👋 Hi and welcome to today’s edition of Venture Radar — where we uncover real businesses making real money, and break down how they do it.
This is Shaquille O’Neal, NBA Hall of Famer, four-time champion, and one of the most dominant players to ever step on the court.
But what most people don’t realize is that he made more money outside the NBA than in it by quietly buying and owning businesses that most people overlook.
Shaq owns:
155 Five Guys franchises
17 Auntie Anne’s pretzel shops
Over 40 24-Hour Fitness gyms
150+ car washes across the country
A shopping center
A movie theater
A Las Vegas nightclub
And his own branded restaurant, Big Chicken
None of these are unicorn startups. There’s no viral moment. No funding rounds. No product launches.
They’re just boring, everyday businesses that people use weekly and they throw off steady cash.
When asked why he got into franchising, Shaq once said:
“I wanted to invest in things that people need every day food, fitness, clean clothes, fun. Stuff that doesn’t go out of style.”
That’s the playbook.
He didn’t chase the next hot app.
He bought into systems that already worked.
Businesses with customers, cash flow, and repeatable operations.
And here’s the wild part: haq’s net worth today is estimated to be over $400 million and a massive chunk of that came after he retired from the NBA.
What you can learn from Shaq's boring business empire
You don’t need to be a celebrity to copy the mindset.
Start small:
Find businesses with recurring demand
Look for services that people already pay for
Choose something that’s underrated, not overcrowded
And focus on cash flow, not just aesthetics
Many of these businesses are simple at the core:
Cleaning
Food
Fitness
Maintenance
Everyday indulgence
The difference is: Shaq didn’t try to reinvent them.
He just owned them — and let the systems run.
The bigger insight?
There are businesses like this online and offline everywhere. Some you can start with $0. Others for under $100. But most people miss them because they’re too busy chasing trends, overthinking strategy, or waiting for a “perfect” idea.
Meanwhile, someone’s building the next boring empire. Quietly. One car wash at a time.
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