can/would hire supervisors and experienced personnel, but nothing will prepare you like being a part of the process.

And that's the problem.

I really appreciate the input lurker, but that's too much.

Why? Because I don't need to worry about all that right now. That's a quick way to get discouraged.

All we want to do is start off wih a house bro. Just a house. Maybe 2.

If it works, then we will reinvest into some of our other ideas, and thus will be doing research on that.

Like I said, first we need to recon the area.

My motivation is absolutely money. My motivation behind anything minus getting married and having kids has been money, and guess what? I've done pretty good for myself.

If you guys want to help, talk to me about the typical problems face when dealing with tenants. About getting connections with utility companies and how often I should check on the tenants.

I'm doing this.

Getting money is fine, but there is still something to be said for getting it in an ethical manner.

It sucks. But hopefully I end up helping them in the end.

One problem I saw while researching is a lot of those companies in the Congo operate illegally, sometimes not even paying he employees.

I won't be doing that. That's why I want to register the company legally, because not only is hat the right thing to do, there's a way to get government backing because of it.

Good stuff.

I got a while before I get to that point, but I'm ready bro. Sink or swim. I'm jumping in. The plan is already in motion.

Check out the show Jungle Gold.

Will really give you some insight into the hurdles of doing business in Africa

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/jungle-gold/

I think it is cool as hell you are doing this. You cant hit a HR if you dont swing the bat

I want a Congo Browns Backers shirt once you get a club going.

Thanks guys.

And Erik I got you. That would be crazy if I got something like that jumping off.

There's a McMurdo Station Browns Backers club. If there can be one in Antarctica, there can be a club in the Congo. The McMurdo Station club has no t-shirts, as it's a club of one.

Swish, first off, congrats on taking steps to making your own plays as an entrepeneur. As someone who is currently trying to start a small business, I get how hard it is to take those first steps and go all in on an idea.

And at the core of it, I think you're dead on. You see opportunity in the Congo and you're going to go check what you can do there. That's the key first step. Thinking about natural resources development is more than a couple steps down the road and a great deal more complex. But hey....horse before the cart.

Thought I'd add a quick 2 cents on the whole rental property side of things. I have a condo in BC from when I lived there. Decided to rent it out when I left as the market took a downturn and didn't want to take a loss on it. So now I'm an out of town landlord... here's a few things I've learned.

1. Find someone local in town that you can trust to accept new tenants, do walkthroughs etc. You can pay for this (property management company) or have a friend who is willing to put in the time. If you can't be there, find someone who can be.

2. Establish a network of vendors you'll use for repairs and improvements. If you have a credit card, you can schedule all maintenance remotely and have people invoice you via email. Find people who do a good job and keep using them. Build a history with them and you'll only get better service and less hassle.

3. If you go with long term tenants, find people who are willing to undertake simple work themselves. Nothing worse than a tenant who wants you to hire someone to hang a curtain rod.

4. Consider short term rental. This might be a good play for you for visiting business people in town for a number of weeks or months. You avoid some of the headaches of long term tenants, can charge a higher rent and less wear and tear on the property.

5. Utility companies.... I just let the tenants deal with it so no help for you there.

That's off the top of my mind. If it were me, I'd explore the short term rental route and market it to companies who send expats there on a regular basis as a week to week rental. Ups your initial cost a bit as you have to go with a nicer place in a secure location- but likely would be a more stable investment.

just my two cents.

Swish, have you ever started a business before? The reason I ask is that it sounds like you are in over your head and that what you are attempting will be vastly more difficult and complex than you think it will be.

I hope you are holding many things close to the vest as your business plan video was underwhelming to say the least. That is not a business plan. It's more like the early stages of brainstorming ideas. I hope you realize this before you go and drop tens of thousands of dollars to learn stuff you should have researched before even starting.

Many in this thread have given good advice and raised good points. In particular, read Lurker's post. Those are really good questions and you should be able to thoroughly answer them before you spend any significant money on this. JMO of course.

