Post: #1

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The topic of employment opportunities in the wake of the energy industry boom has been well documented and discussed on this forum.

I feel like this forum has done an extraordinary job of laying out actionable blueprints to get hired.

However, it is strange to me that the topic of low-hanging-fruit entrepreneurial opportunities in these oil boom towns seems to have been neglected, or at least not very well organized thus far.

This thread is being created to discuss the following:

1. Entrepreneurial business opportunities and ideas in oil/energy boom locations like Williston, Alberta, Texas:

-Restaurants/Franchises
-Dry Cleaners
-Professional Services (lawyers, consultants, dentists)
-Software/Tech services and products (SAAS apps for the industry)
-Food Trucks
-Gyms
-Private Tutoring (teach the children of energy industry employees)
-Private Classes (teach people how to get trained up for jobs)

2. Bring together different stakeholders into teams:

-Investors
-Founders/CEOs
-Marketing guys
-Accounting/finance/operations guys
-Admins/Assistants
-Muscle/Security
-Programmers and Engineers
-Whoever else might be interested in being involved with oil/energy

3. Scouting and Testing Market Demand for Opportunities

After failed startups in which I've spent months building products that nobody wanted, I always conduct rigorous market demand tests before even thinking about launching a venture.

I think that with the number of guys on this forum who are living and working in the oil/energy industry, we will have a great initial test market on which to test services/products to see if they will be applicable to a larger audience.

----

If you work in the oil/energy industry and this thread seems interesting or promising to you, why don't you do the following:

-Point out a big problem that everyone seems to have that could be solved by a service or product

-Point out a glaring lack of certain types of services that professionals or hustlers can come in and fill (tutoring for kids of workers, dentistry, plumbers)

-Point out a glaring lack of a certain kind of food that everyone seems to miss or want (Mexican, Chinese, Sushi, Foodtrucks)

-If you are an investor who is interested in getting in on this, perhaps state that you can invest $X amount into opportunities

-If you have a certain background (security, accounting, legal, admin, programming) then you can state that you have that background and are willing to start up or be hired by someone else

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Let's do it!

Post: #2

Here are some articles on the topic of entrepreneurs in action in the midst of the oil/energy boom:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26...15945.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/williston...013-7?op=1

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2012/smal...usinesses/

Post: #3

I'll kick it off:

1. I can invest up to $5,000 USD in an opportunity

2. I'm looking for opportunities that can be solved with software and mobile apps to invest in - alternatively I might be interested in brick/mortar stuff too

3. I can help to test market demand but I would need to source a founder/founders who is/are intimately familiar with the industry and knows where software/mobileApps could solve specific problems at scale and on a recurring basis - this person would need to be on the ground for sure

4. The 5K would cover building a prototype and testing it with early adopters before scaling up and potentially taking on a larger seed round

Post: #4

I dont have time to wash clothes. I just worked 12+ hours for a month straight. A laundry service would be a decent/quick hustle.

Post: #5

Whoever invented this app is a genius
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/canadian...65038?mt=8

Is there an American one?

Post: #6

I'm studying petroleum engineering - and have a LOT of friends in the oil industry. If you want knowledge shoot me a PM and I will try my best you help you out.

Or if you need someone with knowledge to go in on a project. Shoot me a PM

Post: #7

(11-18-2014 12:10 AM)komatiite Wrote:  Whoever invented this app is a genius
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/canadian...65038?mt=8

Is there an American one?

Yeah, there's an American one but it's only a free trial before you have to pay for it.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...roid&hl=en

In an other note, Uber doesn't serve Minot/Tioga/Williston nor Midland. Some dude in a gypsy Town Car serves Williston.

If you want to put a biz, set up a laundromat. It pays cash and you will have plenty of customers. Your equipment is going to take a beating though.

Post: #8

Great thread idea. Thanks to the person who brought it to my attention.

I am coming very close to the point where I am going to start several mini businesses based around the oil patch.

I have a few personal ideas that you may be interested in. Maybe we can Skype next week when I am back in town.

Some open ideas to the guys on here:

-Resume and job finding service to the new guys coming out (I tried but don't have the time, demand is good though)

-'Mini' hostel. There is only one in Edmonton and it is very strict. Rent a house with 10+ rooms and advertise to newer guys coming out. Turn a small profit with free rent. Weekly rates/monthly etc. Keep passport as collateral and provide beds and cooking gear.
Don't rent to welders.

-Get a crew of students to drive people home from the bar after drinking- use electric bikes or mini motos to get around. Easy to set up and bars/government would likely help set up a scheme.

-Make morning sandwiches and sell them at traffic lights to people going to work. Places like Red Deer has miles of slow moving work traffic.

- Hire 4 guys off Kijiji for general labor and call up landscape/snow removal/ construction companies looking for simple jobs
I did this and had it lined up for Irish students. The visa situation blocked me. If I wasn't drilling this is something I would do. Can easily make $500-900 a day off a crew of guys. Landscaping is very well paid. Just need a shitty truck and some sales skills.

