Why don't we focus on investing in/ creating real-world businesses?
Hear me out; what if we were to fund users to start up their own businesses and become financially self-sufficient?
I Want To Open A Coffee Shop
I'm currently saving toward it, and have signed up for a start your own business course, so I can get a good idea of the ins and outs of running a shop. I'm also looking into grants that might help with getting a business off the ground.
It will cost somewhere in the ballpark of €20,000 - €30,000 to start it up, and that would be all of the equipment, stock needed and decorating the space. As well as about 6-12 months' rent on the premises.
I would essentially be the only staff member; however, my sister is a barista, and I have some friends who are also baristas, so I would have help if needed from close friends and family.
Having seen the Hive price drop to an all-time low, and having read some posts about the DHF, I'm wondering why we aren't funding people to start businesses that would have a legitimate way of making income and paying back the investment.
The Deal
Let's say the DHF funds a portion of, or all of, the start-up costs associated with starting a business. There could be a contract written up to set a checklist of things that a person needs to do to be eligible for the investment.
Repayments: Nothing in this world is free, so there would be a contract written up before proceeding, which states that 5% or 10% of the profit of the business needs to go back into the DHF to recoup money and reinvest.
Advertise Hive: In the shop, the business owner has to advertise that Hive funded their business, and there could be a QR code for customers to create an account. The staff of the shop could also help customers create an account, if needed.
Use a percentage of their Profits To Power Up Their Account: Because the shop stands as an onboarding platform, the business owner should have an active account with enough HP to delegate to, or upvote/ monitor the people they have onboarded. (Having an active account is also important because they can document the process of starting up their business, and remain transparent with their investors.)
Costumers Could Use Their Hive or HBD: Maybe allow for customers to pay using their earnings on Hive. (I don't know how that would work with tax, but it's something to think about.)
What an idea like this means is that Hive gains recognition for investing in its own user base.
It gains eyeballs and users from members of the public who frequent the particular shop.
It ensures that money is coming in, and Hive is being bought, which would offset sell pressure.
It creates financially self-sufficient individuals who will pay it forward to other Hive users.
If we funded and helped one person set up a semi-successful shop, that's great, and money would come in. But, if after a number of years we had 10 semi-successful businesses, that much money coming back into Hive could completely offset the cost of projects that maybe cannot generate an income.
A shop in Ireland onboarding people would be good. But, a shop here, 2 in England, 3 in America, 4 in Venezuela, etc, would mean that people from across the globe have a chance to discover Hive.
They don't all have to be coffee shops either. I'm using a coffee shop in my example because that's what I want to open.
Secondary Idea: (I just thought of this as I was about to hit publish) Imagine if one of us set up some kind of drink company, and on the bottle or can, we had a QR to create an account for Hive.
I don't know if it would be worth looking into, but it's one way to spread the word.
I actually know a beekeeper, I could set up jars with stickers and get him to bottle and sell it at farmers' markets or something. Hive Honey
...If I set up my coffee shop, I could design the disposable cups to have QR codes on them so that the customer is walking around with an advertisement, and I could sell the honey in my shop, too.
I'm just brainstorming here by myself, but with a few people pitching in ideas, we could be onto something big.
