You'll find that any large state university has dozens if not hundreds of little businesses that sprout up in exactly this way. You see them in the little business parks -- most of them lease rather than buy. You see them at the trade shows.
It goes without saying that the idea is just like any other business venture, with ways to succeed and to fail.
But a useful thing is to try and get a survey of what kinds of businesses are out there, what they are doing, and how well they are doing. Next time you're at a conference that has a trade show, go and look at the booths in the "low rent district," because it will give you an idea of what people are doing.
Oddly enough I work for a F500, and we buy second hand gear. One reason is that if somebody is advertising a particular instrument, it means that they actually have it, and you can get it right away. With new gear, sometimes it can take weeks or even months. Also, if it's under a couple grand, I can buy it on my purchasing card without management approval.
I have a business park a literal stones throw from my home. I thought about going that route, unfortunately for me I have some higher power requirements that I can't get in those units. I thought about leasing correctly zoned warehouse space with the right power options but the cost is actually more expensive in year 1 than buying and building in my area.
I'll definitely take a look at what some other small businesses are doing. I've seen some up close, but the trade show run through is a great idea.
And yea. I buy stuff at auction within 300 miles of my area and drive the same day to pick up any gear I buy. What kind of department do you work within inside your F500?
I'm in "advanced" R&D, playing with technologies that will be in future products. For my group, we often need something on a temporary basis. So it doesn't make sense to invest in a brand spanking new machine. Plus, we might be intending to modify it.
It goes without saying that the idea is just like any other business venture, with ways to succeed and to fail.
But a useful thing is to try and get a survey of what kinds of businesses are out there, what they are doing, and how well they are doing. Next time you're at a conference that has a trade show, go and look at the booths in the "low rent district," because it will give you an idea of what people are doing.
Oddly enough I work for a F500, and we buy second hand gear. One reason is that if somebody is advertising a particular instrument, it means that they actually have it, and you can get it right away. With new gear, sometimes it can take weeks or even months. Also, if it's under a couple grand, I can buy it on my purchasing card without management approval.