There are some interesting businesses for sale on the island right now, but what if you're an entrepreneur and want to start your own? Forumites at the Virgin-Islands-On-Line.com site have been mulling this question.
Lsugolfer in Baton Rouge said "So, here's what I do when I sit in my cube and think about how crappy this is compared to STJ. Start a gas station or a 'Louisiana'-themed restaurant."
JMhouse said, "Ha ha. I'm in a cubicle, too, listening to someone else have a loud conversation on a speaker phone. I'd much rather be the Park Ranger that leads the Reef Bay hikes."
Other suggestions people have for new island businesses.
- "A storage business where you could leave your snorkel gear/beach chairs, shoes and whatever you don't want to cart back and forth." (Diana2)
- "A wind turbine, maybe somewhere on Ajax peak." (Laurie)
- "An electric car rental company. And a self-serve car wash and vacuum area." (Msgcolleen)
- "Chicken Removal Service." (StJohnRuth) Details
- "Underwater camera rental. Would have to be a side business. (Not big enough to sustain itself.)" (Jmaq)
A taxi service to and from any villa!
Chicken Removal Service? Why? They are normal part of VI life.
A St John Social Network to connect tourists, businesses, and locals. It would offer stj businesses to have a stronger online presence (no more 1996 era websites) and offer them a way to build/continue a relationship with regular tourists throughout the year. Would probably work best with a freemium business model with enhanced services for business owners like newsletter management, ad placements, domain hosting, etc.
Or an STJ online store that carries merchandise from many different businesses in one place, but also allows each business to have their own presence/store individually. That way one person can handle the site & logistics rather than 30-40 businesses trying to do the same thing individually. Offer discounts through an affiliate program, and get villa rental companies, hotels, sites like this, etc. to promote it for a cut.
A nice restaurant that serves Caribbean cuisine – after all, you are a far way from home it would be nice to experiment eating regional food – the Paradiso spot would work nicely … A/C and nice atmosphere – so far Sweet Plantain’s has the monopoly on this (and the food and atmosphere is awesome) but its in Coral Bay which is a bit out of the way for most people I assume.
The chicken removal service is a joke 😉 Ruth has a strong online presence over on one of the popular travel forums, http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com, and she just doesn’t like chickens.
For the social networking, try some of the popular travel forums. TripAdvisor, http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147409-i432-St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html Virgin Islands on Line, http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1 And VINOW, http://www.vinow.com/wwwtalk/list.php?4 The Virgin Islands On Line also has a group on Facebook.
Please, no wind turbines on Ajax Peak. Nobody would want to listen to that. Wind is good, but even with the most modern technology, it’s still too noisy to have next door.
Health food store and a working farm in coral bay for the production of goat cheese,milk,….Organic eggs..Pigs,bacon….Round up some of the local herd!
What about a similar site like “802” or ” jump on it” Where there are coupons for businesses and they use this to promote. We use these online coupons all the time. I like the online STJ store idea, sign me up, http://www.anniecaswell.com!
this is great ! thank you for this info
Food co-op with buyer agents in CA, FL and elsewhere. I’m sure packaging and USDA inspection would be required, but I’ll bet you could ship it here, refrigerated if need be, distribute and make a large profit and still sell for half what we’ve been paying. But that applies to just about everything shipped in.
Since St John has such a wonderful and authentic sense of place can we avoid naming businesses and restaurants after stateside locations. Nothing against such places as Louisiana or Texas, but that’s there, this is St John.
I would love to start a side business as a “surplus beer consumption service”. I don’t think we’d be very busy, but I promise to offer excellent customer service.
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Is there a need for a “handyman” service on the island? I’ve spent the passed 26 years in the construction industry…carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall repair, and painting. I’m currently the Construction Administration Manager of a small engineering fir in Austin, TX. My wife and I absolutely love St. John and are ready to make it our home
Hello. We were wondering the same thing. My husband was a welder, custom furniture maker, for the past 5 years has been in the engineering field. The last time we were on the island the hotel we stayed at said that there was a need for welders but not sure about handyman service. Would love to converse with you via email and / or phone later if you are interested. We live in Vegas and are ready to get out of here and live on the island.