My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Affinity-Based Retirement Communities
For: Retirees with shared cultural, ethnic, or interest-based affinities
The Problem
Most retirement communities only cater to golf enthusiasts, leaving many retirees without culturally aligned community options
The Solution
Build retirement communities around specific affinities - ethnicity, hobbies, interests, languages - with relevant amenities, food, and activities
Why Now?
People living longer healthier lives (20-30 years post-retirement), silver tsunami creating demand, proven demand with waiting lists
Build MVP in 7 Days
Survey specific ethnic community for interest
Identify potential land parcels near population centers
Research successful models like Shantinian
Create basic landing page for waitlist
Interview 10 potential residents about preferences
How to Validate
Revenue Model
High upfront payments (100% down, 5-year waits) plus monthly fees for amenities and services
Competitive Moat
First-mover advantage in specific affinity, land ownership, regulatory approvals, community network effects
Risks to Consider
Related Knowledge
Silver Tsunami - Massive Aging Population
Baby boomers retiring in massive numbers, living longer healthier lives with 20-30 years post-retirement
Unbundling of Professional Services
Traditional bundled professional services being split into specialized, convenient, affordable components
Cultural Community Centers: Partner with ethnic/religious community centers to reach affinity groups
High trust environment with concentrated target demographic
Dot Collector Framework
A life approach where you say yes to diverse experiences and opportunities, trusting they will connect meaningfully late
Zero-to-One vs One-to-Hundred Operator Framework
Classification of entrepreneurs as either idea generators who start things (0-1) or operators who scale things (1-100)
Cheaply access large college audiences when Facebook was campus-only
Access to 30-40k student audiences for $10/day advertising spend