how ordinary businesses make money
the field guide

How 46 ordinary businesses make their money, all on one table

Who pays, what they're really buying, the one sum that decides it, and how I know. Then the first thing I'd check at 30 more.

last checked 4 November 2026, and it grows with the posts

The table

How a pharmacy makes money now the prices are showing

about four sen of every ringgit kept by Big Caring, a Malaysian pharmacy chain of 626 outlets, by my sum from its figures for the year to June 2025

my guess

turn it over
who pays
The customer buying the box, whose markup also pays for the pharmacist's free advice.
what they're really buying
The box, plus a free conversation about whether two medicines clash, funded by the markup.
the sum that decides it
What the shop pays for a box against what it charges, many times over, with a pharmacist's salary fixed before the first sale.
how I know
my guess, from The Exchange Asia, Big Caring Group Files For Bursa Main Market Listing, 2026
pattern
lives on a gap

Where your driving school fee goes

RM1,150 for a manual car licence course and RM1,250 for an automatic, lessons and exam fees included, the ceiling the transport minister gave in 2018

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The learner, with a small part going to JPJ and most of the fee staying at the school.
what they're really buying
A lesson, while the fee pays for a car, an instructor and a patch of land with a pretend road on it.
the sum that decides it
A fee with a lid on it, times a queue of learners long enough to pay off the pretend road.
how I know
sourced, from AutoBuzz, No more Kopi-O license says Transport Minister, calls for automation in tests, 2018
pattern
someone else set the price

How a money changer earns without charging a fee

my guess, about a quarter of a percent kept: RM250 a day on a made-up counter turning over RM100,000

my guess

turn it over
who pays
Whoever walks up to the counter holding one currency and wanting another.
what they're really buying
The gap between the two columns on the board. There's no fee because the gap is the fee.
the sum that decides it
What the drawer turns over in a day, times the slice of the gap the counter keeps.
how I know
my guess, from The Star, Stronger appetite for foreign currencies, 2024
pattern
lives on a gap

How a factory makes money putting someone else's name on it

one customer was 79% of SKP Resources' trade receivables at its March 2026 year end, which is money owed, not a share of sales

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The brand whose name goes on the box, and from what I can read in the filings, often mostly one brand.
what they're really buying
My guess: skipping the factory, the workers and the empty months.
the sum that decides it
A very small slice of each product, times a huge number of them, with most of the orders hanging on one customer.
how I know
sourced, from SKP Resources Berhad, Annual Report 2026
pattern
a few sen, many times

Why your web designer would love to keep your hosting

agencies with no recurring revenue unprofitable nearly 60% of the time, in a self-reported 2026 worldwide survey of WordPress agency owners and freelancers

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The site owner, who pays for the build once and the hosting every year.
what they're really buying
Someone who knows the site and picks up the phone when the contact form dies.
the sum that decides it
Sites looked after, times the yearly fee, which turns up before anyone has built a thing.
how I know
sourced, from The Admin Bar, 2026 WordPress agency survey, 2026
pattern
the side counter pays

What a property agent's 3% is paying for

usually not more than 40% of a property sale's fee goes to the negotiator, says a 2024 Malaysian journal paper, though one agency's blog calls 40% a minimum

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The seller, normally, out of the sale proceeds, though most of it goes to people they've never met.
what they're really buying
Two firms, a registered agent's licence and a lot of viewings that came to nothing.
the sum that decides it
A fee capped at 3%, shared between two sides and then between firm and agent, against how many deals a year that share needs.
how I know
sourced, from Planning Malaysia Journal, The Paradox of the REN, Ting and Zarita, 2024
pattern
someone else set the price

What an SEO agency sells if it can't promise rankings

my sum, and a rough one: the most common SEO retainer buys five to thirteen hours a month, from one tool vendor's poll of 439 providers, not Malaysian

my guess

turn it over
who pays
A business on a monthly retainer, wanting a result that isn't the agency's to sell.
what they're really buying
Hours, judgement and a monthly explanation of what those hours did.
the sum that decides it
The retainer divided by the hourly rate gives the hours sold, and every extra favour comes straight out of the margin.
how I know
my guess, from Ahrefs, SEO pricing, a poll of 439 providers
pattern
sells somebody's hours

