how ordinary businesses make money

How they make money

47 so far, page 2 of 4

July 2026

A small jewellery scale with blank display, a plain gold-coloured ring, a jeweller's loupe, a small dark grey cloth pouch and a blank pawn receipt on a deep green paper board

How a pawnshop makes money at 2% a month

The law caps the rate. Gold does the rest.

A plain grey canvas pencil case, a plain steel geometry compass, an exercise book with a blank grey cover, a wooden ruler with no markings and a blank fee slip on a deep green paper board

How a tuition centre makes money after UPSR and PT3

The big exams went away. The tuition did not.

A fan of plain paper swatches in white and grey, a steel paper cutter blade guard, a bone folder, a black rubber ink roller and a blank quotation on a soft pink paper board

How a print shop outlived the paperless office

Paper was finished, they said. Someone still prints the menus.

A plain grey document folder, a black pen, a sealed white envelope, a grey calculator with blank display and plain unmarked keys and a blank policy schedule sheet on a deep green paper board

How an insurer makes money even when it pays out

Refusing claims is the lazy explanation.

Three wax crayons in red, blue and yellow, a small plain navy child's shoe, a blank white name sticker sheet, a plain wooden block and a blank fee slip on a deep green paper board

The awkward arithmetic of a childcare centre

Ratios, rent, and a fee parents already find too high.

A grey desktop calculator with blank display, a roll of white receipt paper, a stapler, a stack of three blank invoice sheets with a paper clip and a yellow highlighter on a soft pink paper board

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

The audit is becoming optional. The paperwork isn't.

A brown paper bag, a steel weighing scale pan, an onion and a yellow lemon, a roll of plain white price labels and a receipt on a soft pink paper board

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

About five percent, net. The rest is repetition.

A corner of a kraft cardboard box, a roll of brown parcel tape, a box cutter, a plain hanging luggage scale with a blank dial and a blank waybill on a soft pink paper board

What a RM5 parcel leaves the courier

Five ringgit, a van, a sorting hub, one tired rider.

June 2026

A metal receipt spike, a wooden rolling pin, a plain steel bench scraper, a blank order pad and a till receipt on a deep green paper board

Why your favourite bakery closes on Mondays

I can't find a number. I have a guess anyway.

Two torn blank ticket stubs, a pair of plain black 3D glasses, an unprinted white popcorn cup and a till receipt on a deep green paper board

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

A quarter goes to duty before anyone splits the rest.

Four square ceramic tile samples in plain white, beige, terracotta and charcoal fanned loosely, a yellow tape measure with plain tick marks and no numerals, a carpenter pencil and a folded white quotation sheet on a soft pink paper board

How a tile shop stays open with nobody in it

You buy tiles once a decade. So how?

May 2026

A plain manila document folder, a wooden-handled rubber stamp, a black fountain pen, a small brass desk clock without numerals and a blank invoice sheet on a soft pink paper board

What a law firm is really selling you

Not hours. Not advice, exactly. Something more annoying.

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