how ordinary businesses make money

How they make money

47 so far

October 2026

An empty silver blister pack, an amber pill bottle without a label, a plain white pill counting tray, a steel measuring spoon and a receipt on a deep green paper board

How a pharmacy makes money now the prices are showing

Everyone can compare now. So what's the shop living on?

A small stack of blank white cards, a steel craft knife, a short steel ruler, a plain white order slip and an empty clear card box on a pale pink board

Why the name card refuses to die

Nobody's phone has ever needed a box of a hundred.

A car key on a plain ring, a small orange traffic cone, a plain grey logbook, a wooden pencil and a blank lesson receipt on a deep green paper board

Where your driving school fee goes

A small part is JPJ. So who gets the rest?

Unmarked brass coins in a plain wooden tray, a jeweller's loupe, a plain black counting tray, a black pen and a blank rate slip on a deep green paper board

How a money changer earns without charging a fee

No fee on the board. It's all in the gap.

September 2026

A handful of steel hex nuts, a steel vernier caliper with no markings, a plain grey safety glove, a small machined metal part and a blank job card on a soft pink paper board

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

One big customer can be the whole story. And the whole risk.

The corner of a closed grey laptop, a plain black external hard drive, a small plain white network router, a coil of grey ethernet cable and a blank invoice on a deep green paper board

Why your web designer would love to keep your hosting

The website is the one-off. The renewal is the business.

Three keys on a plain ring, a blank floor plan sketch on paper, a yellow tape measure with plain tick marks and no numerals, a plain steel door handle and a blank booking slip on a deep green paper board

What a property agent's 3% is paying for

Three percent sounds like a lot. Until you split it.

A notebook open to a blank page, a yellow highlighter, a plain grey wireless mouse, a cork coaster with a coffee cup ring and a blank monthly report cover sheet on a deep green paper board

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

Google says nobody can guarantee a number one spot.

A used spark plug, a steel combination spanner, a car key on a plain ring, a grey cotton rag and a blank job sheet on a soft pink paper board

What a car workshop earns between oil changes

The panel rate, the parts and the awkward phone call.

August 2026

A plain tan leather pet collar, a white syringe cap, a plain white booklet with no print, a small steel bowl and a receipt on a deep green paper board

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

Your GP has a fee ceiling. Your cat's vet does not.

A black stethoscope, a white digital thermometer with a blank display, a blank prescription pad, a clear glass jar of cotton balls and a receipt on a soft pink paper board

Why your GP's fee stayed stuck for so long

The fee cap was older than your phone. By a lot.

A metal receipt spike, a plain stainless steel mug, a blank order pad, a folded white paper napkin and a till receipt on a soft pink paper board

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

One teh tarik at 4am covers the fan, not the shift.

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