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If you remember, I wrote about the $300K Side Hustle I Started With $500 about a month ago. I was buying and selling pre-owned golf clubs. I eventually rented a warehouse to run that operation out of. The golf club reselling business is very seasonal and the winter months were slow. So, I had unused warehouse space during those months. I decided to fill that space with golf simulators and rent out the time.
This business model has become somewhat popular in areas that golf is not possible due to the cold or snow. However, most of these simulator businesses are wrapped into a bar or restaurant (and the build-out can cost $500k-$1M+). I built simulator bays in a warehouse without a giant build-out cost, so I was able to rent simulator time for half the price of my competitors.
To start out, I opted to go with the SkyTrak unit as my simulator/launch monitor. There are pros and cons to this unit. It is the best bang for your dollar. However, it can be a little finicky and not the best user experience. I used the Skytrak units for 3 years before selling the business (the person that bought the business upgraded to overhead units that cost about $8k per unit).
Finding the right impact screen cost me a lot of money. I tried screens that cost $150 and I tried screens that cost $1,000. The best screen I found ended up costing me $350. The screen is essential because you project simulated video onto the screen, and players hit golf balls into the screen. So you need a crisp, clear image on the screen, and the screen must withstand the impact of a golf ball going 150mph into it.
There are many ways to get creative here. I would say I did not find the best solution, but I found one that worked. The screen must be held relatively tight on the top, left, and right sides (the bottom hangs loose). I built a metal frame to hold the screen using EMT piping and Steel Conduit.
The issue with using a metal frame is that if a golf ball hits the frame, it ricochets and can cause damage to the building or people in the bay. I padded the steel with a foam covering. However, this was not perfect.
You will need a computer to run the golf simulator software off of. Any computer will work but I recommend upgrading the graphics card for best results. The computer is hooked up to the projector, whatever is shown on the computer screen is duplicated through the projector and onto the impact screen.
You will want a quality golf hitting mat. Cheap mats will tear up quickly and give a poor user experience. I purchased my mats from Reel Feel Golf Mats ( ). The golf mat should be big enough for someone to stand on and have the Skytrak unit sitting on the Mat (at least 46 but go bigger if you can).
Overall you should expect to have the bays utilized for 50% of the time you are open. Weekdays can be as low as 30% utilization and weekends can be about 90% utilization (as you get closer to spring, demand for the simulators will increase).
For labor, you can choose to work it yourself or hire hourly employees. If you hire someone for $14/per and you have all the hours you are open covered, you are looking at paying about $6K per month in labor (including payroll taxes).
I had my office at the same location. So during normal business hours (8am-5pm weekdays), I did not need to hire someone to cover those hours (but out of convenience, I usually had someone come in for some of those hours).
I paid about $2500 per month for the location I operated these at (rent plus utilities). The unit was about 2500 sqft (I paid about $12/sqft). I did have a year-long lease as I used the spot for other purposes in non-winter months. It may be tough to find a location that will let you rent for 5-6 months out of the year (but if you get creative and hustle, I bet you can find something that will work).
In all, I would expect to generate about $25K in profit each winter season off of these simulator bays. Initial setup costs are about $15K. So after year 1 you have your initial setup costs paid for plus you profited some money. All the equipment should last about 3 years, then you may have to replace a screen or replace a Skytrak unit.
Groupon: This gave me an easy way to get the word out that we existed. However, I had to discount the rates pretty significantly to sell on Groupon (essentially 50% off). What I found out though was that not all Groupons that you sell get used. So for all the cash I collected through Groupon sales and the number of Groupons that were redeemed, it was only as if I was discounting by 10% or so.
Note: I am no longer sure if Groupon gives you all the cash upfront, or they now wait for the Groupon to be redeemed. If they only give you the cash for what is redeemed, Groupon may not be a good option.
Gift Cards: I sold gift cards for Black Friday and The Holidays. This was a tremendous source of cash for me. I would sell the Gift Cards at a discount (buy $60 worth of time for $30). I would generate thousands of dollars of sales from this offer. And like Groupon, a lot of the gift cards would go unused. This was essentially an interest-free loan for me that boosted my cash flow.