What a car workshop earns between oil changes

RM30 an hour as the floor for labour and up to 25% off parts for six car makes, the 2011 terms for Malaysian insurers' approved repairers

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The walk-in at the counter, or on a crash job an insurer, paying in stages.
what they're really buying
A repair they didn't plan for, from the person they'll ring when the gearbox makes a noise.
the sum that decides it
What the door cost the workshop, against one of two bills: the walk-in's, who can say no, or the panel's, which pays less and later.
how I know
sourced, from The Edge Malaysia, Piam, insurers win appeal against MyCC decision on discounts for vehicle repairs, 2022
pattern
the side counter pays

Why the vet bill stings more than your own doctor's

around RM3,000 for an amputation with a few days' boarding at some vet clinics and half that at others, a columnist's figures from Kota Kinabalu, 2026

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The pet's owner, alone and all at once, usually on a bad day.
what they're really buying
A small hospital's job, for a family member they want kept alive as long as possible.
the sum that decides it
Hospital-grade kit and drugs ordered from abroad, paid back through fees with no ceiling on them, one owner's bill at a time.
how I know
sourced, from The Star, Citycism column, Guideline on vet fees will help rescuers, 2026
pattern
won't go in a pile

Why your GP's fee stayed stuck for so long

RM10 to RM35, a private clinic GP's consultation fee for decades, until the ceiling went to RM80 in April 2026

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The patient out of pocket, or a company panel, on a bill where the medicine could move when the fee couldn't.
what they're really buying
A doctor's time, billed largely as cough syrup because the fee could sit still while the bill moved.
the sum that decides it
Patients a day times a capped fee, against a clinic's monthly costs, with the medicine filling the gap.
how I know
sourced, from The Star, Implementation of GP fee revision to be monitored, 2026
pattern
someone else set the price

Who pays for the mamak's lights at 4am?

at least 35 workers to run one Malaysian Indian restaurant outlet 24 hours, with about 12 on hand mid-shortage, says an owners' association, March 2022

sourced

turn it over
who pays
You, mostly at lunch by my rough guess, unless the shop sits near a factory shift.
what they're really buying
A plate at lunch, and a place that's never shut, so you stop checking. I suspect that's worth something.
the sum that decides it
What the hours after midnight alone add, at about a ringgit a cup on my guess, against the wages of the people kept on to serve them.
how I know
sourced, from The Malaysian Insight, Short-handed restaurant owners not ready to open 24 hours, 2022
pattern
the bill comes first

How a pawnshop makes money at 2% a month

about 20% a year in interest across one listed chain's loan book, in The Edge's 2024 report on its listing

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The person who leaves a ring behind, at up to 2% a month on what they borrowed against it.
what they're really buying
Cash today, with nothing to show but an IC and something to hold.
the sum that decides it
Money out on pledges, times a rate the law caps, with the gold in the safe as the insurance.
how I know
sourced, from The Edge Malaysia, Main Market-bound Well Chip expects rising gold prices to boost lending, 2024
pattern
someone else set the price

How a tuition centre makes money after UPSR and PT3

around RM150,000 lost when one tuition centre in Ampang closed, its former owner down from 150 students to about 20, reported in 2022

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The parent, by the month and by the subject, RM100 a subject on one letter writer's working figure.
what they're really buying
A measurement: with the big exams gone, a number that says how their child is doing.
the sum that decides it
Children in the room times the monthly fee, against a tutor and a rent that cost the same at six children as at fifteen.
how I know
sourced, from The Malaysian Insight, Tuition still in demand, say teachers, 2022
pattern
sells somebody's hours

How a print shop outlived the paperless office

Malaysia's printing industry shrank 4.6% in 2020, when the whole economy shrank 5.5%, by one academic study

