How do you startup with low capital?

[counting]

Although usually I start a game with 200%+ to 300% difficulty. However I rarely tried 300%+ difficulty, because you have to decrease the startup capital in order to increase difficulty.

For me, this means extensive AI survey and seaport analysis. Find any high profit high rating seaport import that can sold to other than current cities, since AI rarely use cross city sells due to less profit margin. But also find out which product has less AI expertise, or their companies are stock focus so they won't step in production. In general, I try to find second or third best investment, that AIs are not keen to get in. And since your ability to build is limited, get ready for huge loans in order to get economy of scale.

How do you guys do with low capital startup when AIs have are very high? I believe the strategies will be quite useful and more realistic. And they might be very different when AIs are less aggressive and less expertise level.

[therealevan]

I think the last time I started with low start up cash I just waiting till lowest interest rates in a recession and drew out a loan then quickly built up revenue generating assets and focused on loan repayments asap. Haven't tried playing without a loan yet though.

[WilliamMGary]

I've just started playing the fashion venture define script and was wondering the same thing. I think the key is to utilize the AI resources (product quality, brand, R&D) until you have a reliable amount of profit that will allow you to invest in your own brand and slowly transition away. There's no way to win going head-to-head because you just don't have the resources, you will need to partner first and then slowly inch into their markets.

[counting]

So you guys put priority on brand, R&D, or market share which one first, if you have limited capital?

Usually I cut the training, ads, and stay with low market share but higher profit margin. Always keep R&D, because its the hardest to catch up with AIs' expertise.

[greewoch]

take full loan and check the seaports for frozen meats (chicken-beef-pork-eggs-sheep) if any of those in a high pop + high wage city then you are lucky, open a convenience store and start selling.
also same applies for all furniture and also gold rings. Keep taking all the loan you can whenever possible. That's the american way of being rich
Those are guaranteed profit products even if the seaport not in the same city. (farm products dont need advertising and furnitures have high factory expenses. After 2-3 years you can start producing your own stuff.

Or if you don't want to risk or want a slow paced game you can just go for the commercial buildings(1x2 sized is awesome at right spots) and wait for AI to start producing and advertising for their own stuff, then you can start opening stores and sell their product in cities that they advertise or you can produce your own stuff as commercial buildings will supply a a straight profit if you built them with checking supply & demand.

[counting]

Invest real estate with low capital, might be too slow to begin with perhaps?

Real estate annual sometimes might not even cover it's interest, if the fund came from bank loan.

[azxcvbnm321]

I look at the raw material imports available and then check against the finished good imports available, then manufacture a product that is high margin, has raw materials for production, but has no one currently supplying it. It's actually more complicated because I will want to pick a single category like Leather Goods or Apparel or Cosmetics so that I can begin to manufacture one product at a time and sell those products in one type of store. Let's take Leather Goods for example. Of course you need leather, but besides that you need steel, linen, and textiles to be able to produce all four products. Ideally leather will NOT be available but steel, linen, and textiles will. Then all you have to do is set up a leather farm and you're on your way to becoming the only manufacturer of leather, at least for a little while.

I borrow and set up my retail stores in each city. Then it's time for me to expand. It's natural to expand from leather goods to apparel because the two categories use the some of the same inputs. Or else you could go to sport shoes or anything else that uses leather. I don't have time to explain in depth, but by moving from category to category, eventually you can be in a position to make everything.

It's 2025 in my game and I'm selling and manufacturing or farming every single product in existence. I'm either #1 or have a total monopoly (only producer) in about 80% of the products with 40% a total monopoly. I'm trying to establish 100% monopoly (only producer) in every product except livestock (beef, chicken, eggs, etc.). I'm pretty close to doing it. I have 30 competitors and 5 cities and began with over 100% difficulty. The key is R&D and advertising. Eventually your R&D will make your products so good, with proper advertising, that the AI cannot even produce the product and sell it for a profit. Then you have a monopoly.

[Steel]

Another way to beat AIs with huge starting capital if you start with a low budget is to patiently start buying their stocks. At the start you have to analyse the companies and only buy stocks from tech oriented companies that will dominate the late game. I usually buy stocks from corporations that have factories and R&D centres, I also look at their products, you can predict if those will generate a lot of profit or not. Don't wait too long, start buying stocks as fast as possible because they will be very expensive very quickly. Spend all your money on stocks, later when they pay divident you can spend that extra money on stocks too. Eventually you can buy out the most successful competitors and take over their empire with their R&D and brand already estabilished. This strategy takes many years, so be patient.

[counting]

Another way to beat AIs with huge starting capital if you start with a low budget is to patiently start buying their stocks. At the start you have to analyse the companies and only buy stocks from tech oriented companies that will dominate the late game. I usually buy stocks from corporations that have factories and R&D centres, I also look at their products, you can predict if those will generate a lot of profit or not. Don't wait too long, start buying stocks as fast as possible because they will be very expensive very quickly. Spend all your money on stocks, later when they pay divident you can spend that extra money on stocks too. Eventually you can buy out the most successful competitors and take over their empire with their R&D and brand already estabilished. This strategy takes many years, so be patient.

I have a question about purely playing stock market without profiting somehow somewhere first. Since a player already has few capital compare to AI's massive capital, before you can take over, it will have a very high chance to buy back stocks and deny player purchasing enough stock beyond 75%.

[counting]

Another way to beat AIs with huge starting capital if you start with a low budget is to patiently start buying their stocks. At the start you have to analyse the companies and only buy stocks from tech oriented companies that will dominate the late game. I usually buy stocks from corporations that have factories and R&D centres, I also look at their products, you can predict if those will generate a lot of profit or not. Don't wait too long, start buying stocks as fast as possible because they will be very expensive very quickly. Spend all your money on stocks, later when they pay divident you can spend that extra money on stocks too. Eventually you can buy out the most successful competitors and take over their empire with their R&D and brand already estabilished. This strategy takes many years, so be patient.

I have a question about purely playing stock market without profiting somehow somewhere first. Since a player already has few capital compare to AI's massive capital, before you can take over, it will have a very high chance to buy back stocks and deny player purchasing enough stock beyond 75%.