Hot Business Ideas for 2010
In view of the economic difficulties we have all faced no matter what your economic status, we have all been affected.
Some of us have wanted to make an extra income to supplement what we have coming in already or you may be unemployed and need to make some money. This is a great time to use your imagination and find a niche and start a small business.
You might have some ideas of your own but here are a few I have found that might inspire you.
Crafts and Handmade Goods
I recently saw on a morning show a designer making clothing like Neck ties out of old cassette tape! Making stuff is big news, it’s inspiring a new breed of entrepreneur. A crafter sells their wares at online sites like Etsy.com, craft fairs or by building their own website to sell their designs and local farmers markets. Craft supplies like jewelry kits, knitting supplies and scrap-booking materials are popular sellers, so are the end results of those crafts. Can you paint or draw, maybe paint or draw on wine glasses, handbags, hats? Can you put together a kit of your crafts for example, for people who like scrap-booking, you can put a kit together with all the supplies someone needs to complete just one scrapbook project like for their last vacation and supply the vacation themed cut outs etc. and sell it
Senior Products
Dan Michel founded Dakim Inc. in 2001 to provide such a product and came up with the mPower Cognitive Fitness System. He got the idea after designing games for his father, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. “The more I engaged him in things that turned out to be cognitively stimulating, the more ‘with it’ he was,” recalls Michel. The staff at the senior living community loved the games, too–and asked Michel to create a product for use with other residents. The resulting touchscreen system lets seniors play games, puzzles and other challenging and fun cognitive activities. The response from senior centers has pushed sales into the seven figures and inspired this Santa Monica, California, entrepreneur to create an at-home version, set to launch next year.There’s a growing need for products and services that fit the senior community. Check out what’s already available and think about what would make life easier for both patients with dementia symptoms and their caregivers.
Health and Fitness
Everyone is conscious about their health and weight these days. Do you like to dance? Do you have or know a cultural dance line Salsa, Rumba, Ball room or African dance? You can use a room in your house or rent a classroom at the local school or pool house in your sub-division or community room and teach people to dance. Charge a fee to cover costs and pay yourself. Or just let people come in and dance, your own mini disco!
Niche Directory or Local Directory
A niche directory offers items to people within a certain niche or interest group. The owner makes money from business owners who pay to advertise their products to buyers who all share a love or enthusiasm for a certain topic or niche. Or you could sell the directory like a list of local Poodle accessory stores or retailers of pink leather biker wear. Think about what information may be lacking in your local community.
Niche directories are what you can call a win-win situation. They are very popular for three fundamental reasons. Number one, consumers like them because it’s an easy way to find products or services that cater to their interests. Number two, advertisers love them because they deliver targeted customers. Number three, the directory owner makes money month after month.
These are just a few. Bookmark this site and find more in the future.
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Business Through a Woman’s Eyes
A Woman’s Perspective
One of the reasons women start a small business is because they want more control over their life, more freedom, flexibility, and control. They want to be able to spend more time with and on their family and themselves. These business minded women have always been more focused on their roles as a wife, mother, and entrepreneur and seek to build a business to create more flexibility than a traditional 9-to-5 job.
Men Tend To Dream of the Possibilities
Recently more men are beginning to think about lifestyle control and other options when building a business. It’s not that men don’t put values and family on the front line of their business or job, but most women entrepreneurs make it the number one priority over everything else. In my opinion, men are the dreamers and less pragmatic than women. The traditional business philosophy is either in direct conflict with feminine tendencies of acting on intuition or connection with others, or has no relation to it and feels very unnatural to a woman.
For example, telling a woman that upon conception of her entrepreneurial idea she needs to write a business plan at once, work out all the figures, and define her exit strategy is counter-intuitive and counterproductive to her natural tendency to go out in the world and associate. More typically she would get the information and work through an idea slowly bouncing ideas off those around her area of interest, get information from friends and colleagues, or enjoy a long dinner from which a prospective or unexpected partnership might arise. Women are more likely to have a creative idea when out and about mingling or even having lunch with a friend, rather than buried in paperwork at a desk. That is why many women entrepreneurs create products that they developed out of their individual needs. These ideas come from either frustration or a strong desire to have something they aren’t able to find on the market.
How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business, (written by Margaret Heffernan) wrote that women think about what their business will stand for before they start planning anything else. According to Heffernan, male entrepreneurs see their businesses as a machine, while female entrepreneurs see it as a living organism.
It’s not to say that the way women deal with business is better than the way men develop a business or the traditional business philosophy – it is just can be different. You need to take charge and do as you feel. See your business idea through your eyes.