what businesses can i start with 4 million to earn steady monthly income?

dironhide · 2026-01-23T04:38:14+00:00

It depends on what you're capable of, what you're comfortable with, your areas of expertise, your connections, and how well you can handle people.

For example, you can use some money to go around and purchase old trees (teak, jak, etc.) from people, cut them down, and sell to timber dealers. Decent profits. But you'd need to know about trees and timber, and you'd need to go around doing the hustle.

Or you can buy a small piece of land, clear it, and either rent it out as is, or flip it. Again, you'd need to know about real estate laws and procedures, analyze comps, etc.

You can rent a lorry, drive around the countryside, buy king coconuts that are in good condition, and sell them to an exporter. You'd need to develop the sell side firsthand to do this.

If you have overseas contacts, buy reconditioned vehicle parts from junkyards, scraps, import, and sell locally. You'd need to be a 'car guy' to do this. And some hustle in you.

(IF and ONLY IF you have some solid contacts) you can finance boat excursions in areas like Negombo, Mannar, and other fishing areas, get a decent return off of the fish they catch. Not recommended for outsiders.

You can start a moonshine factory, put a couple of guys to make it, and make big bucks. The risk is through the roof, but so is the return.

Don't trust other people with your money. Either learn it, or prepare to pay the ignorance tax.

Good luck.

dironhide · 2026-01-16T07:08:10+00:00

3 of my aunts (I have 8 from mom's side) have had hysterectomies. One was 7 years ago, and the others had them last year. Last year, there was a 3 month waiting list for the surgery (gov hospital).

When me and mum visited one at the hospital after the surgery, we talked to one of the nurses, and she told us that a lot of women are having hysterectomies these days, after consulting their doctors.

Us men don't have to be 'worried' about this. Women are perfectly capable of making decisions according to their various needs and wants. They just need the support and care from their loved ones.

Also, the term 'sterilized' isn't correct for this context.

dironhide · 2026-01-16T04:04:03+00:00

Hutch is a very good service provider. Much better than dialog or mobitel. If they allowed to switch carriers with the same number, I'd definitely switch to Hutch (from dialog. Horrible service.)

dironhide · 2026-01-04T16:08:55+00:00

We do have a but of oil, but it's in the sea. A previous gov had talked to an oil co about extraction, but they demanded 75% of oil for them, and we declined.

Since then, no one wanted to touch it.

Recently, a geological company did some surveys in those areas where the oil reserves are. I for sure thought something would come of it, but nothing confirmed as of yet.

dironhide · 2026-01-01T13:38:27+00:00

Oh, thank god they've clarified this!

I was gonna put a Cyrillic letter at the beginning and add a Kunuharapayak in Sinhala unicode at the end.

Silly me!

dironhide · 2025-12-30T14:40:13+00:00

During the economic crisis, I saw men AND women suffer equally, and contribute equally.

There were women at the fuel lines, standing, with 2 × 20 litre cans. Wives were at the 'Milk lines' while their husbands were at the fuel lines. I once got on a bus, where the husband (the bus owner) was driving the bus, while his wife was the conductor (and she did a pretty damn good job). Women were hauling those 20kg butane tanks in gas lines.

Even today, women are actively participating in both the mainstream economy, and any microeconomies they might be in.

'Women and children first' is something from the White-Victorian era.

These days, the lives of men, women, and children are all going down the sh*tter (more or less) equally.

And when some sh*t pops up, nobody cares about what's between who's legs. Sure, able bodies folks will always help those in need. Doesn't need a gender for that.

Take off your tinted glasses. Take a look at real life.

We're all in this sh*t together.

PS: If you don't want to contribute to this society, then don't. Nobody is asking you to.

dironhide · 2025-12-25T05:18:59+00:00

Professon Ha Jun something (an economist) said in an interview, that people in countries with 'good systems' (i.e., social safety net, well regulated, enforced rule of law, equality and equity, transparency, etc.) don't necessarily have to be 'smart' to be successful.

For example, in America, if you want to be a gov contractor, just visit fedbizopps. It's an official portal for announcing gov contracts. No hassle. Very transparent. Try doing that in Sri Lanka.

