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| Billion Dollar Idea |
ZAGREB, CROATIA The laundromat, the only one in a city of 800 thousand, is about twenty minutes by tram from the main rail station. Although I had the address and I had found the right street, I still had to ask for directions twice before finding the tiny place in an inconspicuous corner of a large concrete apartment building. It had six wash machines and four dryers, none of which was coin operated. An attendant took my load of wash and said, "Come back in two hours but no later than three because that's when I close." Nothing to do, I took the tram back to town and returned that afternoon. The lady charged eight dollars. I paid another three dollars riding the tram to and fro. It struck me, here's a fantastic opportunity - a chain of laudromats. The hotel clerk had told me, "You won't find laudromats anywhere in the former Yougoslavia countries. This is the only one I know." I had noticed, throughout Eastern Europe, people hang their clothes on their balconies to dry. An elderly man born and raised in Croatia but now living in Australia said, "There are all sorts of business opportunities here. People just don't get it. Under communism starting a business wasn't allowed." Someone seems to be trying to change that. In the City Guide, there's a section outlining the steps in setting up an LLC. One company claims it can set one up within seven days, Wanna be billionaires, here's your opportunity.
