how ordinary businesses make money

How they make money

47 so far, page 4 of 4

February 2026

The corner of a plain grey plastic laundry basket, a small cup of plain unmarked coins, a folded white towel, an empty clear plastic measuring cap and a till receipt on a deep green paper board

How a coin laundrette makes money with nobody behind the counter

The washers work nights and never ask for a raise.

A plain grey plastic squeegee, an offcut of plain white acrylic, a strip of unlit LED tape, a small steel spirit level and a blank quotation on a deep green paper board

What a shop signboard costs after the sign is up

The sign's paid off once. The council writes every year.

A thick plain white cup of black coffee, a long-spouted tin coffee pot, a cloth coffee strainer, a steel spoon and a till receipt on a soft pink paper board

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

Some coffee shops are landlords with a drinks counter.

A plain clipboard with a blank timeline sheet, a black two-way radio with a blank display, a roll of white gaffer tape, a folding wooden tape measure with plain tick marks and no numerals and a blank quotation on a soft pink paper board

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

The hotel sells the ballroom. Someone still has to sell the calm.

Two closed hardback books with plain unprinted grey cloth covers, a plain wooden bookend, a flat blank white card bookmark and a till receipt on a deep green paper board

How a bookshop stays open selling something cheaper elsewhere

Same book, same edition. The small shop still has the rent.

A plain black torch, a bunch of keys on a plain ring, a black two-way radio with a blank display, a clipboard with a blank sheet and a blank invoice on a deep green paper board

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

Between the fee and the pay packet sits a whole company.

January 2026

A car key on a plain ring, a folded grey cotton rag, a plain tyre pressure gauge with a blank dial, a plain black ring binder and a blank sales invoice on a deep green paper board

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

Often the car isn't the only thing being sold.

A pair of steel hairdressing scissors, a black comb, a folded black cape, a steel hair clip and a till receipt on a soft pink paper board

Why your haircut price is about who can hold the scissors

A haircut's price can hang on a work permit.

A plain black ring binder, a black pen, a shop key on a plain ring, a blank contract sheet with a paper clip and a blank invoice on a soft pink paper board

What a franchise fee really buys you

You're paying for a recipe, a sign and someone's permission.

A steel ladle, a plain white enamel plate, a steel wire mesh strainer, a small steel gas regulator with a blank dial and a blank order slip on a deep green paper board

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

The plate is cheap. The early start isn't on the bill.

A plain white mug, a blank white access card, a coiled grey charging cable, a notebook open to a blank page and a blank monthly invoice on a deep green paper board

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

The lease runs for years. Your commitment runs for a month.

got a business you're curious about? tell me