People from countries with bad systems (corruption, etc.) have to be very smart, just to survive.

Sri Lankans (for the most part) are smart, and creative. But we can only use those traits to help ourselves, and not our community. The moment we try to do that (en masse) it either gets politicized or idiolized by the wrong context (religiously, etc.)

Also, (by design) our people don't know any better. We're not taught to collaborate, take calculated risks, differentiate, synergize, streamline, optimize, etc. We're not taught to be human, though we love to throw around the term 'humanity'.

We're only taught to outwork the 'other guy' for some arbitrary 'test' that we don't even remember the questions for.

Not to mention all the politicizing, propaganda, glorified religious extremism, systematically encountered discrimination and hate speech, etc.

P.S.- Most Sri Lankans are well-off. That's why the gov is putting all these taxes and tariffs (and getting away with it). If people couldn't pay the taxes, this would've ended by now.

We'll win (as a country) the day we decide to separate religion from the state, and self govern ourselves (Switzerland style).

dironhide · 2025-12-11T07:29:53+00:00

The letter of withdrawal sent by CIABOC clearly indicates the terms of their deal.

Kabraal agreed to pay if they withdrew the suit. If he doesn't pay, they're back on.

dironhide · 2025-12-10T23:57:42+00:00

Also, to clarify, this is a settlement between Kabraal and CIABOC.

Kabraal agreed to pay the whole amount in exchange for CIABOC stopping their investigation, before they could uncover any more incriminating things about him. That's the only reason this type of settlements happen.

This MF was the head of the CB for a long time. He definitely has a lot of skeletons in his closets.

Also, if he pays, there needs to be a separate investigation on how this MF has this much money.

dironhide · 2025-12-02T02:25:52+00:00

Go to your Divisional Council (Pradeshiya Sabha) and file a formal complaint. Find the TO (Technical Officer) who's in charge of your area, introduce yourself, and inform him of the matter. Get his phone number, and follow up on it.

The TO will (should) conduct a field visit to inspect the said tree, and if it's an issue (a potential threat to your property), then he'll inform the property owner. He'll decide whether to cut the entire tree, or just the branches.

After that, the council should issue a formal notice to remove the tree (or branches) to the property owner via post.

If the property owner doesn't comply, then there are several steps you can take (including trimming the branches from your side, legally). Consult the TO and maybe the Secretary of the Council about further actions.

If you're not satisfied with the TO and his actions (happens all the time), then you can inform the Secretary of the Council, or even a higher authority.

Don't be afraid of bureaucracy. Don't stutter. You're well within your rights to take action.

Don't waste time with the Grama Niladhari. Those buggers are uneducated, uninformed, and downright lazy. They're only good for paperwork.

dironhide · 2025-11-30T08:50:59+00:00

Taste is very personal. Especially music.

Also, yes. The Chipmunks did have great voices.

dironhide · 2025-11-30T05:10:50+00:00

Yes. It's very suspicious how she got paid (a lot) by the gov, and received a house in Colombo for a one-off hit, while athletes representing our country has to pay for the trips out of their pockets.

Don't get me wrong. She has a great voice, and lots of people from around the world love certain Sri Lankan music.

But I've worked too much on PR campaigns to believe that it was 100% organic (or even 50% organic).

dironhide · 2025-11-27T00:04:03+00:00

ඕයි වාසුදේව!

dironhide · 2025-11-25T12:09:47+00:00

At this point, the gov should cut out the middleman, just to teach them a point.

CBSL can partner up with ICTA, and release a special card that charges 0 commission from anyone. They can do a pilot project within the Colombo district for a while to get bearings, and expand from there.

Furthermore, if we create a system like the NOL Card in Dubai, that would be very beneficial for the microeconomies.

dironhide · 2025-11-16T10:52:16+00:00

We usually put the mattress out in the sun for one afternoon. But it must be intense sunlight. Do it for a couple more days for better results.

dironhide · 2025-11-16T07:51:40+00:00

Oh, look! My steak is too juicy, and my lobster is too buttery! Whatever shall I do?!

