Millions of small businesses open their doors around the world every year. If you have an business idea and you want set yourself apart from the herd and really succeed, you had best be coming loaded with the world’s most unique value proposition, some extremely diverse revenue streams and a truckload of creativity. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.
1. Voice Services
Possibly the most sensible entry on this list, voice services is an emerging industry that is proving very lucrative for those getting in on the ground floor. Essentially, voice services involves the delivery of Voice Over Internet Protocol services, made possible by wholesale telecommunication companies like iVox. VOIP is like your landline phone, but it runs over the internet instead. It’s proving to be a far cheaper and more efficient alternative for businesses that require multi-line systems than the more traditional landline arrangement. Excellent service and technicians will help you to stand apart.
2. Expert Witness Matchmaker
An expert witness is someone who has extensive knowledge in a particular field and is called on by an attorney to support their case in court. Legal teams are forever trying to find solid expert witnesses to assist them. A great way to make waves in this field is to become a kind of matchmaker, connecting lawyers with expert witnesses for their various cases. Expert witnesses for higher profile cases are often expected to travel where they need to in order to testify, so long-distance travel may be necessary – however, there’s no reason your rolodex of witnesses shouldn’t be from any given part of the country.
3. On-Demand Home Services
We live in an era where on-demand is everywhere. We want stuff and we want it now. Several businesses have emerged to provide user-friendly instant-gratification but, as it is still very much a burgeoning market, there’s plenty of time to get started. One area that conceals a potentially massive niche is people who hate housework but still want it done now. Think of the things around your house you hate doing – cleaning, plumbing, painting, and general handiwork like furniture assembly or TV mounting. Users could book a tradesperson via a website and they show up the very next day to get the job done.
4. Marketing Copywriter
Are you able to write in a way that gets people pumped about buying what your client has to sell? There’s definitely money to be made there and you can go into business for yourself as a freelancer. If you aren’t experienced in copywriting then enrol in a course – there’s plenty you can take online, at community colleges or even universities. Start getting work writing brochures, catalogues, ads and, naturally, marketing copy for print or for the web.
5. Rent-a-Swag
The insane popularity of Facebook and Instagram photos puts pressure on people to look amazing at social events. Several companies have in recent years begun to rent high-end, designer clothing in order to give people a kind of red carpet “Cinderella moment”, without breaking the bank. In-season items are key. Fashion savvy customers will come to you for the newest threads and the rental turn-around means you’ll be able to recoup the costs. It might also tempt customers into buying garments they like. The biggest risk with a company like this is how well each item will fit, so make sure you are upfront about how each garment will fit.
Starting a new business is rarely very easy, but it can be far easier when you’re trying something fun or focusing on something you really care about. Have you ever come up with a really out-of-left-field business idea and moved forward with it? How did it pan out for you? Tell all in the comments below!
