1. Restaurant
Barrier to Entry: Almost zero. Anyone can open one.
Competition: Extremely high.
Customer Retention: Unpredictable. Customers may not return.
Profitability: Low margins, high operational costs.
Verdict: High risk, low reward.
2. International School
Barrier to Entry: Moderate to high (permits, curriculum, staff).
Customer Retention: High. Parents pay tuition in advance.
Recurring Revenue: Predictable cash flow.
Verdict: More stable than restaurants, but competitive.
3. Family Doctor/Private Clinic
Barrier to Entry: Very high (medical degree, licenses).
Competition: Low. Few can meet qualifications.
Customer Retention: High. Patients return and refer others.
Verdict: Best of the three if you can overcome entry barriers.
Details
Businesses are not created equal. Some are so risky and unprofitable that they aren’t worth a single dollar of investment—or even a minute of your time.
Opening a Restaurant: One of the Worst Business Ideas
Anyone can open a restaurant. The barrier to entry is almost zero, and competition is brutal. What could be worse? Music. I spent over a decade playing the “music game.” It was fun, but financially, it was the worst experience ever.
International School: A Far Better Game
A typical restaurant customer might visit once—if you’re lucky, they’ll return, but there’s no guarantee. A school is 100 times better. Parents pay tuition in advance—sometimes a month, a quarter, or even a full year upfront. Recurring payments make the business predictable, stable, and far more profitable.
Family Doctor: The Ultimate Business Game
Opening a private clinic is a headache—unless you’re a doctor. Without a medical degree (which takes 11 years of university and costs 3 to 5 times more than studying biology or English), you’re locked out. This extreme barrier to entry makes the medical business incredibly lucrative, with almost no competition compared to restaurants or schools.
The “family doctor game” is 100 times better than running a school, 10,000 times better than a restaurant, and 1,000,000 times better than music.
I’ve spent some time for searching how to play this game WITHOUT a university diploma. Now, I believe I’ve found it.