If you want to make this idea work, you are going to have to start off being the investor, engineer, marketer, sales guy, security force, accountant, etc. That is usually how it goes for a startup. You can hire people to take over those jobs as you go but funds are limited and trust me you don't want to blow through your life savings doing this. You want to live in the U.S. while doing this? As Arch implied, I highly doubt that works and flying back and forth at 2k a pop is going to be a boat anchor. Like you're at a time and money disadvantage right off the bat.

Anyway. I admire how you are dreaming big. It seems to me like a lot of people in this thread are skeptical of the idea but are only pointing out pitfalls instead of just coming out and saying it. I'm not saying it won't work-- execution is usually more important than ideas and I don't know nearly enough about this business to even say how good of an idea it is. I don't expect you to listen to me anyway so maybe use it as motivation and a chip on you shoulder instead.

Just going to let you know, when you said "in over your head" I stopped reading.

I dunno what you said after that. It could've been something good.

But it doesn't matter. If I fail, then I fail.

But I'm good. I got it. Anybody who posted just negative stuff got ignored. Not trying to be disrespectful, but I'm surrounded by people who've said the same thing in real life, and I'm doing great while their still being stuck as a drone somewhere making 35k-40k in an office complaining about their jobs on Facebook.

If it doesn't work, guess what? I have a house in Congo. All well. How many people can say they have land in Africa?

I listened to other posters about tenants and stuff. But that negative nonsense? I'm good on that.

As someone who has started and ran successful businesses, I wouldn't wish to put you into a job with a modest income doing something you hate. Heck you even asked about ideas to make money from home and I shared some ideas that people are genuinely making a lot of money from.

But anyway, you have made it abundantly clear to me in a few recent threads that you don't respect my opinion and basically that you just don't want to hear it, and that your prerogative. I will not chime in on your threads with advice or constructive criticism anymore. Good luck with your new business.

Clearly you didn't read what I said.

I LOVE idea and tips and suggestions.

But don't tell me I'm in over my head. Don't tell me I shouldn't do anything just because I don't have experience in it. And that's what you and other posters have said.

How am I suppose to know what I'm doing if I don't ever DO it?

I'll say this, about that: Negativity and the "aw, that will never work" thing is the easy stuff to come up with. It is so much easier to be negative.

I've experienced that with myself, my wife, friends, etc. People with a positive attitude, in MY experience, do much, much better.

With that said, 1 house, or 2 homes - be it in Congo, Cleveland, or Archbold - will not bring in enough money to support a single person, let alone a family. (throw in a mortgage - well, until it's paid, it'll be tough to even eat off the profits) Owning, yet living thousands of miles away - is asking for trouble. It seems you are willing to relocate - which, in my humble opinion, is crucial.

You also seem to be looking for other avenues of income. Smart move. Consider what it will/would take to get a job there - you, your wife, or both of you.

Making money takes time, 99.762% of the time. If you're willing to relocate, keep an eye on your investment, live low on the hog, this could be a great opportunity.

Let's face it - I have NO clue what land in Congo costs, what homes cost, what rental rates are, what security issues may or may not exist........I don't have a clue. Hopefully you'll do/are doing the legwork on that stuff.

Sometimes 1 rental turns into 2, which turn into 5, then 20, then 200. When starting off, having/maintaining a steady income stream ASIDE from the rentals is vital.

This is where you listen to other people who have done it and learn.

You taking stuff personally, but honestly people are trying to help you. At the end of the day its about business.

You should be PMing hasugopher picking his brain on what he learned and how it could help you.

KNnw the difference between feedback and negativity.

Feedback
"have you thought about xyz or about this widget?"

Negativity
"Thats not going to work because xzy and its a bad idea"


Know the difference.

Word bro.

I know straight up any profit i get isn't going into my pockets for the first few years. straight going into reinvestments.

i'm getting 100 percent VA disability. thats 3100 a month. my bills will be more than paid here in the states. like my favorite rap song right now "aint worried bout nothin'"

"you are in over your head"

sound like negativity to me. but you're the IT guy, right? so you're smarter than me. whats that sound like to you?

look, this thing is happening. if y'all wanna rock with me, and give me suggestions, fine.

but thats straight up negativity. and y'all can kick rocks with that.