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Whoever needs what can't be emailed: a label on a bottle, a box round the gloves, fifty menus by Friday.
what they're really buying
A box, a sticker or a pouch, because you can't send a PDF to hold a rubber glove.
the sum that decides it
A setup cost spread over the copies plus a little a copy, on a machine that costs the same in a quiet month as in a busy one.
how I know
sourced, from Journal of Print and Media Technology Research, The health and outlook of printing industry post-Covid-19: the insight into Malaysia printing industry, Masod and Zakaria, 2023
pattern
won't go in a pile

How an insurer makes money even when it pays out

about 62 sen of each premium ringgit paid in claims and about 12 sen left over, Allianz Malaysia's general arm, 2025, a flattering example

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The policyholder, whose premium comes in first, while the claim, if there is one, goes out later.
what they're really buying
Their own possible claim, which was in the price before they ever made it.
the sum that decides it
Premium, less claims and running costs, plus whatever the money earned while it waited.
how I know
sourced, from Allianz Malaysia Berhad, Q4 2025 Financial Results, Analyst Briefing, 2026
pattern
lives on a gap

The awkward arithmetic of a childcare centre

one carer to three babies, one to five children aged one to three, one to ten after that, the ministry's standards for running a taska, 2025

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The parent, every month until the child leaves, around RM600 a child at mid-level centres by one association president's word.
what they're really buying
A share of one carer, set by law: a third of her for a baby, a fifth from one to three, a tenth after that.
the sum that decides it
The children the law lets one carer mind, times the fee, against her wage, before rent, food or anyone covering her lunch.
how I know
sourced, from Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, tender for its staff taska, minimum operating standards, 2025
pattern
sells somebody's hours

What you're paying your accountant for in a quiet month

94% of companies eligible for audit exemption issued audited accounts anyway, on 2020 accounts filed with Malaysia's SSM, under far lower limits

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The small company, monthly, or quarterly or yearly if it's low on transactions, with the audit line turning into a choice.
what they're really buying
Books that stay ready, and someone noticing when the year stops matching the estimate.
the sum that decides it
The accounts and tax the law still wants done, less the audit slice each client can now choose to drop.
how I know
sourced, from ACCA, AB magazine, Audit exemption under review, June 2023
pattern
won't go in a pile

How a mini-market lives on a few sen a packet

about 5.3 sen kept of every ringgit at the till, one chain, FY2025

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Everyone on the street, RM21.70 at a time, about five hundred times a day per shop.
what they're really buying
The packet being there, near home, at a price nobody nearby can beat by much.
the sum that decides it
A few sen a packet, times an absurd number of packets, from shops a lorry can reach cheaply.
how I know
sourced, from 99 Speed Mart Retail Holdings, Integrated Annual Report 2025
pattern
a few sen, many times

What a RM5 parcel leaves the courier

US$0.59 brought in by the average parcel at J&T across seven Southeast Asian countries, 2025, a regional average with no Malaysian line

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The shopper, mostly through a big platform, at a price that isn't necessarily the RM5 written down.
what they're really buying
A spot in a full van, since that's what a cheap parcel really is.
the sum that decides it
What's left on one parcel after pickup, trucks and sorting, times millions of parcels a day in fuller vans.
how I know
sourced, from J&T Global Express, Annual results announcement for the year ended 31 December 2025, HKEX
pattern
a few sen, many times

Why your favourite bakery closes on Mondays

my rough guess, a made-up small bakery's Monday has to take about RM1,000 just to stand still, before anything an employer pays on top of a wage

my guess

turn it over
who pays
Whoever buys the loaf, and on a Monday it'd take a little over a hundred and twenty of them at my made-up eight ringgit.
what they're really buying
A loaf from a small team that needs a day off, with Monday the cheapest one to give away.
the sum that decides it
What the worst day takes, against the wages of the extra person it takes to open that day at all.
how I know
my guess
pattern
the bill comes first

