Cruising around YouTube the other day I came across a ten- year reunion of the cast of Breaking Bad. What a great show! So I went and found it on one of the streaming channels and started rewatching it. Then it struck me that years ago I had done a column about business ideas from the show Breaking Bad. I dug that column out and read it and realized I had not even scratched the surface of all of the great advice both business and life that one could get from this great series.

Walter White, the iconic character on the show, was certainly a master of creating and managing his methamphetamine empire. While his methods were morally questionable, his business acumen was undeniable.

With that in mind I thought it would be fun to pay more attention to the show and actually take notes as I watched it again. I was amazed at how much one could learn from this show. Here is a list of some of the more pertinent bits of advice and teaching moments from Breaking Bad.

This time I focused on all of the new businesses these guys and their pals could have started with everything they learned and got good at over the years.

Here are some of them.

Chemical consulting firm: Leverage expertise in chemistry to provide consulting services to various industries.

Drug testing kits: Develop and sell drug testing kits for law enforcement agencies, workplaces, and schools. Heck these guys could have produced Covid test kits when we needed them!

Specialized cooking classes: Offer classes teaching the chemistry behind cooking to enthusiasts and professionals.

Organic chemical synthesis: Produce and sell organic chemicals for research and industrial use. That is what they were doing, right? Just think if they had done it for good causes.

Security consulting: Provide security consulting services to businesses to protect against theft and other risks. Their friends from south of the border were experts at that. Not to mention Gus Fring and Mike Ehrman.

Underground market research: Conduct market research in niche or underground markets for unconventional products. How much market research did they really need?

Customized chemical solutions: Create tailor-made chemical solutions for specific industrial applications.

Clandestine laboratory cleanup services: Offer cleanup services when the police find illegal drug labs, ensuring safe disposal of hazardous materials.

Home security systems: Develop and sell advanced home security systems to protect against intruders.

Biomedical research: Use chemical expertise for research and development in the biomedical field.

Environmental cleanup: Provide services for cleaning up environmental contaminants, such as chemical spills.

DIY chemistry kits: Create educational chemistry kits for children and adults to learn basic chemistry principles.

Mobile laboratory services: Offer on-site laboratory services for industries requiring immediate chemical analysis.

Industrial equipment sales: Sell specialized equipment used in chemical manufacturing and processing.

Chemical supply chain management: Manage the supply chain for companies requiring chemical inputs, ensuring efficiency and reliability.

Forensic analysis: Provide forensic analysis services for law enforcement agencies and legal firms.

Niche pharmaceuticals: Develop and sell niche pharmaceuticals targeting specific medical conditions.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing: Produce and sell protective gear for workers in hazardous environments.

Chemical waste disposal: Offer safe and compliant disposal services for chemical waste generated by various industries. This would be great in our own industry. Actually, I bet old Walt could have built great PCBs

Alternative energy research: Invest in research and development of alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind power.

Innovative drug delivery systems: Develop novel methods for drug delivery to improve effectiveness and patient experience. Skinny Pete and his friends would have been great at this.

Hazardous material training: Provide training programs for handling hazardous materials safely in various industries.

Chemical education platform: Create an online platform offering courses and resources for learning chemistry.

High-quality laboratory equipment rental: Rent out specialized laboratory equipment to research institutions and businesses.

Chemical waste recycling: Develop technologies for recycling chemical waste into usable products or raw materials.

Although these ideas draw inspiration from Walter White’s expertise in chemistry and his ability to navigate the complexities of running a successful illicit drug operation, there were other experts involved along the way. Certainly, the Mexican Cartel gang and the guys in distribution could have contributed greatly to starting some of these other businesses. And just think if they had. In a few years they could have been legitimate…wait that’s another movie. Speaking of which, maybe I’ll watch “Ozark” again. I bet there are some pretty good business ideas in that series too.

But lest I forget, the one thing they had that every good and successful business needs is great legal representation and as we all learned from this show when you’re in need of that, then you’d better call Saul!  It’s only common sense.