There is a lot of opportunity out here and it is easy to turn a few bucks. I am working right now but will be keeping a close on this thread and will post some more info soon.

YMG great idea and I hope to Skype you soon.

Post: #9

Seven deadly sins, market a product/service that exploits them, and the money runs to you: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.
In real estate, I find the human emotions/sins of greed, pride, and envy most useful.

Post: #10

Another huge need (which could be App based) is that a lot of guys got no one back in town to run errands for them.

I always need things posted/collected/bought/moved around/forms filled out

If you could link guys in the field with someone back in town who is reliable you can create a lot of value.

Again I would think of U of A students who would have the skills and would be willing to work for not so much.

Post: #11

What about a rehab facility or a sober social club/venue of some kind?
From what I can gather, drugs/alcohol/sex are a big thing for oil workers/rig pigs and likely to remain that way.
So, you can either provide the drugs/hookers, or profit indirectly from the carnage.
Maybe not a full on medical rehab facility with month long stays, but rather a local 3-7 day place where people could voluntarily dry out/take a breather.
Or maybe sober nights/sober activities targeted at AA members or merely at people who want to have fun without getting hammered?

Post: #12

No that's retarded. AA people won't advertise they're in AA, you can't just plan "sober activities" an expect them to blindly pay some fuckin guy a bunch of money, they do these activities themselves.

Post: #13

(11-18-2014 01:35 PM)komatiite Wrote:  No that's retarded. AA people won't advertise they're in AA, you can't just plan "sober activities" an expect them to blindly pay some fuckin guy a bunch of money, they do these activities themselves.

Ummm

48 Sober Living Homes in North Dakota

Post: #14

Never commented on rehabs I was commenting on an activity planner.

Post: #15

Laundry service would be amazing.

You could advertise special cleaning techniques to get grease out of FRC's.

If you have low capital, only do delivery service. Clients would pay you a fee, you drive it to a laundromat, pay them, deliver it back, cut a little off the top.

Post: #16

There is a certain hierarchy, the more down you go the more head ache and less money

1)top dog would be owning oil rich land with mineral rights. Make cash. Do nothing.
2)Below that is the oil company
3)Then companies that get hired by the oil company which fall into a couple categories. Bigger equipment, rigs, cranes, pumpers, all cost a lot to maintain, hard to find and retain quality people, only worth getting into if you have someone willing to "pimp" you out and owner operate or hire someone to run your stuff under their name for a cut. That way you actually get the equipment on location and get oil field tickets written by the oil company. Unless you are getting tickets written by the oil companies you aint making the big bucks. Its all who you know really, you can make hundreds of thousands with a some garbage bins, porta potties and rig matts, but if you dont know they consultants personally you are not getting that stuff out to location and getting tickets. Its an old boys club out there. Tools can be very profitable. Most tools will be rented out will be covered by one or two rentals. Rebuilding them is pretty simple. Again you need to actual field experience to know these tools and jobs and companies willing to run them, or have/be a tool hand. Even if a service companies picks up and runs the tool, you get billed on the ticket to the oil company so you have charge out $1500 for a $2000 tool, then rebuild the seals, paint it and put on shelf again.
4) Working for people getting the oil field tickets, brick and mortar, residential construction and stuff - you can charge a premium but nothing like a mark up to the oil company. good side is you wont have trouble getting customers, and auto shop is booked several days in advanced in any town. Down side is you have to live out in some shit hole and always be there due to the nature of the business. If you have enough for a McDonalds or tims, every town can use another one. Staffing these businesses will be tough with high turn arounds.
5) regular jobs out here, cashier, teacher, tutor, etc, just not really worth being out there for the most part.


I have one business idea that is in the area of using software, similar to well planning but more on the completions side. Problem is I never worked in the office side of things for an oil company so I would like to talk to someone about the feasibility and demand for it.
Another thing is I know API and metal standards for equipment, and several machine shop owners that specialize in oil equipment, I can design tools on cad. If a sales channel is made with a good tool thats in demand it can be quite lucrative. Machine shop builds, assemble, sell with a 300-500% mark up, or rent out as tool company and watch money flow. Most of these opportunities will be in the newer completion methods. There are lots of problems and needs, but sometimes the volume isnt there/ people can always reverser engineer it if its simple by just tossing it to a machinist.

cnn, and huffington post are all power elit/goverment propaganda machines, you wont find any information aside from how to become a good obedient slave.

Post: #17

(11-18-2014 12:37 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  Another huge need (which could be App based) is that a lot of guys got no one back in town to run errands for them.

I always need things posted/collected/bought/moved around/forms filled out

If you could link guys in the field with someone back in town who is reliable you can create a lot of value.

Again I would think of U of A students who would have the skills and would be willing to work for not so much.

Kind of like a taskrabbit specific to the oil fields?

I can def imagine working 12 hours for a shit ton of cash and coming home exhausted all day - and wanting to have someone to just run all of my errands for me.