Is a cinema just a popcorn shop with a film problem?

about 60% of what a cinema has left after paying for films and snacks comes from the snack counter, by my sum from one American chain's 2025 US figures

my guess

turn it over
who pays
The moviegoer, twice: at the ticket window, where most of it goes to other people, and again at the counter.
what they're really buying
A film worth leaving the house for, with the popcorn as the half of the evening that pays the rent.
the sum that decides it
What's left of a ticket after the duty and the film's share, against what's left of a combo after the snacks.
how I know
my guess, from Cinemark Holdings, fourth quarter and full year 2025 results, 2026
pattern
the side counter pays

How a tile shop stays open with nobody in it

about 40% gross margin in 2024 at Hafary Holdings, a tile seller listed in Singapore that made most of its sales there

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The homeowner with a whole house to cover, if one chain's manager is right that they're over 80% of its customers.
what they're really buying
A whole house of tile, with a pretend bathroom to stand in first, because a nervous homeowner needs one.
the sum that decides it
What stays after the tile on each big order, against the month's rent and pay, with the age of the stock as the real worry.
how I know
sourced, from Hafary Holdings (Singapore), Annual Report 2024
pattern
the bill comes first

What a law firm is really selling you

1.25% on the first RM500,000 of a house's price, so RM6,250, the 2023 conveyancing scale in Peninsular Malaysia, before any reduction

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The house buyer, on a sum set by an order, or the person in a dispute, on a fee agreed with the lawyer.
what they're really buying
Someone who has to answer for it if the paperwork turns out wrong, the paperwork being only the part you can see.
the sum that decides it
A fee that follows the house price and ignores the clock, against how many files each person handles.
how I know
sourced, from The Star, Property legal fees to rise, 2023
pattern
someone else set the price

How little a petrol station makes on your litre

about 15 sen a litre of RON95 for the dealer, the rate the cabinet set in 2019

sourced

turn it over
who pays
You, at the pump, though most of your money goes straight past the dealer.
what they're really buying
A reason to stop. The litre is the errand; the drink inside is where I'd guess the margin lives.
the sum that decides it
Fifteen sen a litre, set by someone else, less a card fee that grows every time the pump price does.
how I know
sourced, from Paul Tan's Automotive News, Gov't approves commission increase for petrol dealers, 2019
pattern
someone else set the price

How does a dental clinic actually make money?

a dentist's pay starting at RM7,000 a month or 40% commission, whichever is higher, in one Kuala Lumpur clinic group's 2026 job ad

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Mostly the patient's own pocket, because insurance and panel cover hardly come into it at a private clinic.
what they're really buying
The dentist in the chair. By my reading, the expensive machine in a dental clinic is the dentist.
the sum that decides it
What a chair bills in a month, against a dentist who costs a full salary until 40% of her billing catches up with it.
how I know
sourced, from Doctor Jobs Today, job advertisement for a full-time dentist in Kuala Lumpur, 2026
pattern
sells somebody's hours

Why your gym is quietly fine with you staying home

about 4.3 visits a month from members paying over US$70, in a study of three American clubs, so old and not Malaysian

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The member whose fee turns up every month, whether or not they do.
what they're really buying
A fitter version of themselves, billed monthly.
the sum that decides it
Members paying, minus members actually on the floor. The gap between the two is the business.
how I know
sourced, from DellaVigna and Malmendier, Paying Not to Go to the Gym, American Economic Review, 2006
pattern
paid for the empty seat

What a bicycle shop lives on once the panic buying stops

labour about 10 to 15% of a typical bike shop's sales, 20 to 30% with parts, one adviser's opinion piece in an American magazine, 2024

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Whoever already owns the bike and comes back for a chain, brake pads and an hour of someone's time.
what they're really buying
A bike that works again once the gears slip or the tyre goes flat.
the sum that decides it
A bike margin that falls short of break-even, plus the gear and the bench that make up the gap.
how I know
sourced, from Bicycle Retailer, Retail 101, tips and procedures for a profitable service department, David De Keyser, 2024
pattern
the side counter pays