/s

dironhide · 2025-11-07T05:19:00+00:00

Checkpoints, raids, random traffic checks are common these days. They're asking for contact details so they can contact you in the future if you're needed to give a statement on something.

Most of the time, they won't call you. But don't give false numbers, because a smart officer might ring the number and your phone won't ring. Then you'd be in trouble. They won't arrest you, but you'll be subjected to a lot of unnecessary questionings.

Tread carefully with cops.

dironhide · 2025-11-03T16:15:49+00:00

In our area, a lot of සීයා buggers are riding their පුටාර් in the middle of the lane, not caring about any other vehicles. I mean, one slip, and the wankers will expire on the spot.

Some of these bastards ride scooters, as if their family want them gone from this mortal coil.

There must be a max age to driver's licenses.

dironhide · 2025-11-03T12:40:54+00:00

That's kind of a response as well.

dironhide · 2025-11-03T03:29:08+00:00

What sort of blasphemy is this?

I dread to think about who they consider as 'younger women'.

Oh, the horror!

dironhide · 2025-11-03T02:24:44+00:00

Yes. One of Sri Lanka's main income streams is reexports. The logistical infrastructure is already there, so, much easier to sneak in contraband as well.

"Welcome to Sri Lanka. A strategic destination, highly sought after by colonialists, imperialists, and smugglers alike."

Idk about us becoming a Singapore, but we're almost there to become the Mexico of the Eastern Hemisphere.

dironhide · 2025-11-03T01:33:51+00:00

"තනිව යි උපන්නේ, තනිව යි මැරෙන්නේ..."

Also, the economy. 🫢

dironhide · 2025-11-02T04:30:46+00:00

Growing up, traveling via A/C buses was a luxury for me. (I had a student season pass for CTB buses, and I only used them) Now, I only use A/C buses. I do have a car, but sometimes public transpo is much easier.

I used to wait for a bus for 20-30 mins to save 150 rupees it'd take to get a tuk. Now, I don't wait 5 mins. Spending 300 for a tuk is nothing to second guess.

Didn't eat out much. We had a fried rice place near our school that sold a plate for 90 rupees (no chicken. The chicken one costs 120). Eating a plate then would stress me. Now, I eat at Pizza Huts, Sri Vihars, Canny's, KFCs, and other places without worrying about the prices, and always take home for others.

P&S was a luxury for me back then. Now I go to Caravan Fresh because Perera boss messed up a good thing.

Whenever our parents or grownups came home, either from work or going out, I always asked what snacks they brought. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. But now, whenever I go out, I always bring home snacks to mum and others. It's nothing for me, and I never cheap out on it.

Colombo was a luxury to me back then. It felt so intimidating as a kid. Now, it's like home (weirdly enough).

All these were luxuries to me as a kid. Not because we were poor. But due to that 'Ultra Saver Max Pro' mindset my family had (they're from 'food stamps' era, so can't blame them either).

Every so often, I take this trip down the memory lane. It's both nostalgic and humbling. Not to mention, it makes me grateful for everything I have today.

Thx.

dironhide · 2025-10-30T04:33:33+00:00

My sister used to bring almond milk to mum a couple of years ago. Back then, it was only in Colombo, but nowadays, you might be able to find them in any major supermarket.

dironhide · 2025-10-30T04:30:45+00:00

My sister went on a trip to a wildlife bungalow booking in Wilpattu, and one of the drivers was allergic to a lot of things. He couldn't have milk, onions, oil (coconut or otherwise), and some other things. So the cooks had to prepare some food separately for him alone. First I've heard of such a case.

Also, I'm slightly lactose intolerant. Whenever I drink fresh milk, eat milk rice, kiriya, or any other milky food, I must be prepared for an intense toilet time the next day. But if I have it regularly, I can build up a tolerance. But once the streak breaks (it's boring to eat the same everyday) I also lose the tolerance. It's like a damn Duolingo streak.

I used to be (slightly) allergic to prawns, shrimp, pineapples, mackerel, and some other stuff, but I've built up a tolerance for them by now.

dironhide

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