I'm weighing the options to open a Subway Restaurant/Gas Station/ Liquor Store/ Smoke shop but so far, Subway seems the most lucrative. 

I know a few folks who have Gas Stations while I'm yet to meet anybody who owns a Subway Restaurant. Any subway owners on here? I'm looking to get some insights/tips.....

 क्या यार, कोइलाई नि Idea छैन? एस्सो सल्लाह सुजाभ मागौ भन्या त......

Hmm. Looking some of businesses, I think liquor store and gas station makes good money. I don have any idea abt subway. Sorry its not much help.
:)

footyfan bro,
SF tira kholne bhaye hapta ko 2 din chai pakkai aauchu ma subway ma

 Thanks for your insights, Samikshya. 

Dhwase bro, I hope you're talking about coming in to my store to grab a bite. 

And Bairagi Kailo, I have zero idea about Auto repair (Oil change/Smog Shop)...but I like your suggestion too...Diversification of business is essential too. 

@footyfan

It all depends on location. gas staion average profit margin is 35-40% and very few places like countryside makes lilbit more. Liquor store no idea never done tht. recently opened a smoke shop profit margin is too much ( dont ask how much its too much) but it depends on location as i said ( kati chalcha bhanera smoke shop) . its really great profit n less hassle than gas station.

 Nepalimato bro, 

I've heard the same about smoke shops too. One guy was telling me that you could make $4k/week after deducting all your overhead costs etc. Can you open one despite having limited/no knowledge on Cigars, cigarettes etc? I mean, I've never even smoked a cigarette..let alone weed....

Location shouldn't be a huge problem as I live around the Hippie Capital of the world... 

Also, what about the start up cost? Gas Stations are a tad pricey, aren't they? What sort of capital are you looking at while opening a Smoke shop? 

Footyfan bro,

Don't count cig. n cigars. cig. u make 17-20% n cigar 35-40% only. Money is other items like tobacco pipes,waterpipes n other novelty items ( anything fancy like body jewelleries, gift items etc etc.). I don't know about ur state law but rite now hugh profit money s in herbal insence.Regardin capital its all depends 25k-30k is good enough if u have more u can ofcourse. but it all depends locationwise coz some place u might have highend customer so need to decorate u store lilbit exotic way n so on.

Good luck

 Hmm.. That's quite an insightful post, Nepalimato. I'm definitely gonna study that aspect of Smoke shop too. I've got a friend in Nepal who kept insisting that I tried to explore the market for Nepali pipes and hookahs but I didn't really pay attention as I don't smoke.....

By the looks of things, Gas Station/Subway/Liquor store owners don't visit Sajha or are shy. 

You will need minimum of 200,000 for opening subway. It is mostly profitable, but ofcourse location plays a big role. I am not sure how much profit you make from subway in terms of percentage, I just know its good and a safe business to put your money on. Many people end up owning more than one subway store because of its profitable and easy to manage/open. On the hind side, you pay abt 10% francise fee every month or so. Check their website out if you havent already. It has tons of info about owning a subway store.

 "On the hind side, you pay abt 10% francise fee every month or so."

 NOO !!your concept on smoke shop is completely wrong . Smoke shop dont run on high margin it runs on huge volume and less margin on a carton of cigarette you sale you only have 6-8% margin and yes dont forget if a customer uses credit card it takes away your 3 %margin as the credit card company charges you 3% for processing the customer card . On an open pack of cigarette you make 9-10% on premium cigarettes (marlboro, camel) while on generic brand you make 10-12% only. Next thing is cigar yes you do have good margin on cigar 20-30% but  you need to have a humidor (it keeps the cigar fresh ) and its pretty hard to maintain (but you can do it . pretty expensive up front to buy ). To make $4000 a week on smoke shop you atleast has to have a sale of $45000 minimum per week  !!!and talking about merchandise on smoke shop you dont frequently sell it you sell it once in a while and yeah you do have a high high margin on those item and i do agree on herbal incense thing toooo ...cigars are expensive ... your initial cost including alarm, phone line, counter, register, cigarette rack, credit card machine, fire extinguisher, banners, sign board and inventory will atleast come up to 25-30 k !!!!once again brother i am not discouraging you but just giving you a real picture and yes the hardest part is you have to tun after this marlboro and camel rep like a dog unless they sign up you on contract .....and yeah i do wish you all the best keep this things and cost in mind while opening oneeeee!!!good luck pashupatinath lay sapai ko kalyan garum !!jai nepal

 That was quite informative. Thanks for the heads up, brother. 