Email Marketing: For anyone to book time on the simulator, they must provide an email address. It is incredibly important keep an email list and stay in contact with them. This list will help fill your time in year 2, 3, and beyond. Always be collecting emails and keeping in touch with them.
You will have a steady flow of people in and out of the business each day. This gives you an opportunity to sell other items to this audience. You can sell snacks and drinks, you can sell golf balls and gloves, and if you get a license, you can also sell alcohol.
We also offered golf club regripping and repair services. We setup an account with GolfWorks (golfworks.com), and could have almost anything shipped to us within 2 days. However, we did stock a good baseline of grips so that we could regrip a set of clubs same day.
Bus Simulator Indonesia APK is a game that is played in beautiful Indonesian locations. This game is the best choice for those who want to enjoy simulator buses on a realistic road network with a 3D Indonesian environment.
However, the issue with the original game is that it has limited fuel, buses, and locations. Therefore, we bring the latest version of Bus Simulator Indonesia Mod APK 2024, which offers premium features such as unlimited money and fuel, and no ads for Android devices.
In this Mode, the route selection options are not available. You can select any tour from the available tour list. There is a specific route for all the tours. So, you can enjoy buses in customized locations on the Indonesian landscape.
In this Mode, you can freely drive your bus without any constraints of mission, schedule tasks, or pick up any passengers. All the buses and maps are accessible, including premium ones. The user can drive at their own pace in diverse Indonesian cities and landscapes without restriction. This Mode helps improve your driving skills and control.
Bus Simulator Indonesia mod game offers unlimited fuel. It automatically refills your tanks or stops your fuel consumption, so you will not need to stop at any filling station to refill. With abundant resources, you can complete a challenging mission.
The BUSSID MOD game offers free shopping features. There is a virtual marketplace where you can buy different accessories for your buses for free. The users can decorate and style their buses and upgrade engines and suspensions.
The mod version offers a premium customization of Buses. You can apply a wide range of colors and patterns to your buses, which makes them attractive and appealing. You can also customize the seat covers, dashboard, horns, antennas, lights, rims, and much more. With customization options, you can update the exterior and interior of buses.
Bus Simulator Indonesia Mod game offers a whole new world of possibilities in terms of buses and varieties. It allows you to experience driving different brands of buses(school Bus, RS New Skyliner, Komban Bus, etc. ) and types. So, personalize your bus journey by downloading unique and modern Bus skins.
This game offers different angle views to the user to see all sides of the bus. These views are first-person view, third-person view, top view camera, rearview mirror view, etc. All these view truly helps the users to control the bus, navigate the traffic, pick up passengers, and see the traffic overview behind the bus.
The Mod version of Bus Simulator Indonesia offers 3 different hunk sounds. The Gamers can enjoy different pitches of hunk sounds while playing the game. The game also allows the players to adjust the pitch of the hunk.
The visuals of the BUSSID MOD are stunning, and you can enjoy the captivating sceneries of different Indonesian cities while playing the game. The graphics of the game are designed in a 3D way, and it looks like a natural scene. Sometimes, artificial rain starts while playing the game, which gives the sense of country weather.
A large number of cities are available in the Bus Simulator Indonesia pro mod Apk, and the number of cities depends on specific MOD versions. The graphics are designed in such a way that it feels like you are traveling among these cities.
Large brands of trucks and models are added to Bus Simulator Indonesia Mod APK. Some popular brands and trucks are Light Trucks, Box Trucks, Cargo Trucks, etc. So, you can drive and be amazed by your own truck.
BUSSID MOD APK added a different bike collection(Sports bikes, Scooters, Classic bikes, etc). So, download the Bike Skins or Mods that match your choice and enjoy the thrill of the charming Indonesian landscape
BUSSID MOD APK provides a facility to customize the steering positions. You can set the steering at left or right positions and can adjust steering sensitivity according to your ease. These features of the game not only make your driving comfortable but also improve your driving performance.
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