Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Status-- Being cooler than the next dude, See West Coast Choppers and Or Dubs

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Follow the journey of Marvin Hawkins Visual Concepts and Nothing Like It Games at http://gamerdeveloper.blogspot.com/

Status might be a generic category, but wouldn`t it fit under Vanity?

I looked at doing the recreational path. There is a pretty good market out there for leisure activities that a lot of people are willing to pay for while on vacation. I was just in Florida and we had a hard time finding people who rented kayaks, snorkeling, etc. because a lot of them were mixed with larger businesses and that made them hard to find.

Hook up with a nice hotel/resort and offer some type of activity for families.


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There ya go, Cellsite :-)
My intent for this topic was (is) that people looking for an idea for a business could run down the master categories of human activity and think about what they most like.

If you know you`d like to do something in recreation, then you can start asking questions like, "What sort of fun stuff would work here that nobody`s making or selling?" That`s a whole lot easier question to answer than, "What can I do for a business?" :-)

"What can I use to start a business; what can I sell?"

Well folks, this is an easy one to take a poke at... no need for fancy words, long, drawn out business theories OR any of that phony, high-falutin` "biz-guru" gar-bage.

Since the business of business is basically ONE thing... solving problems for people with enough money to pay for the solution. And your job as a business owner is to provide these solutions, to a market that you can reach, can afford your solution, and will accept what you offer, as and when you can/will deliver it.

So... my suggestion for "What can I use to start a business; what can I sell?"  is... Sell what sells, and is compatible with your skills, interests, ethics and capabilities. Use what you have `in-hand` - supplemented with what you can easily afford.

Here`s an example: You are a woodworker-hobbyist with most of the common tools and some supplies. You discover that there is a serviceable local market for the types of things you can and like to make. You find that you`ll need a few new tools, some additional wood, finishing materials and your delivery truck needs a brake job... all of which you can afford - with some minor adjustments to your household budget. You also know about a local crafters market that takes consignments, and also buys outright from their suppliers that have brisk sales. This market sells a lot of hand-crafted furniture, so if your workmanship is up to snuff, the likelihood of selling your crafts is a high probability. Would you do this as a starter-biz, given what you now know? Not only would I, I already have*... many times over the last 50+ years.

And, as you become established...

Well, you get the picture.

Bottom line: Sell whatever you want, as long as there are folks that will buy what you have to sell, and you can reach them. It couldn`t be any simpler than that.

* NB: I have helped more than 500 folks start their own micro-businesses using this very same formula over the last 20+ years... so, I KNOW that it works... and works just fine.

Nick/OldNikko
GM, The entrepreneur Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/entrepreneur