This Page is an attempt to capture all of the business ideas that fly through my head on a regular basis. As much as I would like to I can’t possibly capitalize on all of them but maybe you can. If you are searching for ideas or just think one of these sounds like your cup of tea go ahead and see if you can make it happen. Many of these ideas are not in the least bit unique, sometimes you just have to build a better wheel or fill a need in a local market.
Homeschool transcripts – My kids are homeschooled and we are quickly nearing college years. My wife has done a great job of keeping up with and cataloguing all of their work over the years. However sometimes we find ourselves in situations that require some sort of a transcript. A service that reviews catalogued course material and issues a transcript could be an excellent service that could service the ever growing homeschool market.
Bound HS course work in a nice presentable format – Closely related to the above service this could be a package deal. My idea is to have a service that takes all of the catalogued course material and condenses it into a nice bound presentable format like a coffee table book. This could go a long way in helping manage and organize the clutter that many homeschool families constantly battle.
Homeschool Sex Education – As my kids get older I recognize that this is wildly important. A curriculum that lays it out and gives all the necessary information in a real and healthy manner could be a very valuable resource.
Dive Shop – This is more of a dream. I would love to own a dive shop in some tropical exotic location and offer dive trips, rental, guiding services, sales, etc. I have only had the opportunity to dive a few times so this would be a bit of a shot in the dark and probably not all that profitable, but who cares.
Kite Board Lessons/Shop – This could even be opened in conjunction with the dive shop. A shared building would probably be a fantastic strategy to get either off the ground. I hate to say it but I have never actually kite boarded but when I ask myself the question, ‘what would I do if I found out I was about to kick the bucket’ kite boarding always makes the list right behind spending time with my family.
Rental Super Shop/Work Space – I love to build things out of wood, metal, glass, you name it. The problem is that many of the tools required to do all of this cool stuff are spendyyy! I haven’t done the market research to prove my point but I feel that there are many others out there that feel the same way. I envision a giant shop full of tools, big and small, welders, saws, glass tools, lathes, a forge, all available with proper training. The shop could even be developed into some type of a shared workspace. I know the overhead would be high but by charging a per use, monthly, weekly or annual fee I think it could be profitable. The shop could branch out into classes, both artistic and technical and really serve a wide range of people.
Artistic Co-op Shared Workspace – I have visited a couple of these and am always blown away by the shear level off creativity at these places. I would love to have a building that rented out offices or suites to artists, micro-preneurs or small businesses. It would have to have a highly eclectic feel and foster a wildly creative atmosphere. This could be developed in conjunction with above mentioned super shop.
Real estate investing – I have dabbled in this in the past and am sure that at some point I will probably take it to the next level. Kings have been building empires by owning land for centuries; the trend is likely to continue.
Property Management – What has really held me and I am sure other real estate investors back from going big time is property management. I do not enjoy managing rentals but recognize that there is a huge need for competent property management. When I take real estate investing to the next level I will have a management plan in place with a hired property manager. I will cover the costs by offering management services to others.
Adult gymnastic type gym – I love to work out and stay in shape. I also recognize that the environment I exercise in hugely affects the quality of my workouts. There is a trend towards more bodyweight exercise, more functional movement and higher intensity training. There are Crossfit gyms, parkour practice areas, MMA gyms and a host of other specific workout type areas. A gym that built itself around the bodyweight exercise movement but also included other perks and bonuses like a rock wall, some gymnastics equipment, and a few weights would be awesome.
Something in the online fitness world – The fitness industry is massive but also highly competitive. If you are involved in fitness and you don’t have an online portion you are leaving money on the table. I don’t really know what my angle here would be but I know there can easily be a dozen different angles.
Cooking Related – I love cooking and eating. It brings families together and builds strong bonds. I have a domain name, reclaimfamilycooking.com that at some point I hope to build out. Our idea is to sell products and services that bring families together through cooking and food.
Travel Related – Like many others I love to travel and dream about getting paid to travel. Many people save up for years to take big trips, meaning that when they do take that trip they spend big bucks. I have a domain alaskaescapades.com that talks about travel in Alaska. It is currently not a focus but at some point I hope to build it out and start actively pursuing opportunities in this space. I would monazite this through affiliate sales and commissions.