We gotta think of all the situations in which oil field workers would say something like:

"I am so exhausted that I would pay ANYONE, right now, $100 USD to just do (service) for me at the click of a button"

"It is so cold outside that I would pay ANYONE, right now, $100 USD to just do (Service or me) at the click of a button"

To prove this idea we'd have to talk to a shit ton of people and maybe get like 100-300 of them signed up to a beta version of it. People who say "if you can create an app that lets me get an assistant to do these tasks for me on demand for $X USD, I will be using that app all of the time" and then shove money at us - then we know it's an idea worth pursuing.

Post: #18

(11-18-2014 02:35 PM)redbeard Wrote:  Laundry service would be amazing.

You could advertise special cleaning techniques to get grease out of FRC's.

If you have low capital, only do delivery service. Clients would pay you a fee, you drive it to a laundromat, pay them, deliver it back, cut a little off the top.

How much capital do you think this kind of business would need?

-Laundry facilities
-Delivery truck
-Labor

Post: #19

(11-18-2014 10:54 PM)YMG Wrote:  

(11-18-2014 02:35 PM)redbeard Wrote:  Laundry service would be amazing.

You could advertise special cleaning techniques to get grease out of FRC's.

If you have low capital, only do delivery service. Clients would pay you a fee, you drive it to a laundromat, pay them, deliver it back, cut a little off the top.

How much capital do you think this kind of business would need?

-Laundry facilities
-Delivery truck
-Labor

My leasehand days I washed quite a bit of coveralls, and drilling rigs get dirty. You are going to want a industrial washer preferable with a boiler to steam them. Can always look for used as this equipment will be quite pricey new. Consumer ones with steam go for 2k. Regular washers will only wash two pairs max and will wear out quick. You can always set up some soak bins in the van, truck will be too much plus require a CDL at which point people can find work for 30+ an hour in town. The bins will have the coveralls bouncing/sloshing in the solution due from the van driving on the shitty roads. At that point you will already have the coverall presoaked and prewashed before going to washer. Dono if its worth the trouble but its something you could do if you do it. Labor your are looking at 15 an hour min. Most companies are dry cleaners and do this on the side, or office cleaners, and change carpet rugs and stuff each time they come by.

Post: #20

Good thread YMG.
To expand on your last post, I think having a service through a website or even an app where people can place orders for their groceries and have it delivered within say 12 hours would have tremendous potential. Same for laundry.

However, I see 2 main challenges in this:

1) majority of guys on the oil patch, here at least in AB, they are mostly red necks who may not be very open to the idea of doing stuff on the computer. At least initially. These are very down to earth guys, who may or may not be very tech savvy.

Needless to say, this kind of project would entail to have a subsequent educating the prospects about the benefits of this service.

2) The second major challenge in offering grocery orders taking online and delivering it to them would be you'd need to first get access to the key decision makers and to convince them of letting an outsider company offer that service. The major grocery store chains here in AB are No Frills, Safeway, Superstore, Walmart etc...

If you have contacts inside these companies, then half the battle is won. If not, It might be a hard and long battle to get there...

Overall, I do see great potential in this, just need the contacts to get to key decision makers in these huge organisations as they would want a piece of the action for sure.

I'm sure they would have already thought about these new platforms to offer their products to very busy tradesmen. As to why they haven't gone ahead and implemented them yet, given that they already have the expertise, resources and contacts necessary, that's a big factor to consider.

I'll follow this with interest as I'm interested in getting involved in something like this.

Post: #21

I really like these ideas.

I think it'd be better to run a service company, but that's just me.

Most of these services exist in larger cities.

Groceries: freshdirect.

Laundry: laundromats that deliver folded cloths.

Room & board: plenty of hostels in major tourist cities.

What we need to do is find the most profitable with the lowest startup cost.

The grocery one is tempting, but I'm not sure if all the demand is there.

Post: #22

Let's keep brainstorming.

Post: #23

Most of those services exist in large cities but not in boom & bust places.

Labor in Texas is low, you can still hire some college kids at 10-12 an hour to buy groceries and offer them the opportunity to network while delivering groceries. Psh, buy your groceries while doing someone else's groceries.

What about those capsule hotels like these?
http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HB2qNBv4d6c/TloMi7...imgmax=800

Or you could make something of out shipping containers.

Post: #24

Another thing I was thinking which would have tremendous potential is to have a big house and turn it into a hostel and help the guys get settle in AB. That is take them to get a phone account, bank account, for the foreigners, help them with getting driver licence, health and social insurance cards. Take them on a tour to Nisku. Help them with registering for the must have tickets to work in the oil sands here. Work on their resume. Help them find a room/appartment Etc...

We could start as a beta test and make that service/house available at first to guys from the forum and see how it goes.

Like an all in type of agency kinda deal.

I'd be interested in investing in something like that here in Edmonton.

Post: #25

I LOVE the capsule hotel model! Great suggestion CR!