What is at risk? Someone elses money? or your own achievement unlocked. You can get rid of all things scary and risky by simply being the one. Is it a waste? Is it the most expensive party ever or was it some deal that promised someone else something. Unfortunately in the real world these days even no intrest loans are hard to pay back. Don't have things hanging over your head or in your heart and start a haunt.
It isn't a high close sales job trying to get the non refundable deposit, or bank on restocking fees or late charges. There is no definite way to know you are going to make money until you make money. Everything is like that unfortunately. Sometimes you make money and then surprise, it no longer works that way. Sometimes it doesn't actually turn a profit after 5 years. Some times it is actually like being a philanthropist and it costs money every year no matter what you do or who helps.
Just be totally prepared. It might be a tax write off you have needed all along. That you didn't realize you could spend $6,000 a year on haunt materials instead of paying income taxes. And it was fun. I had someone say, shame on my charity event that if it doesn't make money you can't keep playing. Sure I can. It helps the community. I could until the core business that really fed it got slow. Then you discover the community was rather resourceful with out you giving your hard earned money. How fun is that?
In the real world business is sort of like a poker game. 6 people put up their money and over time everyone loses their money except one player gets the $150,000. Some how it all worked out that way, skill, luck of the draw? Strategy? It was just his time to hit? So this is like an advertising region or ticket buying population. But if you could lose that amount of money there were some odds you would win. Six to one you just spent some money. Now if you spent other peoples money and dreams you aren't going to be very popular. So to, who ever sponsors you to play that big card game needs to be daddy war bucks and already happy that he has a player in the game.
If you own everything, you can roll over and over until everything hits just right and have a payday. That might take 20 years of just going through the motions and then over night you are a success. Or you might have beginners luck and not know really how that happened and keep losing until you are labeled a loser. It is better to pace it and finally hit is 20 years later. Are the same people that started going to have 20 years worth of staying power? It does happen. Not for chump change.
Analysis of haunts that go big time every year, they cash out every year. Then miraculously find a way to make it all happen again for the next year and totally cash out. Except for the top 13 best haunts. But other than them, it is like a year long cycle of that story of dropping one guy off in a town with limited means and see if he can come up with something.
It is a total life style. I have had the pleasure of seeing so many people thinking they had some brilliant business hit rock bottom to discover they really only had a life style all along and all those days of not paying yourself, eating cheap to have money to do things with the business was all for nothing. Again sometimes 20 years down the line comes a holy crap moment. They thought big debts would bring amazingly huge pay outs, certainly it is 3rd grade math! It has to work, it always has! Nope.
None of this is any reason to stop. I'm just saying don't over extend money, friendship or family to do it. It should begin small and progress to something successful. If you are going to spend $150,000 and see 800 customers, you might as well poop yourself right now. There has to be something a little closer to break even spending unless you just can't stand those stacks of cash laying around. Even if you hope and dream for 7500 customers the first year the haunt needs to only cost $90,000 with all the expenses paid. Or it sure would be nice to take a $10,000 haunt and 3,000 in advertsing in a $20,000 building and make $90,000. That's more like it. But likely you aren't going to have more than a 30% increase per year in attendance no matter how much you spend. For 800 people you get a $25,000 building donated, sponsors do the advertising and the haunt costs $6,000 to $10,000.
Instead of going on a cruise or going to see Mickey every year you have a haunt.
It isn't a high close sales job trying to get the non refundable deposit, or bank on restocking fees or late charges. There is no definite way to know you are going to make money until you make money. Everything is like that unfortunately. Sometimes you make money and then surprise, it no longer works that way. Sometimes it doesn't actually turn a profit after 5 years. Some times it is actually like being a philanthropist and it costs money every year no matter what you do or who helps.
Just be totally prepared. It might be a tax write off you have needed all along. That you didn't realize you could spend $6,000 a year on haunt materials instead of paying income taxes. And it was fun. I had someone say, shame on my charity event that if it doesn't make money you can't keep playing. Sure I can. It helps the community. I could until the core business that really fed it got slow. Then you discover the community was rather resourceful with out you giving your hard earned money. How fun is that?
In the real world business is sort of like a poker game. 6 people put up their money and over time everyone loses their money except one player gets the $150,000. Some how it all worked out that way, skill, luck of the draw? Strategy? It was just his time to hit? So this is like an advertising region or ticket buying population. But if you could lose that amount of money there were some odds you would win. Six to one you just spent some money. Now if you spent other peoples money and dreams you aren't going to be very popular. So to, who ever sponsors you to play that big card game needs to be daddy war bucks and already happy that he has a player in the game.
If you own everything, you can roll over and over until everything hits just right and have a payday. That might take 20 years of just going through the motions and then over night you are a success. Or you might have beginners luck and not know really how that happened and keep losing until you are labeled a loser. It is better to pace it and finally hit is 20 years later. Are the same people that started going to have 20 years worth of staying power? It does happen. Not for chump change.
Analysis of haunts that go big time every year, they cash out every year. Then miraculously find a way to make it all happen again for the next year and totally cash out. Except for the top 13 best haunts. But other than them, it is like a year long cycle of that story of dropping one guy off in a town with limited means and see if he can come up with something.
It is a total life style. I have had the pleasure of seeing so many people thinking they had some brilliant business hit rock bottom to discover they really only had a life style all along and all those days of not paying yourself, eating cheap to have money to do things with the business was all for nothing. Again sometimes 20 years down the line comes a holy crap moment. They thought big debts would bring amazingly huge pay outs, certainly it is 3rd grade math! It has to work, it always has! Nope.
None of this is any reason to stop. I'm just saying don't over extend money, friendship or family to do it. It should begin small and progress to something successful. If you are going to spend $150,000 and see 800 customers, you might as well poop yourself right now. There has to be something a little closer to break even spending unless you just can't stand those stacks of cash laying around. Even if you hope and dream for 7500 customers the first year the haunt needs to only cost $90,000 with all the expenses paid. Or it sure would be nice to take a $10,000 haunt and 3,000 in advertsing in a $20,000 building and make $90,000. That's more like it. But likely you aren't going to have more than a 30% increase per year in attendance no matter how much you spend. For 800 people you get a $25,000 building donated, sponsors do the advertising and the haunt costs $6,000 to $10,000.
Instead of going on a cruise or going to see Mickey every year you have a haunt.
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