What a care home keeps from the monthly fee

about 11% of revenue kept after tax and grants at Econ Healthcare, a listed group about 90% in Singapore, six months to September 2024

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Someone's child, month after month, for a parent who's the actual customer.
what they're really buying
Someone awake at three in the morning, since how many carers are on at night is what the fee is buying.
the sum that decides it
Beds filled times the fee, against a payroll that still turns up when a few of those beds sit empty.
how I know
sourced, from Econ Healthcare (Asia) Limited, results presentation for the six months ended 30 September 2024
pattern
sells somebody's hours

How a homestay pays for itself between school holidays

about 34% to 36% occupancy for whole-place listings in Malaysia, first quarter of 2017, from a rental tracker quoted by The Edge, so one old quarter

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The guest, by the night, on a booking the platform and the cleaner both take a slice of.
what they're really buying
A couple of nights in someone's condo unit, with the instalment and the cleaner folded into one rate.
the sum that decides it
What each night leaves after the platform and the cleaner, times nights sold, against an instalment that doesn't care.
how I know
sourced, from The Edge Malaysia, Airbnb is flourishing in Malaysia, 2017
pattern
the bill comes first

How a recruitment agency gets paid, and by whom

not more than 25% of the first month's basic wages, the placement fee an agency may take from a job seeker, in the Act's 2018 reprint

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Mostly the employer, and only when someone is hired; the job seeker can be charged too, but the law keeps that small.
what they're really buying
A hire, plus every search that ended with nobody, since the invoice has to pay for those too.
the sum that decides it
A percentage of one salary, paid once on a yes, set against all the work done for free before it.
how I know
sourced, from Labour Department, Private Employment Agencies Act 1981, reprint as at 1 October 2018
pattern
won't go in a pile

What a pasar malam stall pays before it sells a single satay

RM4 per day per lot paid by traders at Petaling Jaya's morning and night markets, The Star's 2013 report, so not a later price

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The stallholder, to whoever holds the site, before the first stick goes on the grill.
what they're really buying
A lot for the night, and at a festive market perhaps the crowd the event brings.
the sum that decides it
What each stick leaves after meat and charcoal, times sticks sold, against the lot fee and the stock bought before anyone's hungry.
how I know
sourced, from The Star, MBPJ applies for increase in pasar malam stall rental, 2013
pattern
the bill comes first

How a furniture shop can afford to be on sale all year

33.1% gross margin at Courts, which sold furniture alongside electricals and IT, for one quarter reported in 2017, across all its countries

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The buyer, who hands over the same money whatever percentage the tag shows.
what they're really buying
The sofa at more or less its usual price, with a discount that's a sentence about two numbers the shop wrote.
the sum that decides it
What the sofa cost the shop against what you hand over, plus the instalment interest if the shop runs the plan itself.
how I know
sourced, from Inside Retail Asia, report on Courts Asia's third quarter, 2017
pattern
won't go in a pile

How a pest control firm turns one cockroach into a yearly contract

Rentokil, a global pest group, kept 80.7% of its customer portfolio by value in Asia and MENAT in 2024, which says nothing precise about a Malaysian firm

sourced

turn it over
who pays
You, who called about one cockroach and signed for twelve months.
what they're really buying
Not having to think about cockroaches any more.
the sum that decides it
One visit paid once, against a schedule that keeps paying and fills a van's route with stops close together.
how I know
sourced, from Rentokil Initial plc, Annual Report 2024
pattern
won't go in a pile

What an aesthetic clinic is selling between the needles

fewer than 1,000 registered aesthetic doctors in Malaysia, as Malay Mail reported in November 2024

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The patient, and with a package, up front for sessions not yet done, which I think of as a small loan to the clinic.
what they're really buying
A treatment at first, then with a package, a place in the doctor's next few months.
the sum that decides it
A credentialed doctor's scarce hours and a laser's fixed monthly cost, divided by however many sessions fill the diary.
how I know
sourced, from Malay Mail, Risky business: when aestheticians and not doctors perform medically invasive beauty treatments, 2024
pattern
sells somebody's hours

