I searched for similar posts but couldn't find anything.
Turns out I am going to have the summer off this year and thought it would be fun to start a small business.
-It's on the west coast of Canada, isolated and fairly small (30,000-40,000 people) mostly retirees, some families. But summer has a big influx in tourists.
-We have lots of nature – hikes, beaches, forests
-Budget-100-10,000
-Looking to do something seasonal as I should be getting back to my job in the fall or next year, but if this works out might be fun to do it every summer.
-I kinda want something just fun and positive and novel
some ideas i had were:
-walking food tour – connect with local restaraunts and stop at 5-7 places for samples and talk a bit about the town, Add a script with some really bad jokes – focus on shoulder times for business (10-11) (3-4pm)
-Ice cream bike cart. Wanted to buy an E bike anyway so could grab one and get a cooler trailer or something I could add to the front and some good music and cruise the area.
-rent out paddle boards, floating party islands. The paddle board craze seems a bit played out but I can get them for like 250 bucks used on facebook marketplace and probably rent them for 20-40 bucks an hour. Maybe buy like 4 and a big floating party island for the beach?
-Floating golf island. Sink a hole in one and win 1,000 bucks? Charge 10 bucks a ball? Bit more of a logistic challenge with getting approval for this one is my concern. I feel like the city would make it challenging to get a permit. There's also not one major beach that brings tons of people.
Local guide – I know the restaruants and hikes quite well could offer to guide people even drive them around. Not sure how to to market this, maybe facebook market place?
Something else? IS there a new novelty or trend that;s blowing up on that I could capitalize on for the summer? Thanks!
Summer Beach town Business – Would Love Suggestions, ideas, What is something fun you have done??
byu/Last_Construction455 inEntrepreneur
Posted by Last_Construction455
6 Comments
the ice cream bike idea is probably the strongest here tbh
low setup, fun vibe, and easy to move where the crowd is instead of waiting for them
you could make it stand out with music or a theme, that’s what people remember and talk about
Food tour is probably the cleanest first test. Low upfront cost, tourists understand it fast, and restaurants might help promote if you bring them traffic. I’d start with one tight route and pre sell a few weekend slots before buying gear.
You can be a guide for people doing trekking, or can also just create a few wooden camping places, where people can stay for a night or more, probably around sea coast, could be a good idea.
The main tension in your post is not a lack of ideas, it is uncertainty about which idea actually fits a small seasonal tourist market without creating operational overload.
Your options naturally fall into two groups.
First group is simple, high impulse, low barrier. The ice cream bike and guided local tours sit here. These work because tourists decide quickly, spend emotionally, and value convenience plus experience. In a seasonal town with strong summer influx, this is usually the most reliable revenue pattern.
Second group is complex, high friction, regulation heavy. Floating golf concepts and rental setups create insurance questions, permits, maintenance, and weather dependency. These elements often reduce real execution speed far more than the idea itself.
The walking food tour stands out as the most structurally stable concept. The value is storytelling of place, not just food sampling. That type of experience performs well in coastal tourist locations where visitors want context and personality, rather than pure transactions.
The underlying constraint in your thinking is selection pressure. You are comparing ideas by novelty, while the real driver of success in your environment is simplicity of execution combined with immediate tourist comprehension.
A friend of mine owns Tiki’s Bar and Grill in Waikiki, Hawaii, for the last 20 years. Just the other day, he told me they’re buildng a shaved ice cone shack. They’re making it a “theme” like a speakeasy from the 1920s. People walk up to this little shed area, put a $20 bill through a slot, and it opens the door. They walk inside the shed and select their favorite flavor of shaved ice cone. He is expecting to invest $40,000 to $50,000, but that’s because it’s already a successful bar and they have the tourist traffic. His shed will be well appointed, I’m sure.
The reason I’m sharing this with you here is just to suggest that any kind of themed business will have a little more bite for the tourists, especially if the theme has some relation to the location itself. You can see how, if you own a bar, having a speakeasy room is a natural extension of the idea of a bar. It also creates a little bit of nostalgia, like you’re going back in time and experiencing something that you could never experience in the present time. Anyway, you get the idea theme is provocative or at least hits a nerve with some people, like the way speakeasies tend to do. If you do explore a themed idea, think “context“ of your location and situation. Good luck!!
Honestly, a beach town business is all about making the most of that short, busy season. You’re trying to generate most of your revenue in a few months, so the smartest move is keeping things high margin and low overhead.
Services built around convenience tend to work really well. Things like premium beach setups or curated picnic experiences sell because people don’t want to deal with the hassle themselves. They’re on vacation, so they’re happy to pay for something that makes their day easier or more memorable.
If you go the food route, simple but elevated options usually perform best. Something quick to grab but with a premium feel can stand out against basic snack options without adding too much complexity to your setup.
The main idea is to stay lean and focus on the experience. If you can deliver something that feels easy, enjoyable, and a bit special, you can make strong money during the season and not be stuck with heavy costs when things slow down.