Pet Related – My family fell in love with Great Danes a few years ago. We also realized that it can be a challenge to find dog stuff big enough for Great Danes. Dogs that weight up to 180 lbs. can have some very specific needs. My site greatdaneapproved.com attempts to address some of these specific issues. I would eventually like to develop and sell physical products to Great Dane owners.
Sustainable Farming – I might not really be able to swing this but I admire those who can. The world’s farms are quickly being homogenized and bought up by large scale industrial farming operations. While at the same time there is an organic, local and slow food movement. Reading about sustainable farming makes me want to get back to nature and grow some delicious natural goodness. The demand and market is huge and growing daily. For those that like to work hard there is money to be made.
App Development – I would like to try my hand at this at some point. Since I don’t write a lick of code I would outsource the whole thing and manage the project.
SEO Consulting – I am no SEO whiz but I am learning. If I can get good and I have the time and need the money I will market my services.
Social Media Consulting – Same as SEO services. Social media is here to stay and changing so fast that it can be a full time job just to keep up. For businesses that want to have effective marketing campaigns current social media is a must.
Juice/Smoothie Bar – I love smoothies and fresh juice. A small bar that sells only the best with a tilt towards medicinal and results oriented food would be a lot of fun. All I have to do is go to the local juice bar and stand in line for 15 minutes at any time of the day to recognize the demand. I have never run the numbers but it is my guess that despite the high prices this is a fairly low margin business.
Wilderness Survival Expert – I love the outdoors and I have always liked the idea of surviving off of the land. There is a proliferation of survival shows and survival has now gone mainstream. A website with tons of content about how to survive in the wild would be a lot of fun. I would use the self experiment model to create much of the content. This could start out as an affiliate sale business but quickly move to a product development revenue plan. In person courses could also be taught from time to time or it could follow an Outward Bound or NOLS type model. It wouldn’t really matter how the business grew it would have the potential to be fun and exciting at every step of the way.
Virtual Boss – I am lazy and this is one reason that it has taken so long to get my business off the ground. I don’t have anyone holding me accountable and I don’t have anyone offering me direction. I am sure that there are many others out there that could use a swift kick in the rear and someone holding them accountable. A business that did just this could be a fantastic idea. I envision this working as a coaching/mentoring/consulting type business. My first inclination would be to monetize this through some type of a pay as you go approach or membership service. This could be a lot of fun and eventually scalable as you hire additional bosses.
Operating Procedures Consulting – Businesses need systems, procedures and training manuals. If they don’t have these the business owners will be hopelessly stuck in a reactive mode and eternally required for mundane decisions. Systematizing a business can allow owners to step away from the business and focus on the things that actually make money. A business that helps owners build these systems and procedures could be a very valuable service for small and large businesses. This could be monetized through various consulting based approaches as well as eventually offering product packages.
Industrial Fitness – I have been a fitness fanatic for almost 20 years. During that time I have run marathons, worked in gyms, lifted heavy, lifted light, fine tuned my diet, etc. Also, during that time I have worked in the industrial field and because of this I am very aware of the hazards and health risks associated with working in heavy industry.
The industrial field is moving towards a highly safety focused culture which includes an appreciation and recognition of the important role that fitness and nutrition play in keeping employees safe and healthy.
I have visited and worked on numerous work sites, ie. oil platforms, remote camps or even office complexes that have fairly high quality exercise facilities. Some are more highly trafficked than others but the point is that very little oversight goes into these facilities and the truth of the matter is that the gym can be a dangerous place. With proper management of fitness programs large companies could greatly improve the safety and quality of their fitness programs.
I am proposing a full fitness management structure that would include a fitness director and management of all fitness related programs for large industrial operators. They might want to only take chunks of the offer but even consulting or part time fitness training could be very lucrative.
A Gift Reminder Service – I don’t know about you but I am horrible at remembering gifts on holidays and I am even worse at picking out good gifts to go along with these holidays. I know I am not alone and I spend several weeks per year making up for this display of manliness.
I need a service that I could sign up for that would either take care of everything for me or would contact me before the occasion to remind me and make suggestions about what gifts would be great. There really is not a great solution like this out there that is easy to find.
This could potentially save marriages, many nights in the doghouse and the feelings of those that you love the most.