If you want to open a Subway, you must first meet the financial requirements of this franchise. I don't know exactly how much money and liquid assests you must have in order to qualify. You can call them up and ask. If you meet the requirements, then only can you move on.

You will need 15k just for franchise fees.
You will also need another $100,000 - $250,000. This money is used to renovate the place, buy equipments such as bakery proofers, ovens, freezers, coolers, cash registers, chairs, tables, microwaves, soda machines, chips rack, cookie holder, etc.

Weekly:
You will need to write checks for the food that you order. They usually deliver at night so you will need to stick the check on the freezer or something.
You need to send your inventory info to the headquarters. This is usually done at night after closing the register.
You will also need to pay your employees.  (Don't be cheap, pay at least the minimum wage.)

Monthly:
You need to pay the rent, electricity bills, advertisements fees (those ads you see about Subway on tv, it's not free, you have to pay for it), you might also have to pay some other franchise-related fees but the main one is advertisement.
There might be other maintenance bills too. Your oven might stop working. You might have to call rodent control because there are rats in the basement. Who knows...

Yearly:
You will need to pay royalty fees. This is 8% of gross sales.

Oh another thing, if you open a Subway and realize that you are not making any money, you cannot just close it. Once you open it, you must operate it for at least 3 months before you can even thinking of closing it down. This is one of the rules.

I think Subways make a profit of $70,000-$80,000 a year. I am not totally sure though and your profits might also depend on your location and another thing that I have noticed is that Subways make the majority of their money during lunch time.

This info is based on what I have seen and heard in NYC. It might be different in other states. Overall, if you have the money, I think a Subway Restuarant is a pretty good investment. It is a lot of hard work but what isn't. And if you can open 1 Subway, it's gonna be lot easier for you to open another one. The only hard thing about this is coming up with the money and even though Subway is considered one of the low cost franchises, you will still need some money.

Oh I forgot to mention that it takes at least 3-5 years to break even.

 Hmm. Thanks a lot, Violet7. That was quite a remarkable info. Really helpful :) 

Gas Station owner daju bhai haru chahin ghanta handai basirachan jasto cha ni.... 

 there are tons of nepalese owning gas stations in texas.Well one of my friend owns one in dallas texas.According to him  buying a gas station costs from $40,000- $2 million. It depends from inside sale and if ur buying the property or on a lease basis.Average profit margin is 30-40%.It all depends on competition and products like water,sodas, gums, candy say 50%-150%.Beer 15%- 30%. Tobacco 10%- 20%. Lottery 5%.Gas negligible.Check cashing 1%. Well some stores got a fast food inside like selling tacos burgers. And not to forget Cherry Machines.U can make game changing $$ if u know how to do it.but unfortunately my friend's store does not have slot machine coz the city where his store is does not permit cherry machines.

Dallas does seem to be quite a profitable sector, judging by the number of Nepali investors who've resorted to considering Dallas-Fort Worth as a major hub. 

Thanks for your input. 

 coz that's the only city i've seen nepalese making astounding dinero$$$$$$.....driving from maserati to kia....holla at them if u want to start a gas station... but unfortunately i'm not on of them...kismat ma jati lekhecha tyati nai kamau cha... i've seen nepalese CFA's in New York, Doctors, Business Owners,,,,,,karma ma jati cha tyati nai cha... yaar...

 Zingo, I was offered a 'guaranteed placement' for the position of Business Analyst upon the completion of the training but I declined it. I know it sounds a tad crazy, especially considering how they were 'promising' an hourly rate of at least $27 plus bonus, incentives, benefits etc but I think I'd be better off plying my trade in business field.