Got any brainstorms for micro-businesses? If so, you can post them here and find out if there are others that would like to join you in your venture, get feedback on your idea - or - if you can't develop it yourself - the idea may attract someone who can!
I will post some comments with ideas of my own - ideas that I don't have time to pursue, but probably would if I had the time - so if any of them appeal to you, have at it! And post some of your own! Boomers are full of ideas, creativity, and experience! Let's help each other get the creative juices flowing!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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7 comments:
I have often thought that it would be fun to open my home to people who do a lot of work-related travel and spend time working in the Phoenix area. I have had executives from other countries stay here to lean English - judges, entrepreneurs, a chocolate maker, etc. They are most interesting people and having them for short periods of time is great! And since they are not here 24-7 month after month, one can have the best of both worlds.
Airline employees often live in one city, but rent space in another where they often need to spend the night. How much more convenient to rent a comfortable room in a home, be able to leave a change of clothes or two, than to have to rent hotels, pack and unpack every day, etc.
I think there could be a business here - listing homes that have rooms available to companies that have executives traveling into the Valley on a regular basis. It certainly would help corporations save money on the travel bills accrued by their executives! Perfect for this economy.
If I were to pursue this type of business, I would check out the legal issues, find out how easy it would be to get a list of travel and HR departments in major corporations and universitites, look at vacation exchange websites such as Intervac or Home Exchange for prototypes, etc.
I travel with my grandkids – and have thought about developing a website and book that would pool information from travelers all over the world that would help me plan trips for them. I had even come up with a tentative name – Grand Adventures – that would help those of us who would like to open up the wonders, wit, and wisdom of the world to the next generation. (Alas, I don't have time to do it now).
If I am planning a trip to Boston and Plimouth (I think this is the correct spelling!) Plantation, for example, I would love to have a list of potential movies and books for different age groups, that we could look at in the weeks before the trip, material that would open up the wonder of history and make it come alive, provide me colorful stories I could share with them on the plane or in the car.
I would love to have names of restaurants that are especially appealing to kids, of parks in the area where they could run and play when they (or I) need a break, or of child-friendly hikes.
I would envision the site as one that would generate revenue with ads from companies/sites that are particularly kid-friendly. One might make a partnership with a home exchange company. Another idea to generate revenue would be to have a members-only section that people would pay to join. This section might pair grandparents who like to travel with their grandkids with other members who are in the same position. Especially if you are traveling with only one kid, it usually works better if there is a friend of similar age along.
I could also see a book being written – and updated yearly – full of the contributions from those visiting the site - people who could keep notes while they are on trips, or those who live in other cities and countries who have traveled with kids. A friend of mine travels extensively with his kids – the last time we talked he was sleeping under the stars in a desert oasis in Egypt, I believe, with his 6-year old son, telling him tales of Middle-East adventures. What wonderful additions he - and others like him - could make to the site.
I saw a segment on a local morning show a couple of weeks ago that described how to convert from Cable TV to Computer TV (which you still would watch on your TV monitor, not on the computer). Seemed a bit complicated, but the idea of saving ALL of your cable bill I thought would be intriguing in this economy.
I can envision someone with technical skills making this conversion for homeowners in the area - they would be paid by the homeowner and perhaps could make arrangements to purchase the equipment at a significant discount and therefore perhaps earn income from selling this equipment to homeowners who wanted to do it themselves.
A business collegue in New Hampshire who used to be a car salesman took early retirement and tried to come up with a new way to sell cars - one that was more consumer oriented.
He started an organization called Bonnie Clac (you can google it for more information). Basically he made arrangements with a car dealer to provide a basic new Honda Civic for a rock-bottom price (no frills - one size fits all except for color), talked a bank into making loans for the car at a little over 5% interest, then added $850 to the contract (which paid for his fees).
So far, he has sold more than 1,000 cars and the last time I talked to him, he had 6 offices throughout the state. His default rate is lower than the average for the business. He also offers financial courses and counseling. While his primary market is the working poor, he sells cars to anyone who wants to buy from him.
Effortless shot. It is a great way of marketing. You have done a very good job with it, nice post. Keep it up!!!!!
good job and effort... thanks for the post.
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