How a durian stall makes money on a fruit that won't wait

durian prices down by as much as 50% in two weeks, as the New Straits Times reported on 3 January 2026

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Whoever stops at the stall, by the kilo, or by the bag when the pile has to go.
what they're really buying
A fruit on a clock, at whatever the road will pay before it starts to split.
the sum that decides it
What the pile cost against what it sells for, less whatever turned before it sold, and all of it hangs on how fast the pile moves.
how I know
sourced, from New Straits Times, Musang King now priced around RM15 to RM35 per kg, 2026
pattern
won't go in a pile

How a coin laundrette makes money with nobody behind the counter

about RM380,000 to open an outlet of six washers and four dryers, Cleanpro's own figure from 2014, so a seller's number

sourced

turn it over
who pays
Whoever turns up with the washing, paying the machines a wash and a dry at a time.
what they're really buying
A machine standing ready all night, with the wages swapped for one very large bill up front.
the sum that decides it
One very large machine bill up front, against whether enough people turn up to pay it off.
how I know
sourced, from The Star, Cleaning up nicely, on self-service launderettes in the Klang Valley, 2014
pattern
paid for the empty seat

What a shop signboard costs after the sign is up

RM100 a year to license an ordinary unlit shop sign up to eight square metres, RM150 if lit, Petaling Jaya's council table, June 2021

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The shop, once to the sign maker and then every year to the council.
what they're really buying
A sign that only has to be made once, because the words got past the language check first.
the sum that decides it
A small yearly licence fee, against the bill for making the whole sign twice if the language gets sent back.
how I know
sourced, from Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya, Syarat keperluan dokumen bagi iklan papan tanda premis, with fee schedule, 7 June 2021
pattern
won't go in a pile

Who's making the money at a kopitiam, the coffee or the rent?

RM10,000 to RM20,000 in rental for a coffee shop in Selangor and KL, one association president's 2020 figure, which I read as per month

sourced

turn it over
who pays
You, for the kopi, and the stall tenants, for their rent: about nine of them at one operator in Rawang.
what they're really buying
A table among the stalls, since the stalls are why you sat down and the drink is what you ordered once you had.
the sum that decides it
Stall rent coming in against the shop's own rent going out, with the coffee a bonus or the whole living, depending on who owns the walls.
how I know
sourced, from The Malaysian Insight, Lockdowns force 600 kopitiam to take a break, 2020
pattern
the side counter pays

What a wedding planner charges for if the hotel has a package

around RM4,000 to RM6,000 for a wedding planner's coordinating service, a comparison site's guide, 2025, not anyone's quotes

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The couple, on top of the hotel's tables, around RM4,000 to RM6,000 for coordinating on one guide's 2025 figures.
what they're really buying
Not being the first person in the family who has to know how this works, and someone else's phone ringing on the day.
the sum that decides it
Weddings she can stand in each month, times the fee, because she can only be in one ballroom on a Saturday.
how I know
sourced, from iMoney, How Much Do Weddings Cost In Malaysia?, 2025
pattern
sells somebody's hours

How a bookshop stays open selling something cheaper elsewhere

the same book, same edition, under RM30 at a chain and three times more at an independent shop, in one 2025 New Straits Times column, not a survey

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The regular who could find the same book cheaper on a phone and comes back anyway.
what they're really buying
Someone who knows what they'll like, and a reason to come back. The book is only what gets rung up.
the sum that decides it
What's left on a book after the supplier's cut, times books sold, against a rent that falls due before anyone's paid.
how I know
sourced, from New Straits Times, Between cost and habit: the price of being a book worm, column, 2025
pattern
the bill comes first

Why your condo pays so much for a guard who earns so little

my guess, about RM10,000 a month for one round-the-clock post, scaled up from a trade body's 2022 figure

my guess

turn it over
who pays
Every owner, through the monthly fee: about a hundred ringgit each on my made-up condo of two gates and two hundred units.
what they're really buying
Twenty-four hours of someone being awake, from people who can each sell about twelve.
the sum that decides it
An hourly rate times every hour of the month, against two guards' pay with overtime at the legal cap.
how I know
my guess, from The Star, Increase in minimum wage could have negative impact on security industry, 2022
pattern
sells somebody's hours

What a used car dealer earns on a car it barely owned

about 2% to 3% margin on the car itself for used car dealers, from a Kuala Lumpur and Selangor dealers' association officer in 2013, a bad patch for them

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The buyer, for the car and for whatever travels with it: the loan, the warranty, the rest of the extras.
what they're really buying
A car, plus the loan and extras that come with it, which my hunch says matter far more than the sticker suggests.
the sum that decides it
A thin margin on each car, times how many move, before a clock of about 50 days on borrowed money runs out.
how I know
sourced, from The Edge Malaysia, Crunch time for used-car dealers, 2013
pattern
the side counter pays

Why your haircut price is about who can hold the scissors

RM10 to RM15 for a traditional cut at an Indian barber in 2024, one report from George Town, so one town and one reporter's check

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The regular in the chair, who I'd guess won't follow a shop to three times the price.
what they're really buying
A skilled person's minutes, which depend on who's allowed to stand behind the chair.
the sum that decides it
Heads a day at the price on the board, against the barber's pay, the permit and the rent on a chair that earns nothing empty.
how I know
sourced, from The Star, The evolving Indian barber industry, 2024
pattern
sells somebody's hours

What a franchise fee really buys you

RM3,503,000 in royalties against RM655,000 in franchise fees booked in 2024, one franchisor's revenue note, Focus Point Holdings

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The franchisee, once at the door and then as a slice of sales every month.
what they're really buying
Permission to start paying the royalty, along with a sign, a manual and someone allowed to give orders.
the sum that decides it
A fee paid once, against a royalty on sales every month, which as I read it still falls due in a month with no profit.
how I know
sourced, from Focus Point Holdings Berhad, Annual Report 2024
pattern
won't go in a pile

What a hawker actually clears after the gas and the free chilli

my rough guess, a Malaysian hawker clears about a fifth of the till before paying herself, on a made-up stall using Singapore's cost shares

my guess

turn it over
who pays
Whoever orders the plate, and then asks for more of the free sambal.
what they're really buying
A cheap plate, at a price set less by a sum than by a stare across the aisle at the next stall.
the sum that decides it
Plates times price, less ingredients, a helper, rent and gas, and her own wage is whatever the plate leaves behind.
how I know
my guess, from Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, Economic Survey feature, Examining the Cost Drivers of Hawker Food Prices, 2015
pattern
won't go in a pile

How a co-working space makes money on the desk you never use

an average of 1.2 members per desk, Deskmag's 2018 global survey, so old, worldwide and not a Malaysian figure

sourced

turn it over
who pays
The member paying by the month, whether they sit in the seat or stay home.
what they're really buying
A seat for a month, with someone else holding the lease that runs for years.
the sum that decides it
Seats sold each month, times the price, against a rent that doesn't care who turned up.
how I know
sourced, from Deskmag, The state of coworking spaces in 2018, global survey
pattern
paid for the empty seat

the patterns I keep seeing

seven ways the same table sorts itself, and the ones that won't

176 numbers I looked for and couldn't find

The blank receipts. If one of these is published somewhere, I'd like to know where.

all 176 receipts

the first thing I'd check

one line per trade I've written about choosing; the reasoning is in each post

to send or cite this

Fair Ivy, The Field Guide, fairivy.com/field-guide/, last checked 4 November 2026.

Print this page and you get the cards without the furniture.

My reading of public sources. Every number is marked for how I know it, and I can be wrong: if you spot an error, tell me here. General information about how trades work, not advice of any kind.